New external review explores the impact of the ANH Academy

08 July 2024

ANH Academy commissioned the production of an External Review to understand the progress of its core objectives, assess impact and provide guidance for the next phase of the Innovative Methods and Metrics for Agriculture and Nutrition Actions (IMMANA) programme. This report is supported by a separate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) report, which focuses on assessing the integration of DEI within ANH Academy.

ANH Academy objectives overview:

Interdisciplinary community building: ANH Academy has successfully increased its membership and geographic reach, with strong online and social media engagement. The annual ANH Academy Weeks have seen growing and inclusive attendance, fostering global collaborations and strategic partnerships.
Research development and harmonization: The uptake of outputs from Technical Working Groups (TWGs) and the dissemination of IMMANA methods at ANH Academy Weeks have stimulated new research avenues. Notable successes include new funding for economic evaluation of multi-sectoral strategies for nutrition and the adoption of food environment frameworks by UN agencies.
Capacity building: Learning Labs and a mentoring program have significantly strengthened the capacity of researchers, particularly early-career scientists. The launch of the Support Centre for Agriculture and Nutrition (SCANR) has also been pivotal.
Policy and program uptake: The Academy has contributed to mainstreaming interdisciplinarity in research and influenced policy changes in countries like Pakistan and Malawi. However, monitoring and measuring this objective remains challenging.

Challenges and Recommendations

The review identified challenges such as resource distribution, event engagement, and the need for a more systematic monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) approach. Recommendations include enhancing DEI efforts, optimizing TWGs, and improving MEL systems to better track complex changes.

ANH Academy Review highlights DEI focus

An external review of ANH Academy underscores its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). The review praises ANH Academy's efforts in fostering an inclusive interdisciplinary research community, highlighting successful integration of DEI in its activities, especially during ANH Academy Weeks held in low- and middle-income countries. The review also identifies areas for improvement, such as broadening geographical reach and increasing support for early career researchers from LMICs.

Future Directions

The report suggests that the ANH Academy should consider new themes and continue its dynamic and flexible approach to meet evolving sector needs. The next steps involve refining MEL systems and implementing the provided recommendations to ensure continued success and impact.