EMERGENCY FOOD SECURITY & NUTRITION PROBLEMS

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EMERGENCY FOOD

SECURITY & NUTRITION PROBLEMS

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Weighing a child using the Salter scale

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Problem 1: Undernutrition can become epidemic in displaced populations, when normal access to food is cut off and rates of infectious disease rapidly increase.

UNHCR photo, L. Taylor, Upper Lofa Country Liberia, 1993

First, let’s look at the nutrition problems…

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A vicious cycle

• Measles• Diarrhea• Pneumonia• Malaria

LoweredResistancePoor Appetite

Infection

High energyUtilization

MalnutritionMalnutrition

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Problem 2: The underlying causes of malnutrition in the affected population are not understood or addressed.

UN photograph, Operation Lifeline Sudan, August 1998

Conceptual framework of the causes of undernutrition S

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BASIC CAUSES

UNDERLYING CAUSES

IMMEDIATE CAUSES

Insufficient livelihood

assets

Poor livelihood,

Poverty

Household food

insecurity

Inadequate maternal

intake, poor feeding

practices

Unhealthy household, poor health

services

Short term consequences

Long term consequences: abilities, size,

disease

Maternal & child

undernutrition

Inadequate dietary intake

Disease

See page 146

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Problem 3: Standardized food baskets are not nutritionally adequate for everyone

UN photo, Roghani Refugee Camp, Afghan/Pakistan border, December - 2001

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Daily Energy Requirements

Agegroup

Males(kcal/day)

Females(kcal/day)

Average(kcal/day) % of pop.

0-4 yr 1320 1250 1290 12.37%

5-9 yrs. 1980 1730 1860 11.69%

10-14 yrs. 2370 2040 2210 10.53%

15-19 yrs. 2700 2120 2420 9.54%

20-59 yrs. 2460 1990 2230 48.63

60+ yrs. 2010 1780 1890 7.24

Pregnant 285(extra) 2.4%

Lactating 500(extra) 2.6%

AVERAGE DAILY REQUIREMENT: 2100 Kcal/person/day

Based on WHO technical Report No. 724 and UN Pop. Data, mid 1995

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Problem 4: It is difficult to determine and administer the starting and stopping of selective feeding programs for the severely malnourished

WFP photo /Ramin Rafirasme - Sierra Leone - Makeni nutritional/ therapeutic centre.

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Problem 5: Normally diverse food sources are replaced by standard rations resulting in severe micronutrient deficiencies, even when overall calorie requirements are met.

signs of SCURVY

www.echt.chm.msu.edu www.healthcentral.com

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Photo: P. Delchevaleriehttp://www.ennonline.net/fex/10/fa12.html

Signs of pellagra… Cassal's necklace

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Problem 6: Food types provided through international mechanisms often do not match customary foods, and so may be traded at a loss, or wasted.

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Problem 7: It is often difficult to conduct a credible nutrition survey upon which to design suplementary feeding programmes.

UNHCR photo

(more) problems in food security and food transfer programs

Guardian photo

Problem 8 Poor accountability and control Problem 8 Poor accountability and control

Ethnic Albanian refugees reach for a loaf of bread being distributed in the center of Kukes, Albania. - Washington Post photo

Problem 9 Families cannot attain self-sufficiencyProblem 9 Families cannot attain self-sufficiency

A Food Aid Problem20,000 people have collected in a drought-induced IDP camp in Domistan. Most of these are small rural farmers who have migrated to the outskirts of this large city seeking work and food. Several NGOs have been providing food and shelter here for the last two years. The drought is in its third year, but there are heavy snows now and the new crop in the Spring may be quite good, if people can plant wheat.

• These people have no other access to food for the next 5 months

• Local market prices for wheat are low, and the markets are full of internationally donated wheat.

• The IDPs have consumed all of their livestock and funds. Many are deeply in debt to family members.

• Outline a basic Food Aid program for this group for one year. Donors have decided to jointly fund only one consolidated program for the next year.

Your flip chart should look something like this…...

Food Aid Proposal by Us

1. Goal: Blah blah blah2. Assumptions: Yadda, yadda, yadda, etc. 3. Activities

3.1…………...3.2…………...3.3…………….3.4……………...

4: Inputs4.1…………….4.2…………...4.3………………..

Problem 10 Loss, waste, and spoilage Problem 10 Loss, waste, and spoilage

FAO photo

Problem 11 Poor (or no) targeting to specific needProblem 11 Poor (or no) targeting to specific need

www.un.org/av/photo/subjects/images/187724.jpg

For the 20,000 famine- affected IDPs from the last problem…

What specific targeting within this community might be required?

How would you determine this?

Problem 12 Difficult logistics for deliveryProblem 12 Difficult logistics for delivery

Problem 13 Food distribution can destabilize Problem 13 Food distribution can destabilize local farmers, markets, and relationships - local farmers, markets, and relationships - reducing longer-term food security reducing longer-term food security

FAO photo

Problem 14 No “control” over distributed itemsProblem 14 No “control” over distributed items

IRC photo, Jalazai Refugee Camp, 2001

Distribution Pros and Cons - Fill in the Chart…..

Distribute Food to:

Heads of families

Group or social leaders

Individuals

Primary School students

Workers

PROS CONS

Problem 15 Problem 15 The most at risk do not The most at risk do not receive distributed foodreceive distributed food

FAO photo

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CONCLUSIONS ON NUTRITION

•Nutrition and malnutrition are fields based on, and requiring, trained professional nutritionists

•Even so, avoiding serious malnutrition,is based on and requires meeting basic standards of service in many other sectors, such as water, sanitation, health, and shelter.

•While this information does not make you professional nutritionists, it does raise your ability to better understand the inter-related nature of nutrition/malnutrition and the other service support sectors

CONCLUSIONS ON FOOD TRANSFER PROBLEMS

•Logistics form a primary part of food aid programs, but even good logistics cannot overcome poor targeting and distribution, which may be even more difficult to solve

•Distribution systems must be seen to be equitable, and still be prioritized to those most in need

•Food transfer should be done in ways that harm local capacities and economic structures the least.