As a part of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) “Strengthening capacities for nutrition-sensitive agriculture and food systems in India” project, a tutor briefing workshop was organized in collaboration with Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR-NIN), between July 15 and August 3, 2020.

FAO Representative in India, Mr. Tomio Shichiri, gave the inaugural address in the opening session on July 15, 2020.  This session was attended by Dr. Ramani Wijesinha Bettoni, Nutrition Officer, Food and Nutrition Division (ESN) of FAO Headquarters in Rome; Mr. Vinay Singh, Food Security and Nutrition Expert, FAO India and Dr. M. Maheshwar, Deputy Director & Head of the Division of Extension & Training (ET), ICMR-NIN, and tutors from the selected piloting institutions in India.

The nine-day workshop was attended by 34 participants. The participants were from the ICMR-NIN; Sir Vithaldas Thackersey College of Home Science (Autonomous), SNDT Women’s University – Mumbai; Avinashilingam Institute for Home Science and Higher Education for Women (Avinashilingam University for Women) - Coimbatore, and Institute of Home Economics, University of Delhi - Delhi. The workshop was facilitated by experts from FAO and ICMR-NIN.

Over nine days, the workshop focused on  FAO’s perspective on nutrition education and how it works. It familiarized tutors with the Education for Effective Nutrition in Action (ENACT) course outline and structure. This included the sharing of piloting experiences from Sri Lanka. The workshop helped acquaint participants with  the ENACT course material and provide necessary guidance to implement the course. Further, course organization and the feasibility of student project and activities were also discussed.

The workshop also, collated inputs for adapting the course material to the Indian context. A key recommendation from the workshop was that ENACT be introduced as a value-added /elective/standalone course in piloting institutions. Further, it was urged that  it be integrated into the formal University curriculum at the Graduate (M.Sc.) and Undergraduate (B.Sc.) levels. In the context of COVID-19 situation, there were discussions on methods of delivering the course via online platforms, as well.

The workshop saw active participation from the majority of tutors, and there was appreciation for the ENACT course material and methodology. The training ended with the concluding remarks by partner institutions, Dr. Hemalatha R, Director, ICMR-NIN and Mr. Tomio Shichiri, FAO Representative in India.