Olney Deanna K, Vicheka Sao, Kro Meng, Chakriya Chhom, Kroeun Hou, Hoing Ly Sok, Talukder Aminzzaman, Quinn Victoria, Iannotti Lora, Becker Elisabeth, Roopnaraine Terry
International Food Policy Research Institute, 2033 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20006, USA.
Food Nutr Bull. 2013 Jun;34(2):169-84. doi: 10.1177/156482651303400206.
Evidence of the impact of homestead food production programs on nutrition outcomes such as anemia and growth is scant. In the absence of information on program impact pathways, it is difficult to understand why these programs, which have been successful in increasing intake of micronutrient-rich foods, have had such limited documented impact on nutrition outcomes.
To conduct a process evaluation of Helen Keller International's (HKI's) homestead food production program in Cambodia to assess whether the program was operating as planned (in terms of design, delivery, and utilization) and to identify ways in which the program might need to be strengthened in order to increase its potential for impact.
A program theory framework, which laid out the primary components along the hypothesized program impact pathways, was developed in collaboration with HKI and used to design the research. Semistructured interviews and focus group discussions with program beneficiaries (n = 36 and 12, respectively), nonbeneficiaries (n = 12), and program implementers (n = 17 and 2, respectively) and observations of key program delivery points, including health and nutrition training sessions (n = 6), village model farms (n = 6), and household gardens of beneficiaries (n = 36) and nonbeneficiaries (n = 12), were conducted to assess the delivery and utilization of the primary program components along the impact pathways.
The majority of program components were being delivered and utilized as planned. However, challenges with some of the key components posited to improve outcomes such as anemia and growth were noted. Among these were a gap in the expected pathway from poultry production to increased intake of eggs and poultry meat, and some weaknesses in the delivery of the health and nutrition training sessions and related improvements in knowledge among the village health volunteers and beneficiaries.
Although the program has been successful in delivering the majority of the program components as planned and has documented achievements in improving household production and intake of micronutrient-rich foods, it is likely that strengthening delivery and increasing utilization of some program components would increase its potential for nutritional impacts. This research has highlighted the importance of designing a program theory framework and assessing the components that lie along the primary program impact pathways to optimize program service delivery and utilization and, in turn, potential for impact.
关于家庭食物生产项目对贫血和生长等营养结果影响的证据很少。由于缺乏关于项目影响途径的信息，很难理解为什么这些在增加富含微量营养素食物摄入量方面取得成功的项目，对营养结果的记录影响却如此有限。
对海伦·凯勒国际组织（HKI）在柬埔寨的家庭食物生产项目进行过程评估，以评估该项目是否按计划运作（在设计、实施和利用方面），并确定该项目可能需要加强的方面，以提高其产生影响的潜力。
与HKI合作制定了一个项目理论框架，该框架列出了假设的项目影响途径中的主要组成部分，并用于设计研究。对项目受益人（分别为36人和12人）、非受益人（12人）和项目实施者（分别为17人和2人）进行了半结构化访谈和焦点小组讨论，并对关键项目实施点进行了观察，包括健康和营养培训课程（6次）、村庄示范农场（6个）以及受益人和非受益人的家庭菜园（分别为36个和12个），以评估影响途径中主要项目组成部分的实施和利用情况。
大多数项目组成部分按计划实施和利用。然而，注意到一些被认为可改善贫血和生长等结果的关键组成部分存在挑战。其中包括从家禽生产到鸡蛋和禽肉摄入量增加的预期途径存在差距，以及健康和营养培训课程的实施存在一些弱点，以及村庄卫生志愿者和受益人在知识方面的相关改善不足。
尽管该项目已成功按计划实施了大部分项目组成部分，并记录了在改善家庭生产和富含微量营养素食物摄入量方面的成就，但加强某些项目组成部分的实施和提高其利用率可能会增加其产生营养影响的潜力。这项研究强调了设计项目理论框架并评估主要项目影响途径中的组成部分的重要性，以优化项目服务的提供和利用，进而提高产生影响的潜力。
