Overview of Key Policy Issues in Food and Nutrition Security in Africa

1. Overview of Key Policy Issues in Food and Nutrition Security in Africa Isatou Jallow, Chief Gender, Mother and Child Health Service Policy, Strategy and Programme Support Division, WFP

2. Outline of Presentation • Definition of Key Concepts • The situation in Africa • Major Policy Frameworks • Key Policy issues • Challenges/Opportunities • Way Forward

3. Definitions - Food Security, Health, Nutrition Security • Food Security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life (World Food Summit, 1996). • Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity (WHO)

4. Nutrition Security • Food security coupled with a sanitary environment, adequate health services and knowledgeable care to foster good nutritional status through the life cycle and across generations (Benson 2004) Food – Health – Care – Safe Environment

5. Hunger and Malnutrition • Chronic hunger – outcome of sustained inadequacies in food, health and care • Hidden hunger - micro-nutrient deficiencies – not always visible but huge impact on development of the individual and nations • Malnutrition – physical condition or process resulting from an inadequate diet and or infections – under-nutrition; over-nutrition

6. Figure 1: The Malnutrition Cycle: A reminder of priorities source: UN/SCN 2000

7. Where are we? • 10.8 million children die each year with 42 countries, among them 23 from SSA, accounting for 90% of the deaths • 41% of child deaths from Sub-Saharan Africa • Risk factors include unhygienic environment, unsafe and inadequate water, poor sanitation and undernutrition as underlying factors Source: Lancet child survival series …….

9. Prevalence of under-nourishment in Africa- MDG1(proportion of population with inadequate access to sufficient calories to meet minimum calorie requirements) Source: FAO 2006

10. WFP Support in 2005 • West Africa 9.1 million • East and Central Africa 27.4 million • Southern Africa 11.6 million -Refugees, returnees, internally displaced persons -Children in schools and pre-schools -Malnourished women and children -Pregnant, lactacting women and children -Communities in need of infrastructure and training -Families impacted by HIV and AIDS

11. MDG 1: Underweight West/Central Africa Out of 24 countries – 17 with sufficient trend data • 5 countries on track • 7 improving but slowly • 5 unchanged or deteriorating

12. MDG 1 Indicator: Underweight Out of 22 countries - 17 with sufficient trend data • 1 is on track • 9 show no progress • 7 show slow progress

13. Water and Sanitation in SSA Access to improved water supply and proper sanitation for health • Access to water for agriculture • Rural – Urban disparities

14. The Disease Burden in SSA • HIV/AIDS • Malaria

15. Hidden Hunger Micro-nutrient Defiencies affecting >1/3 of the population in SSA • Iron Deficiency Anaemia • Vitamin A deficiency • Iodine Deficiency disorders

16. Major Policy Frameworks relevant to Food and Nutrition Security 2015 • Millennium Development Goals • World Food Summit • Africa Regional Nutrition Strategy • Africa 2020 Conference – The Way Forward • NEPAD Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme • Africa Commission

17. Key Issues in the Frameworks • Capacity Development • Gender Equality • Health issues including HIV/AIDS • Nutrition/Micro-nutrient deficiencies • Markets and Trade Issues • Agriculture and Rural Development • Water and Sanitation

18. MD Hunger Taskforce Report 2005 – 7 Recommendations • From Political Commitment to Action • Policy Reform – enabling environment • Agricultural productivity • Nutrition • Safety nets • Incomes and Markets • Natural Resource conservation

19. WFP/UNICEF: A Global Framework for Action Ending Child Hunger and Undernutrition Initiative (ECHUI) WFP and UNICEF are initiating ECHUI as a response to recommendation 1 of the MD Hunger Taskforce

20. WFP-UNICEF ECHUI Objective: Mobilisation of political, financial, technical and other resources required by developing countries to address the immediate causes of child hunger and undernutrition with the overall goal of dramaticaly reducing it within a generation.

21. What are the Key Policy Issues? • Agricultural production • Gender equality • Human capacity development • Governance • Markets and Trade • HIV/AIDS, Malaria • Nutrition • Rural infrastructure - Roads • Water and sanitation • Information - data

22. The Lancet Child Survival Series 2003 www.thelancet.comInterventions to reduce Child Mortality Rates Preventive Treatment • Breastfeeding 13% • Insecticide Treated Nets 7% • Complementary Feeding 6% • Water/sanitation/hygiene 3% • Vitamin A 2% Treatment Intervention • Oral rehydration therapy (ORT) 15% • Antibiotics for sepsis 6% • Antibiotics for pneumonia 6% • Antimalarials 5% • Newborn resuscitation 4% • Antibiotics for dysentry 3%

23. Challenges/Opportunities for National Academies ”Science and Technology should be among the priorities of developing countries” • Involvement in national processes e.g. PRSPs

24. Challenges/Opportunities continued • Repackage research findings to reach a wider audience including policy makers– develop communication strategy • “Farmer friendly” Health, Nutrition and Agricultural information that can be translated into action

25. www.thelancet.comThe Lancet Child survival Series 2003 Preventive interventions that reduce child mortality Breastfeeding 13% Complementary feeding 6% Insecticide Treated Bednets 7% Water/Sanitation/Hygiene 3% Vitamin A Supplementation 2%

26. Challenges/Opportunities continued • Food processing and preservation techniques for food security and increased nutrient availability at the household level

27. Chalenges/Opportunities • Uniting food, health and nutrition in Agricultural Research • Advocacy for Agricultural policies to incorporate nutritional objectives • Advocacy for Health policies with agricultural and nutrition considerations

28. Challenges and Opportunities ”Investing in Science & Technology” Scientific academies ”have given too little attention to the review, validation and documentation of local practices and their incorporation into relevant development policies” (MD Project Hunger Taskforce Report 2005)

29. Challenges and Opportunities Data – insufficient and/or poor quality, inadequate dissemination and use of good data Need for Quality data for policy making, political accountability and external investments ”Africa commision on strengthening the quality and use of data in Africa”

30. Challenges and Opportunities • “The key message for political leaders is that halving hunger is well within our means. What has been lacking is action to implement and scale up known solutions”. • “Building local capacity should be the central goal of both national government and donor-funded activities”. MD Hunger Taskforce report

31. Urgent! Women Produce, Reproduce, Nurture and Care:Linking Food-Nutrition-Health-Development

32. URGENT! “No Nation can afford to waste its greatest national resource, the intellectual power of its people. But that is precisely what is happening where low birth weight is common, where children fail to achieve their full potential growth, where micro-nutrient deficiencies permanently damage the brain, and where anaemia and short- term hunger limit children’s perform- ance at school.” (Nutrition: Foundation for Development UN SCN, 2000, Geneva)

33. Africa 2020 Conference, Kampala 2004 - The Way Forward Assuring Food and Nutrition Security in Africa by 2020 “The roadmap for the way forward towards ending hunger in Africa is clearly drawn. If actors are strengthened and walk forward together in new partnerships, then the goal can be reached in this generation”

34. Thank you.