Feeding hunger and insecurity

6. what more is needed?non-food needs; the decision to choose the typeof ‘aid’ provided by transfers should be that ofthe recipient. The problem with cash transfers isthat food prices fluctuate according to seasons,and so purchasing power obtained through theseprogrammes also changes. To protect the incomeof participants, transfers can be indexed, meaningthat the amount of cash received is linked tofood prices. One example for this is the ‘Food andCash Transfers’ (FACT) project in Malawi wherefood markets were monitored throughout the hungerseason and the amount of food transferred tothe families was adjusted as food prices rose orfell (Devereux et al. 2008).These tools have proven successful in some countriesand are becoming well-established practicesamongst some governments and ‘development’organisations. More is known about the strengthsand weaknesses of these interventions, and theircosts. A combination of these tools will be neededto enable a successful response to the consequencesof high and volatile food prices, andmore generally to address malnutrition.6.2 What Must Change to EnableSuccessful Interventions?Though the interventions mentioned above haveproven successful in specific contexts, it is unlikelythat transplanting them from one countryto another will be effective without careful adaptation.They are a means to an end and not anend in themselves – success will be defined byreductions in malnutrition and improved food security.To improve the outcomes of the suggestedinterventions, a number of issues will need to beaddressed, including:World hunger and malnutrition must become apriorityMore funding is requiredThe right to food must be established and enforceableby those suffering from hungerSurveillance of food security and malnutritionmust improve and be linked to implementationAnd the politics of malnutrition must be understood,accepted and included in policy designFar from an exhaustive list, these changes wouldprovide a good basis for improved policies and programmesaimed at eradicating hunger.6.2.1 Make the Alleviation of Hungerand Malnutrition a Priority!Until recently, the Department for InternationalDevelopment (DfID) lacked “both a specific policyand measurable targets for assessing progress inreducing malnutrition” (International DevelopmentCommittee 2008). The current perception of theGlobal Partnership is focused largely on foodproduction and agriculture, and not on malnutrition– showing that even in the current climatemalnutrition is seen as a secondary priority. Thedouble standards exhibited recently by countriesof the North in their reactions to the Global FoodCrisis and the simultaneous Financial Crisis areastounding – giving us a useful valuation of thepolitical importance of poverty and malnutrition.The USA alone negotiated a US$700 billion bailoutplan in a matter of weeks under a poorly definedmandate, while the estimated US$40 billion peryear needed to address the food crisis (CFAestimate) has been virtually ignored – the USApledged only US$1.9 billion to WFP in 2008 (WFP2008d). If these attitudes persist, it is unlikely thatthe international community will make significantprogress in reducing malnutrition or even curbingpoverty.6.2.2 Provide More FundingLack of political will constrains funding when morefunding is desperately needed. WFP crudely estimatesthat there are almost one billion peoplewho do not have enough to eat, but only has thecapacity to provide support to 10 percent of thisnumber. Two questions must be asked: ‘wherewill this money come from?’ and ‘what will theimpact be on other sectors, like education andhealth’?54ACF International NetworkFeeding Hunger and Insecurity