India: Country Synthesis Brief

Agriculture policies, programmes and schemes are at both national and state level in India. There is much scope for governments to be proactive and take initiatives while responding to requirements within the state. The Leveraging Agriculture for Nutrition in South Asia (LANSA) research programme consortium aims to enhance the impact of agriculture on maternal and child nutrition in India. LANSA activities in the country have included: mapping of stakeholder perceptions of sectoral policies and programmes, primary research, secondary data analysis, policy dialogue, capacity strengthening, research uptake and dissemination. M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) leads LANSA consortium and also the research in India, with partners – Leverhulme Centre for Integrated Agricultural Research (LCIRAH), the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the Institute of Development Studies (IDS). Research collaborations with Public Health Foundation of India, Universities of Southampton and East Anglia, OKAPI, Vaagdhara and Institute for Financial Management and Research (IFMR) aided in tackling research knowledge gaps identified during the course of the programme.