A net-map analysis of stakeholder connections and influence in agriculture-for-nutrition policymaking in Ghana

Abstract

Nutrition-sensitive agriculture approaches can improve farming household incomes, food security, and diet quality. Adopting nutrition-sensitive agriculture approaches means placing a nutrition lens on the policies, strategies, and investments in the food and agriculture sector without detracting from the sector's traditional goals of food supply. To understand the processes involved in developing agriculture-for-nutrition policies in Ghana, this paper examined the influence of stakeholders' interconnections using a visual participatory mapping technique, Virtual Net-Map. Three convening platforms were identified for stakeholder engagement: the Agriculture Sector Working Group, the National Agricultural Technical Committee, and the Public-Private Partnership Dialogue Platform. Sixty stakeholders with 188 connections were recognised for their involvement in agriculture-for-nutrition policymaking in Ghana. Fourteen stakeholders, twelve from government organizations and two from donor and development partner organizations, were identified as the most influential. International stakeholders (donors and development partners) were critical in funding agriculture-for-nutrition policymaking activities. While all stakeholders had a joint mandate to ensure policies were developed, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture led the policy development process in Ghana's food and agriculture sector. Moreover, government stakeholders notably received more support from other stakeholders for funding, advocacy, dissemination, and technical assistance than the support they offered. Generally, stakeholders were more engaged in technical assistance activities and least involved in disseminating agriculturenutrition information in the agriculture-for-nutrition policymaking process. The information on stakeholders' interconnections and influence showed areas that had the most and least stakeholder engagements, which will enable potential stakeholders to identify niche(s) to support the nutrition agenda in Ghana's food and agriculture sector and help Ghana meet the Global Nutrition Targets and the Sustainable Development Goals for 2025 and 2030, respectively. In addition, the evidence presented on Ghana's agriculture-for-nutrition policymaking network can lead to better ways of centralizing nutrition in agricultural policies and designing initiatives that encompass most, if not all, relevant stakeholders.