Nutrition in Africa’s drylands: A conceptual framework for addressing acute malnutrition

This brief proposes a renewal of the conceptual framework of malnutrition causality, one that elaborates on the drivers1 of acute malnutrition in drylands. While the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) framework has been widely adopted across both development and humanitarian spheres, there are key aspects of the framework and its application that require urgent reemphasis and updating. There are also significant gaps in the framework itself, especially related to the basic and more systemic drivers of acute malnutrition. A renewal of the conceptual framework and adaptation to Africa’s drylands aim to support a more comprehensive and meaningful analysis of the drivers of acute malnutrition, as part of a participatory process to develop more appropriate, effective, and sustainable strategies to address malnutrition.

The brief was originally published by the Feinstein International Center at Tufts University.