Policy relevance is an important objective for many food systems research projects, but few projects get beyond communicating their results to policy audiences, typically at the end of the research. To maximise policy relevance, the INFUSION project has instead set out to plan and carry out its research in close collaboration with major policy stakeholders from the outset.
INFUSION is establishing, testing and delivering evidence for market interventions that improve the availability and affordability of nutrient-dense foods (especially fruits, vegetables and animal-sourced foods) in rural communities in Bihar and Odisha in India.
In July 2022, INFUSION organised a ‘co-design’ workshop in collaboration with the Bihar Rural Livelihoods Promotion Society (BRLPS), the policy body focused on rural development in Bihar, India. INFUSION and BRLPS colleagues spent two days at the campus of the Indian School of Business (an INFUSION partner) in Hyderabad.
Discussions focused on the details of how INFUSION’s research can help BRLPS develop effective interventions to improve nutrition as well as livelihoods in marginalised communities in the state of Bihar. Policymakers and researchers spending such an extended period of time in a relaxed but intellectually stimulating setting meant that deep discussions on the granular aspects of the proposed policy interventions could take place.
More co-design workshops are planned to ensure that the co-design principle is sustained as work progresses.