Evidence from a cash transfer project in Niger

In Niger, UCTs and supplementary feeding are given during the June–September “lean season,” although admissions of malnourished children to feeding programmes may rise from March/April. This study hypothesised that earlier initiation of the UCT would reduce the prevalence of global acute malnutrition (GAM) in children 6-59 months old in programme participant households and at the population level.

Although the study observed a temporary increase in food security for programme participants in the pre-lean season, there was no evidence that starting the UCT 2 months earlier and providing the same amount of cash over a longer period, together with 4 months of supplementary feeding, would be beneficial to children's nutritional status. There is already evidence that cash usually needs to be combined with complementary interventions to impact on nutrition.