Indian Food Systems for Improved Nutrition (INFUSION)

Transforming rural food markets for better nutrition and livelihoods.

Project Introduction

INFUSION is a five-year research initiative led by the Institute for Sustainable Food at the University of Sheffield. Launched in December 2022, it aims to improve rural nutrition by strengthening local food markets, focusing on the availability and affordability of nutrient-dense foods such as fruits, vegetables, and animal-sourced foods. Centred in the Samastipur and Bhojpur districts of Bihar, the project works through a co-design approach with policymakers to generate actionable insight into how local food markets, or haats, can improve access to nutrient-dense foods despite challenges such as climate vulnerability and perishability.

Partners

Researchers

Project Methodology

Data collection followed a structured, multi-stage process. A Haat Census first mapped all rural haats, block markets, and APMCs across the study districts to build the sampling frame. A Basic Haat Information Survey, repeated every 2–3 months, then tracked infrastructure, governance, vendor composition, and connectivity as conditions evolved. High-Frequency Data Collection followed twice weekly for a year, with enumerators recording the availability and price of 17 nutrient-dense foods through transect walks and randomized vendor selection. A final Seasonal Data Collection round, run across the monsoon, winter, and summer seasons, combined vendor surveys, transect walks, and market information surveys to capture seasonal market dynamics.

Impact

INFUSION is beginning to show tangible impact across intervention design, research, and policy engagement. A key contribution is the co-design of the Didi Haat initiative — a new village-level market in Telhara village, Nalanda, managed by JEEViKA self-help group members, that improves access to nutrient-dense foods while strengthening women-led enterprises and food supply chains. The project has also begun shaping state policy: its contributions on rural haat development were incorporated into Bihar’s Fourth Agriculture Roadmap (2023–2028), which commits INR 30 crore (~£2.8 million) to upgrading over 1,500 rural markets with improved infrastructure.

Documentation

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