Table 1 SURE nutrition-sensitive agriculture messages for care givers of healthy under-two children

Selection and diversity of crops

 Provide nutritious foods for your family with poultry, small livestock, vegetable gardening

 Plant different crops to be harvested at different times of year

 Grow plants that live for more than 1 year, which is useful for food security

 Grow a variety of cereals whenever possible. Intercrop with legumes

 Grow diverse foods such as vegetables and fruits to eat and to sell

 Attend a farmer demonstration centre or talk to your agriculture extension agent for help with crop selection

 Use improved seed varieties

 Consider producing and eating nutritious foods in your area that are available but not commonly consumed, such as wild fruits

Land management

 Rotate crops among different fields

 Practice intercropping (rows of legumes and/or vegetables with main staples)

 Practice agroforestry (planting trees or shrubs to reduce erosion) in or around planting fields

 Practice conservation farming and minimum tillage methods to reduce soil erosion, such as terracing

 Use drainage methods to prevent excessive soil water logging or run off

 Plough manure from livestock back into the soil to fertilise it

Water management

 Keep animals away from water sources

 Use improved latrines, do not practice open defecation

 Filter or use settling ponds to improve water quality

 Harvest water during the rainy season

Livestock

 Raise poultry, goats or sheep, or larger animals, especially high yielding or improved varieties

 Use confined/caged poultry production systems

 Attend livestock demonstrations to learn how to care for livestock and keep them healthy

 Keep livestock out of the house to avoid infectious disease

 Keep eggs and milk for consumption, especially by children

Income from agriculture

 Fathers and mothers allocate some money to buy nutritious foods at the market

 Fathers and mothers save money to use for nutrition or for your child’s treatment when sick

 Mothers participate in agriculture or livestock to generate income for the family

 Fathers empower mothers to budget money for the health and nutrition of the family

Shared role of fathers and mothers on their family nutrition

 Fathers help your wife with household tasks, so she can ensure your child’s good diet

 Fathers and mothers play with your child to promote healthy growth of mind and body

 Fathers and mothers work together with respect and partnership to help your children grow well

Food handling, processing and storage

 Use safe food preparation and storage behaviours

 Use good pre- and post-harvest storage and handling practices

 Use proper storage for vegetables and diffused light storage for seeds and potatoes