Transcript Keynote Address for the 2006 Conference

Overview of Key Policy Issues in Food
and Nutrition Security in Africa
Isatou Jallow, Chief
Gender, 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; overnutrition
Figure 1: The Malnutrition Cycle: A
reminder of priorities source: UN/SCN 2000
R e d u c e d c a p a c ity to
c a re fo r c h ild
O LD E R
P E O P LE
M a ln ou ris h e d
R e d u c e d p h ys ic a l
la b o r c a p a c ity,
lo w e r e d u c a tio n a l
a tta in m e n t,
re s tric te d e c o n o m ic
p o te n tia l,
s h o rte n e d life
e xp e c ta n c y
In c re a s e d ris k
o f a d u lt c h ro n ic
d is e a s e
BABY
Low
B irth w e ig h t
In a d e q u a te
in fa n t
n u tritio n
In a d e q u a te
fo o d , h e a lth , &
c a re
Im p a ire d
m e n ta l
d e ve lo p m e n t
H ig h e r
m o rta lity
ra te
U n tim e ly / in a d e q u a te
fe e d in g
F re q u e n t in fe c tio n s
In a d e q u a te
c a tc h -u p
g ro w th
In a d e q u a te fo o d ,
h e a lth , & c a re
In a d e q u a te fe ta l
n u tritio n
C H ILD
S tu n te d
W OMAN
M a ln ou ris h e d
PREG N AN C Y
Low w e ig h t g a in
H ig h e r
m a te rn a l
m o rta lity
A D O LE S C E N T
S tu n te d
In a d e q u a te fo o d ,
h e a lth , & c a re
R e d u c e d p h ys ic a l
la b o r c a p a c ity,
lo w e r e d u c a tio n a l
a tta in m e n t
Reduced
m e n ta l
c a p a c ity
In a d e q u a te fo o d ,
h e a lth , & c a re
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 …….
F igu re 2 . C au ses o f ch ild m o rtality
in su b -S ah aran A frica
A d a pt e d from W H O W orld H e a lt h R e p ort , 2 0 0 2
P n e u m o n ia
O ther
20%
29%
M a ln u tritio n
60%
D ia r r h o e a
12 %
M a la r ia
8%
P e r in a ta l
22%
M e a s le s
H IV/AID S
5%
4%
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/
Subregion
Total pop
millions
Total pop
millions
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
71.0
91.8
34.1
36.0
48
39 P
Southern
Number
undernourished
millions
1990-92 2001-03
Proportion
undernourished
%
1990-92 2001-03
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.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Policy Reform – enabling environment
Agricultural productivity
Nutrition
Safety nets
Incomes and Markets
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%
Treatment Intervention
 Oral rehydration therapy
(ORT) 15%
 Insecticide Treated Nets
7%
 Antibiotics for sepsis 6%
 Complementary Feeding
6%
 Antibiotics for
pneumonia 6%
 Water/sanitation/hygien
e 3%
 Antimalarials 5%
 Newborn resuscitation
4%
 Antibiotics for dysentry
3%
 Vitamin A 2%
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.com
The Lancet Child survival Series 2003
Preventive interventions that reduce
child mortality
Breastfeeding
Complementary feeding
Insecticide Treated Bednets
Water/Sanitation/Hygiene
Vitamin A Supplementation
13%
6%
7%
3%
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 its
greatest national resource, the
intellectual power of its people. But
that is precisely what is happening
where low birth weight is common,
where children fail to achieve their full
potential growth, where micro-nutrient
deficiencies permanently damage the
brain, and where anaemia and shortterm hunger limit children’s performance at school.”
(Nutrition: Foundation for Development
UN 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.