NERC-32 For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region

FAO Regional Conference for the Near East

Thirty-Second Session24 – 28 February 2014, Rome,

Italy

Yemen – Impact of the protracted crisis on food and nutrition security and

the role of agriculture in creating sustainable livelihoods and supporting

peace-building

NERC-32 For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region

Crisis in Yemen – Simultaneous shocks

Shrinking coping mechanisms and resilience

• Conflicts and civil strife

• Natural disasters

• Water scarcity

• Volatile food and commodity prices

• Transboundary threats

NERC-32 For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region

Food security situation

1 out of 2 people do not have

enough

food to eat

NERC-32 For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region

Yemen Current Acute Food Insecurity Situation Overview HIGHLIGHTS

• 10.5 million food insecure (½ population)

• 4.5 million severely food insecure (of total)

• 47% chronic malnutrition among children (2nd highest rate worldwide)

Integrated Food Security Phase Classification

MapKey

NERC-32 For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region

Main drivers of food insecurity

• Conflict, displacement, general insecurity

• Extreme poverty

• Limited / non-diversified livelihood opportunities

• Unemployment (particularly among youth)

• Rapid population growth

• Drop in agricultural production & productivity

• Water scarcity

• High food import reliance

o 90% wheat, 100% rice, > 90% milk & dairy

NERC-32 For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region

Agriculture sector overview

• Employs • 50% labour force

• GDP: 17.5%

• Rural areas • 75% live there

• Arable land: 5%

• Main livelihood• 66% population

NERC-32 For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region

Agriculture sector challenges

• Lack of quality inputs

• Losses due to crisis (crop, livestock & inputs)

• Climate change

• Degraded terraces

• Water scarcity and management

• Insufficient investment and services

NERC-32 For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region

Agriculture sector challenges (cont.)

• Qat – which currently accounts for:

‒ 40% agricultural production‒ 23% total water use‒ 10% total cropped area‒ 25% planted irrigated area

• Pest infestations (desert locust, tomato borer, palm weevil)

• TADs and zoonoses (e.g. Brucellosis)

NERC-32 For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region

Agriculture’s role and potential

• Vital to: – improve food and

nutrition security

– strengthen resilience of local communities

• High potential for:

– economic growth

– employment creation

– external trade

NERC-32 For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region

FAO’s programmatic response

Institutional capacity building

Food security and nutrition planning, coordination and

institutional set-ups

National capacity in agricultural

planning and project formulation

Improved food security analysis

and targeting (IPC)

Food and nutrition monitoring and

analysis

Early warning: EMPRES/GIEWS

Productivity (crop, livestock, fishing)

Backyard production

(gardens, poultry)

Quinoa

Animal health

Transboundary threats

Seafood quality

Food security and agriculture

coordination

Emergency response to

support the food and nutrition security, and

agriculture-based livelihoods of the most vulnerable

P I L L A R S O F R E S I L I E N C E

Enable the environment

Watch to safeguard

Protect and build livelihoods

Prepare and respond

NERC-32 For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region

Challenges and way forward

• Livelihood diversification, enhanced production and productivity, employment creation RESILIENCE

• Strategic, holistic approach (policy, legal, institutional, technical, participatory, integrated)WATER SCARCITY

• Institutional capacity, value chain, input efficiency, productive potential, strategic crops, post-harvest, marketing, qat alternatives

SECTOR & CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT

• Regional initiativesLINKAGES

RESILIENCE

WATER SCARCITY

SECTOR & CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT

LINKAGES

NERC-32 For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region

Unmet needs – Humanitarian

• Livelihood protection & restoration – emergency provision of food production assets (pastoral, agropastoral, crops, fisheries)

• Emergency animal restocking, treatment and vaccinations

• Alternative livelihoods & income generating activities (e.g. bee-keeping, small animal/poultry, vegetable production)

• Emergency nutritional assistance to food insecure populations through strengthened local food production

NERC-32 For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region

Unmet needs – Development

• Efficient natural resource management and other environmental actions (strengthening institutional capacity and community resilience)

• Management of fisheries resources and exploration of fisheries/aquaculture potential (e.g. fish stock assessments and coastal community development)

• Value-chain (e.g. dairy production) and employment generation

• Agrofood sector efficiency

• Crop/livestock/fishery production and productivity and food safety

NERC-32 For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region

Building partnerships•

• Food Security and Agriculture Cluster partners

• Government: Ministries of Agriculture and Irrigation; Fish Wealth; Planning and International Cooperation

• Rome-based agencies

• UN agencies (e.g. UNDP, UNICEF, IOM and ILO)

• Donors

• International, regional and national initiatives (e.g. water scarcity, SUN movement)

NERC-32 For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region

THANK YOU