Social Protection Pathways to Nutrition

The Social Protection Pathways to Nutrition is a global research initiative led by WFP in partnership with the Institute of Development Studies and the International Food Policy Research Institute. Its overarching goal is to review evidence and propose an analytical and operational framework that links social protection to improved nutrition outcomes, combining evidence reviews, case studies and synthesis reports to inform policy and programmatic approaches.

The research explores how social protection systems can enhance diet and nutrition outcomes across diverse contexts, focusing on West and Central Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean. It draws on evidence and learning from case studies in Ghana, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, Ecuador, Guatemala, Peru and the Dominican Republic, building a strong evidence base centred on what works, how and why.

A key objective of the study is to unpack impact pathways by jointly examining the design and implementation features of different social protection instruments. It seeks to identify barriers and enablers that influence positive nutritional outcomes in both the short and long term. The case studies contribute to understanding the constraints, strengths and challenges of social protection pathways in relation to nutrition and food security.