Country‐wide community participation for nutrition improvement: Lessons learned from Thailand

This case study highlights a community‐based programming approach, based on the Thai experience. Several essential elements need to be present for this approach to be successful including a strong community participation and empowerment, inter‐sectoral collaboration within the context of poverty reduction and development, nutritional improvement as an important policy goal and political support at national and local level, and effective social mobilisation which emphasises the mobilisation of the community's human resources. Capacity building empowers the community to take appropriate decisions and implement effective actions to reach a common goal of nutrition improvement among vulnerable groups in the community. A combined ‘top‐down’ and ‘bottom‐up’ planning and implementation process identifies, implements and evaluates programmes and activities that fit the community's needs and circumstances. More than 95% of villages use basic minimum needs indicators to guide programme development and monitor and evaluate programme impacts.

Key words:

• Community‐based
• nutrition programming
• Thailand