Feeding hunger and insecurity

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3. households in crisis: who loses?3.3.1 Bangui, Central African Republic:A Case of Mixed VulnerabilitiesSummaryPrice increases in Bangui have, so far, only hada moderate impact. The majority of people surveyedperceived their current income and expenditureas unchanged or better than a yearearlier and malnutrition does not appear to haveincreased in Bangui. However increased feedingcentre admission rates and self-reported reductionin food consumption by many householdsmay be cause for concern. The international communitymust continue to monitor the situation.Landlocked and Left OutThe Central African Republic has suffered chronicinstability since independence in 1960 and is oneof the poorest countries in the world with a GDP percapita (ppp) of US$ 1,240 (HDR 2007) and a HumanDevelopment Index ranking of 171 (out of a total of177 countries). Ranked fifth in FAO’s vulnerabilityassessment, the CAR displays characteristics thatmake it both vulnerable and resilient to the foodprice rises.A substantial food and oil import bill threatens thealready high budget deficit. About half the populationspend more than 80 percent of their income onfood, making even small food price rises a significantburden for households. However, the CAR is conflictaffected,landlocked, largely disconnected from theglobal economy and has poorly developed infrastructure.The availability of cassava, the country’s dominantstaple, is largely dependent on local production.The Action Against Hunger assessment of food securityand nutrition in Bangui between August and September2008 unveiled some mixed messages.Food Prices Rise ModeratelyThe CAR is not a big importer of food as the mainagricultural products, cassava, groundnuts, maize,millet and sorghum, are generally produced domestically.Between 1961 and 1998, food aid and importsaccounted for 21 percent of cereal consumption(Earth Trends 2003) – a relatively low figure in sub-Saharan Africa. Still, food prices in Bangui rose byabout 20 percent between April 2007 and July 2008.Fuel prices increased more dramatically, rising by asimilar margin in only two months after April 2008(see figure 3.4). The observed price rises are moderateon a global scale where food prises rose by 51percent in the 12 month build-up to the Rome Summitin June 2008 (High Level Task Force 2008), orcompared with countries like Bangladesh which experiencedfood price rises in excess of 200 percentfrom 2007 to 2008. However, survey results showedthat 50 percent of the sample population spends inexcess of 80 percent of their income on food, makingthem especially vulnerable to price changes.Figure 3.4: Price increases in Bangui, Central African Republic, from February 2007 to July 200827,00026,00025,000Indexed Price24,00023,00022,00021,00020,000General indexFoodFuel19,00018,00017,000Feb-07Mar-07Apr-07May-07Jun-07Jul-07Aug-07Sept-07Oct-07Nov-07Dec-07Jan-08Feb-08Mar-08Apr-08May-08Jun-08Jul-08Source: ACF 2008b18ACF International NetworkFeeding Hunger and Insecurity
3. households in crisis: who loses?Figure 3.5: Coping strategies adopted in Bangui, CAR, September 2008 in response to food price increasesGiving preference to childrenBreastfeedingReduction in meal frequencyReduction in portion sizesReduction in dietary diversityConsumption of less preferred foods020 40 6080100Percentage of populationSource: ACF 2008bReduced food consumption without changes inincome and expenditure?In Bangui, the most common household reactionto high prices is to eat less preferred, less expensiveand less diverse foods. This was followed bya reduction in portion sizes (see figure 3.5). Evenwhen staple food consumption remains largely thesame, micronutrient intake will be reduced. Section4 explains in detail how this type of behaviouris common among poorer groups and can result inthe deterioration of a person’s nutritional status.In September 2008, households reported eatingfewer meals than a year earlier. Before the crisis, 50percent of the household had two or more meals perday while that number more than halved after the crisis(now 24 percent). However, when asked whethertheir situation had changed over the last few months,63 percent of the households felt that the impact ofthe food price rises had a relatively moderate impacton livelihoods (see figure 3.6). Only 10 percent ofsurveyed households reported a decrease in incomeand an increase in expenditure – this may have significantlong-term consequences for these families.Figure 3.6: Self-perceived change in household income and expenditure between 2007 and 200813%14%Income and expenditure unchanged or betterIncome decreased and expenditure increasedIncome decreasedExpenditure increased10%63%Source: ACF 2008bACF International Network Feeding Hunger and Insecurity 19
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Page 15 and 16: © ACF / S. Hauenstein Swan1. Intro
Page 17 and 18: 1. IntroductionFigure 1.2: Map depi
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Page 78 and 79: 7. ConclusionData from Ethiopia sho
Page 80 and 81: ReferencesAbebe, Y., Stoecker B.J.,
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Referencesable at: http://www.iht.c
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AnnexesAnnex 1: Real international
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annexesAnnex 5: Percentage househol
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annexesAnnex 7: Harriss’ typology
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A HUNGER WATCH PUBLICATIONhunger Wa
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ACF INTERNATIONAL NETWORKSiège d
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