Kathryn Merckel is a technical director of nutrition and food systems and supports the integration of nutrition into projects across ACDI/VOCA and its affiliate, Tanager. Kathryn works with project field offices to develop context-sensitive approaches to improving nutrition and health for both households and private sector partners. She has developed nutrition training materials, nutrition monitoring and survey instruments, and data-driven social and behavior change communication strategies. Prior to joining ACDI/VOCA in 2020, Kathryn completed a PhD in nutrition at Cornell University with the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition, where her research focused on the introduction of biofortified crops to North India using nutrition- and gender-sensitive social marketing strategies. Kathryn has regional experience in South Asia, particularly India, as well as East Africa where she served as a Boren Scholar in Tanzania working with farmer cooperatives to build institutional capacity around nutrition and health. Kathryn holds a PhD in nutrition and an MPS in international development from Cornell University as well as a BS in food science and technology from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. She is proficient in Hindi and Swahili.

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Building Local Ownership in Social and Behavior Change to Improve Nutrition and Social Inclusion

Social and Behavior Change (SBC) is the process of understanding why people behave in certain ways and developing approaches to …

World Food Programme Wins Nobel at Crucial Time

Last week the World Food Programme (WFP) won the Nobel Peace Prize for their “efforts to combat hunger, for its contribution to bettering conditions for peace …

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