SCN News No 36 - UNSCN

www.unsystem.org/scn WORKING GROUPS 59
WORKING GROUP ON HOUSEHOLD FOOD SECURITY
Chair: Florence Egal (FAO), Co-Chair: Jeanineke Dahl Kristensen (DANIDA), Hélène Deret (ACF)
Highlights from discussions 5 March
Florence Egal presented the work carried out since the last annual session on
a combination of tools expected to support the work of the Working Group, for
which FAO has recruited a part-time facilitator
• the D-group on Food Security, Nutrition and Livelihoods
• a template for documenting lessons learnt at local level and preparation of
fact sheets for advocacy and replication/adaptation.
• a 3W contact management directory (in collaboration with OCHA) of
nutrition stakeholders at country level
Dr. Aminuzzaman Talukder (HKI)’s presentation on lessons learned in Asia-
Pacific Region from promoting Household Food Security brought up a
series of issues in the following discussions: in particular the difficulties of
upscaling given limited donor interest, of targeting and identifying vulnerable
households, and the problems of access to natural resources in particular land.
Dr. Ismail Thiam (WAHO), in the context of advocacy work in ECOWAS for
Biodiversity for Food and Nutrition, reported on WAHO-SCN collaboration
at the 10 th ECOWAS Nutrition forum held in Mindelo, Cape Verde, 2006 (see
SCN News 33), and the Bioversity International/WAHO Regional workshop on
Partnerships for Mobilizing the Diversity in Traditional Food Systems to Ensure
Adequate Nutrition and Health held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, 2007. He
looked forward to continued support for the 11 th ECOWAS Nutrition forum to
be held in September in Freetown, Sierra Leone on Food security and nutrition
Discussions on the emerging issues of bio energy and climate change in
relation to food security:
Swantje Helbing, German Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer
Protection, presented the results of the Policies Against Hunger
International Conference on Bioenergy and Food Security held in Berlin,
December 2007. Participants highlighted that bio fuels could be a good
opportunity for farmers but the impact on food security would depend on how
governments apply policies. Bio energy can be one of many causes of higher
food prices. The process needs to be followed up closely as the consequences
could be even greater in the second generation of biofuel production. The
production of bio energy has to be an integrated part of global development
and take into consideration consequences on food security.
Mark Cohen (IFPRI) presented the work being carried out with FAO on Climate
change, bio energy and nutrition, in preparation of the June 2008 High Level
Conference in Rome on Climate Change. He pointed out that climate change
will probably have a substantial impact especially in sub-Saharan Africa and
Asia. Climate change is likely to increase the frequency of shocks (droughts or
floods) which will have an impact on poor people and on their nutrition and
health. Participants mentioned that climate change and bio energy constituted
additional aggressions on the Right to Food. The EU proposal to adopt a 20%
quota for bio energy would have major consequences on household food
security and nutrition and the audience expressed strong concerns.
Comments to the Lancet Nutrition Series: Bruce Cogill, co-author of the
LNS, highlighted the biomedical focus of the series. Since limited attention had
been given to analysing of the impact of food security programmes on
malnutrition, the working group was not in a position to contribute insights.
The Working Group on Household Food Security is pleased to welcome
Hélène Deret as new Co-Chair from the SCN Civil Society constituency.
Hélène Deret is currently Food Security Senior Adviser in Action Contre la
Faim (ACF) based in Paris, France.
Topics discussed
HFS in Asia and in West Africa
Emerging issues:
• Bio energy and bio fuels
• Climate change
Action Plan 2008/2009
• Document local practices
• Expand and facilitate the network
of practitioners interested in food
security and nutrition
• Ensure that nutrition is mainstreamed
in relevant food security
meetings and vice-versa. A list of
events was established
• Develop the WG webpage
Recommendations
Accelerating demographic change,
increased socio-economic disparities
and environmental degradation – associated
with unsustainable production,
trade and consumption practices
- are key determinants of food insecurity
and malnutrition. This is reflected
in the present increase in food prices,
the reduction of food stocks, and potentially
further aggravated by the
emerging biofuel production.
Policies at global, regional and country
level should be reviewed, harmonised
and monitored with a view to
encourage integrated support to at
risk families and to promote and protect
maternal and child nutrition
It is essential that families have and
maintain the means, the information
and access to basic services to ensure
appropriate maternal and child
nutrition.
The interventions recommended in
the Lancet series should be systematically
articulated with relevant food
security and livelihood support – combining
short and longer term action -
to families and communities of undernourished
mothers and children.
For more details, please see
Working Group report and
presentations at the SCN Session
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