Call closes April 3 2006 The Regional Network for Equity in Health in east and southern Africa (EQUINET) and the Health Systems Research Unit of Medical Research Council (MRC), South Africa invite interested individuals/groups to apply for grants to prepare commissioned country case studies on existing food security and nutrition programmes in the region that demonstrate good practice in health systems promotion of food sovereignty and equity. A food sovereignty approach requires: •Food production for domestic markets, based on peasant and family farmers; •Fair prices for farmers; •Access to land, water, forests, fishing areas and other productive resources; •Recognition and promotion of women’s role in food production and equitable •access and control over productive resources; •Community control over productive resources; •Protecting access to seeds; and •Public investment in support of the productive activities of families, and communities, geared toward empowerment, local control and production of food for people and local markets. For example case studies may be drawn in areas such as 1. Responses to to acute food shortages: 2. Nutrition supplementation programmes 3. Other health and nutrition interventions (including breastmilk substitutes, HIV and nutrition; response to over-nutrition) The case studies are expected to present country level analysis of concrete policies, programmes and evidence from community and national level to demonstrate how the stated programme/ area promotes food sovereignty and equity, how the health system promotes the approach and the potentials and barriers for wider application of the approach. The case studies will use secondary analysis of data, grey and published literature complemented by local key informant interviews including at field level. The case studies will be expected to include information on 1. the country context 2. the overall profile of the food security and nutrition issue in focus, and of the relevant equity and food sovereignty aspects 3. the health sector policies and programmes that promote food sovereignty and equity in relation to the issue in focus, their design and implementation, any evidence on their impact on differentials in nutrition and on food sovereignty, and the potentials and barriers to their implementation The case studies should be no more than 30 pages. The grant will be made in early April and it is expected that the final reports will be submitted in June 2006. A grant of US $5 000 will be given for the production of each of the case studies. This is an open call. Applications should be emailed to be received by 5pm April 3 2006 with * An brief one page outline of the case study including the food security / nutrition issue addressed; the policy or programme being described; the country and area of application and the reason this case study is interesting for understanding health sector roles in equity and food sovereignty * CVs and contact information including email * The names and contact information of two referees * A sample of an output that the applicant has produced in an area closely related to that of the case studies Applications should be sent to the EQUINET secretariat at admin@equinetafrica.org and copied to the Health Systems Research Unit, MRC, sylvia.louw@mrc.ac.za with ‘Food and nutrition review paper’ in the subject line.