Overview of Key Policy Issues in Food and Nutrition Security in Africa Isatou Jallow, Chief Gender,...
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Transcript of Overview of Key Policy Issues in Food and Nutrition Security in Africa Isatou Jallow, Chief Gender,...
Overview of Key Policy Issues in Food and Nutrition Security in Africa
Isatou Jallow, ChiefGender, Mother and Child Health Service
Policy, Strategy and Programme Support Division, WFP
Outline of Presentation
Definition of Key Concepts The situation in Africa Major Policy Frameworks Key Policy issues Challenges/Opportunities Way Forward
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)
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
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
Figure 1: The Malnutrition Cycle: A reminder of priorities source: UN/SCN 2000
OLDER PEOPLE
Malnourished
BABY Low
Birthweight
CHILD Stunted
ADOLESCENT Stunted
WOMAN Malnourished
PREGNANCY Low weight gain
Inadequate food, health, &
care
Reduced capacity to care for child
Higher mortality
rate
Impaired mental
development
Increased risk of adult chronic disease
Inadequate catch-up
growth
Untimely / inadequate feeding
Frequent infections
Inadequate food, health, & care
Reduced mental capacity
Inadequate food, health, & care
Inadequate food, health, & care
Higher maternal mortality
Inadequate fetal nutrition
Inadequate infant nutrition
Reduced physical labor capacity,
lower educational attainment,
restricted economic potential,
shortened life expectancy
Reduced physical labor capacity,
lower educational attainment
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 …….
Figure 2. Causes of child mortality in sub-Saharan Africa
Diar rhoea
12%
Ot her
29%
Per inatal
22% HI V/ A I DS
4%
M easles
5%
M alar ia
8%
Pneumonia
20%
Malnutrition60%
Adapted f rom WHO World Health Report, 2002
Prevalence of under-nourishment in Africa- MDG1(proportion of population with inadequate access to sufficient calories to meet minimum calorie requirements) Source: FAO 2006
Region/Sub-region
Total popmillions
1990-92
Total pop millions
2001-03
Number undernourished
millions1990-92 2001-03
Proportion undernourished
%1990-92 2001-03
S.S.A 477.3 635.3 169.0 206.2 35 32 P
Western 175.1 236.3 37.2 36.5 21 15 P
Central 63.4 84.1 22.7 46.8 36 56 D
Eastern 167.8 223.0 75.1 86.9 45 39 P
Southern 71.0 91.8 34.1 36.0 48 39 P
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
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
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
Water and Sanitation in SSA
Access to improved water supply and proper sanitation for health
Access to water for agriculture
Rural – Urban disparities
Hidden Hunger
Micro-nutrient Defiencies affecting >1/3 of the population in SSA
Iron Deficiency Anaemia Vitamin A deficiency Iodine Deficiency disorders
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
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
MD Hunger Taskforce Report 2005 – 7 Recommendations
1. From Political Commitment to Action
2. Policy Reform – enabling environment3. Agricultural productivity4. Nutrition5. Safety nets6. Incomes and Markets7. Natural Resource conservation
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
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.
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
The Lancet Child Survival Series 2003 www.thelancet.com
Interventions 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%
Challenges/Opportunities for National Academies
”Science and Technology should be among the priorities of developing countries”
Involvement in national processes e.g. PRSPs
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
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%
Challenges/Opportunities continued
Food processing and preservation techniques for food security and increased nutrient availability at the household level
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
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)
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”
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
URGENT! “No Nation can afford to waste itsgreatest national resource, the intellectual power of its people. Butthat is precisely what is happening where low birth weight is common, where children fail to achieve their full potential growth, where micro-nutrientdeficiencies permanently damage thebrain, and where anaemia and short-term hunger limit children’s perform-
ance at school.” (Nutrition: Foundation for DevelopmentUN SCN, 2000, Geneva)
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”