Regional overview of national school food and nutrition programmes in Africa

School feeding programmes are recognized as a key part of food assistance and relief in emergency and development programmes. They are principally concerned with transfer of food to school to alleviate hunger, meet daily consumption needs and encourage attendance and retention. Home-Grown School Feeding programmes (HGSF) in particular have received attention in recent years because of the links to agricultural development and have therefore been widely viewed as a means to address food insecurity while promoting rural development goals in Africa. It is within this context that a study was developed to provide a regional perspective on ‘the state of the art of national school food and nutrition programmes in Africa.