ArticleBMC public health2020
Home-grown school feeding: assessment of a pilot program in Nepal.
Article in BMC public health, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Acceptability of School Menus: A Systematic Review of Assessment Methods.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Pooled it
- Sustainable strategies for the mid-day meal program: a qualitative study in a community school of Nepal.BMC nutrition · 2025Article
- Review
- Barriers and facilitators to implementation of nutrition-related actions in school settings in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs): a qualitative systematic review using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR).Implementation science communications · 2023Article
- Identifying positive and negative deviants and factors associated with healthy dietary practices among young schoolchildren in Nepal: a mixed methods study.BMC nutrition · 2023Article
- A Community-Led Central Kitchen Model for School Feeding Programs in the Philippines: Learnings for Multisectoral Action for Health.Global health, science and practice · 2022Article
- Food Fortification of Instant Pulse Porridge Powder with Improved Iron and Zinc Bioaccessibility Using Roselle Calyx.Nutrients · 2022Article
- Home-Grown School Feeding: Implementation Lessons From a Pilot in a Poor Ethnic Minority Community in Vietnam.Food and nutrition bulletin · 2022Article
- Facilitating Factors and Opportunities for Local Food Purchases in School Meals in Spain.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- A Community-Based School Nutrition Intervention Improves Diet Diversity and School Attendance in Palestinian Refugee Schoolchildren in Lebanon.Current developments in nutrition · 2020Article
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe Nepal School Meals Program reached 600,000 schoolchildren in basic education in 2017 and plays a key role in the government's strategy to increase children's academic and nutritional outcomes. A large part of the program is implemented through cash transfers with schools responsible for the school meal delivery. Home-grown school feeding, an approach in which local communities are given greater control over the school meals program and part of the food is sourced locally, may strengthen local ownership and improve meal quality, but there is a lack of evidence for impact.
methodsThis study piloted home-grown school feeding in 30 schools reaching nearly 4000 children in Sindhupalchok and Bardiya districts in Nepal with the aim to assess operations and outcomes in comparison to the regular cash-based school meals program. The study used a one-time post evaluation with a mixed methods approach. Qualitative data were collected through 12 focus group discussions and 28 key informant interviews with government and school staff, parents, cooks, cooperative members, World Food Programme representatives and other stakeholders involved in the pilot program. The quantitative part applied a quasi-experimental design and used cross-sectional data collected from 1512 children in 30 pilot and 30 control schools.
resultsThe quantitative data indicated that children in the pilot schools had a significantly higher provision of midday school meals (+ 19%; p < 0.01) and a higher school meal quality in terms of dietary diversity (+ 44%; p < 0.01) and nutritional content (e.g. a 21%-points higher consumption of vitamin A-rich fruit and vegetables; p < 0.01). The qualitative data identified key drivers of these positive outcomes as the use of standard meal options, capacity building of local stakeholders, strengthened community ownership and accountability mechanisms, and local food supply chains. Maintaining the observed gains would require a 20-33% increase in the current budget per school meal in addition to the cost of capacity building.
conclusionsThis study for Nepal shows that home-grown school feeding strengthened operations of the school meals program and led to a significantly higher meal provision and quality of school meals.
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