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

The Disease Burden in SSA

HIV/AIDS

Malaria

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! Women Produce, Reproduce, Nurture and Care:

Linking Food-Nutrition-Health-Development

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”

Thank you.