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Food Security and the Environment – African Perspective

Food Security and the Environment – African Perspective. S. W. Omamo Food Security and Environment Meeting Stanford University CESP October 27, 2005. Food and Nutrition Security. Availability. Access. Utilization. How, given recent trends and current facts?. Availability.

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Food Security and the Environment – African Perspective

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  1. Food Security and the Environment – African Perspective S. W. Omamo Food Security and Environment Meeting Stanford University CESP October 27, 2005

  2. Food and Nutrition Security Availability Access Utilization How, given recent trends and current facts?

  3. Availability • How to achieve badly needed yield take-offs given: • Ubiquity and resilience of low-input, low-output, diversified, subsistence-oriented smallholder farming? • Extreme biophysical and institutional heterogeneity? • Low private rates of return to agricultural investment? • Crises in national governance => public goods deficits? • Rural infrastructure, including irrigation? • Growing stresses on natural resources under population pressure and climate change? • Soil degradation, rainfall scarcity and variability, …? • Globalization and market liberalization under inadequate institutions?

  4. Availability (cont.) • How to achieve badly needed yield take-offs given: • Cross-border and internal conflicts? • Large-scale migration/displacement? • Gender-based inequities in access to productive resources? • Land, water, energy, …? • Misalignment among policies, institutions, and microconditions in agricultural science and technology systems? • Research, extension, education, technology acquisition and exchange? • Limited role of science/evidence in policy processes? • …

  5. Access • How to overcome the “food price dilemma” given: • Widespread poverty and economic vulnerability? • Crises in national governance => public goods deficits? • Fiscal mismanagement => inability to provide social safety nets? • Globalization and market liberalization under inadequate institutions? • Cross-border and internal conflicts? • Large-scale migration/displacement? • Gender-based inequities in access to productive resources? • Land, water, energy, …? • Limited role of science/evidence in policy processes? • …

  6. Utilization • How to overcome malnutrition given: • Crises in national governance => public goods deficits? • Unhygienic environments and poor access to health services? • Malaria, HIV/AIDS, sleeping sickness, … • Poor access to clean water? • Low levels of education (of parents, especially mothers)? • Burgeoning populations of impoverished people, especially in urbanizing areas? • Cross-border and internal conflicts? • Large-scale migration/displacement? • Gender-based inequities in access to productive resources? • Information/education? • Limited role of science/evidence in policy processes? • …

  7. What to do? Where are the gaps?

  8. Crosscutting (“Triangular”) Issues • Population-environment-economy interactions • Urbanization • Cross-border and internal conflicts • Climate change • ... • National governance, security, and public goods provision • Globalization • Gender-based inequities • Land, water, energy, … • Information/education • Science/evidence in policy processes Water…?

  9. How? Paint big pictures… with details…

  10. “Big Picture” - 1 Global Regional Sub-regional National Sub-national Community Household

  11. “Big Picture” - 2 Policy environment Institutional arrangements “Best practices” Micro behavior

  12. Best Practice… Policy Research Practice

  13. “Big Picture” - 3 Horizontality Food and agriculture Education Health Private Public Civil society

  14. “Big Picture” - 4 Availability Tradeoffs? Sequencing? Access Utilization

  15. Trends on which to build? • Regional political and economic initiatives • NEPAD • CAADP • FARA (ASARECA, CORAF, SADC-FANR) • IGAD • EAC • University initiatives in food, agricultural, and environmental policy analysis • Eastern and Southern Africa Collaborative MSc in Ag Econ • Centre for Environmental Economics and Policy in Africa – University of Pretoria • African Center for Food Security – University of Kwazulu Natal • Donor initiatives • MDGs… science and technology making a comeback… • Increasing demand for strategic perspective – getting ahead of the game… • Food and nutrition security increasingly accepted as integral to overall economic development • …

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