Enhancing Nutrition of Upland Farming Families (ENUFF)

Enhancing Nutrition of Upland Farming Families (ENUFF) Phase II is a multi-sector project that aims to improve family nutrition in remote and ethnically diverse upland farming communities in the Oudomxay and Houaphan provinces of Lao PDR.  The project is implemented between June 2020 and July 2024, to enhance the nutritional status of more than 6,000 families.

Building on earlier project achievements, Phase II of ENUFF applies multi-sectoral development approaches, including:

• Nutrition-sensitive farming to enhance the production of diverse crops and increase access to nutritious food.

• Resilient rural WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) to increase the number of new or rehabilitated water points and sanitation facilities (e.g., toilets and handwashing with soap facilities) in households, schools, and health centres and explore other options for year-round access water.

• Social Behavioural Change Communications (SBCC) to improve feeding, caregiving, and dietary practices of women who are lactating and are in the reproductive age, as well as intra-household demand for, use, and maintenance/management of water and sanitation facilities

Phases I and II of ENUFF are funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and implemented by SNV. The project contributes to realising the goals of the Government of Lao PDR’s national Multi-sectoral Food and Nutrition Security Action Plan. SNV staff will work closely with several government agencies, e.g., Ministries of Health, Agriculture, Education, and the Lao Women Union, alongside communities, to sustain the project’s outcomes and promote more conducive policy and institutional frameworks for improving nutrition.

ENUFF implements tried and tested SNV approaches for nutrition: Sustainable Nutrition for All (SN4A), rural water: Area-wide Rural Water Supply Services (ARWSS), and rural sanitation: Sustainable Sanitation and Hygiene for All (SSH4A).

Highlights of ENUFF Phase I

• Stunting in children under 5 years old fell from 42.3% to 37.7%.

• Diarrhoea in children aged 6 to 23 months dropped from 24% to 13%.

• The average number of annual crops grown increased from 2.2 to 8.2, and perennial crops rose from 0.5 to 4.1 between the baseline and end-line surveys.

• Households in target districts raised more livestock and poultry. Large livestock increased from 2.2 to 4.2, and poultry increased from 19 to 25, with the most significant rise in villages in Houaphan province.

• More children under two are getting at least four meals daily. This increased from 14% to 66% in target villages.

• Children’s dietary variety also improved from an average of 2.2 to 3.7-4.0 food groups since 2016.

• Finally, the percentage of households using better water and sanitation facilities rose from 75% to 92%.