Key food security policy issues

1. Key food security policy issues SARPN Conference: Enhancing Civil Society Participation in SADC Food Security Processes

2. Overview • The analysis of the 2001-03 crisis • The current food security situation and programmatic response • Contemporary food security policy discussions • Challenges and opportunities for CSOs in regional policy SARPN Conference on Enhancing Civil Society Participation in SADC Food Security Processes: 14th – 15th November, 2005

3. The analysis of the 2001-03 crisis • Several retrospective studies of the 2001-03 crisis (SADC/ FANRPAN, ODI, Wiggins, Drimie, UK-IDC) • Regional crop production loses of 22% in 2001/02 and 36% in 2002/03 compared to 66% in 1991/92 • Not a ‘traditional’ drought induced food crisis SARPN Conference on Enhancing Civil Society Participation in SADC Food Security Processes: 14th – 15th November, 2005

4. The analysis of the 2001-03 crisis • Livelihoods crisis with its’ roots in process on-going since the 1970’s. • Outcome has been growing poverty, increased human vulnerability and food insecurity SARPN Conference on Enhancing Civil Society Participation in SADC Food Security Processes: 14th – 15th November, 2005

5. The analysis of the 2001-03 crisis • ‘Underlying causes’ understood to include: • Contraction of formal employment in the mines and industry • Withdrawal of state support to agriculture in developing Countries … • … while continuing agricultural subsidies in developed nations • Removal of price controls and failure of markets • Population pressure and soil degradation • Country related Governance factors • HIV-AIDS SARPN Conference on Enhancing Civil Society Participation in SADC Food Security Processes: 14th – 15th November, 2005

6. The analysis of the 2001-03 crisis Adapted from Wiggins (2005) SARPN Conference on Enhancing Civil Society Participation in SADC Food Security Processes: 14th – 15th November, 2005

7. Current food security situation • Current overviews of national and regional food insecurity are primarily driven by the CFSM and VAC processes • Crop production region wide falls: Zimbabwe (down 45% on last year), Malawi (36% on 5 year avg.), Zambia (12% on 10 year avg.) and southern Mozambique (48% down in southern Provinces) • Zimbabwe also affected by continuing macro-economic crisis, hyper-inflation and the urban clean-up campaign • Acute food insecurity evident in (parts of) Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Swaziland and Lesotho SARPN Conference on Enhancing Civil Society Participation in SADC Food Security Processes: 14th – 15th November, 2005

8. Current food security situation Source: FEWS NET September 2005 SARPN Conference on Enhancing Civil Society Participation in SADC Food Security Processes: 14th – 15th November, 2005

9. Current food security situation • In terms of assessed needs still lower than 2001-03 (VACs estimated that 14,400,000 people in six countries would require 1,000,000 MT of cereals in September 2002) • Limited nutritional data indicates wasting rates well below levels in Sudan, Ethiopia or Somalia • Regional maize availability and prices are relatively good (record SA crop) and being imported by Zimbabwe and Malawi • The potential for a rapid deterioration in conditions provides a major justification for intervention SARPN Conference on Enhancing Civil Society Participation in SADC Food Security Processes: 14th – 15th November, 2005

10. Current food security situation • The VACs are struggling to disentangle the overlapping crises in their analyses • The recommendations continue to be dominated by food aid (equivalents) and agricultural inputs • Response being organized through Flash Appeals (Malawi, Zimbabwe) and an expansion of existing instruments • Resources are flowing relatively slowly • Overall WFP appealing for $621m and received $246m • Malawi Flash Appeal 32% funded SARPN Conference on Enhancing Civil Society Participation in SADC Food Security Processes: 14th – 15th November, 2005

11. Current food security situation • SADC/WFP RVAC meeting in July agreed on the overall magnitude of needs, but called for further analysis on appropriate responses. • Unanimous call to broaden response from short-term emergency responses (food aid specifically) towards longer-term development interventions. • Call to work under frameworks of: • SADC RISP / Dar declaration • Inter-Agency Regional Humanitarian Strategic Framework • Little evidence of expanded development funding • Collective response has not addressed underlying causes – crisis as a recurring feature SARPN Conference on Enhancing Civil Society Participation in SADC Food Security Processes: 14th – 15th November, 2005

12. Contemporary policy debatesShort-term response • Food Aid • Concern over trade and production disincentives • Agenda for change includes untying food aid, end to monetization, increased local purchase and improved targeting • Strong technical arguments for change • How to generate political support for change? • Safety nets • Ensuring access to the chronically poor, prevent transiently food insecure falling into poverty and provide opportunities for households to escape from poverty • Cash transfers receiving particular scrutiny • How can this be done most effectively? How much will they cost? How will they be sustained? SARPN Conference on Enhancing Civil Society Participation in SADC Food Security Processes: 14th – 15th November, 2005

13. Contemporary policy debatesShort-term response • Strategic grain reserves • Dual purpose of emergency buffer stocks and price stabilization • Expensive to maintain a large physical stock • What are the alternatives to a physical reserve? • Possibilities: SAFEX futures (Malawi), weather based insurance (Ethiopia) and expanding private warehousing (warehouse receipts systems) • Early warning systems • Maintaining a strong capacity (‘Failures’ in Malawi and Niger) • Would more competition help? Should CSOs maintain an independent voice? • Linking livelihoods analysis to policies and programs that enhance welfare SARPN Conference on Enhancing Civil Society Participation in SADC Food Security Processes: 14th – 15th November, 2005

14. Contemporary policy debatesLonger-term response • Agricultural development • Central to NEPAD and SADC strategies • Objectives of improved availability, lower market prices and increased smallholder incomes • How to bring livelihoods approaches to scale efficiently? • Balancing resources to growth and welfare objectives. • HIV-AIDS • Management of HIV-AIDS as a health problem • Maintaining agricultural productivity • Mitigating the impact of HIV-AIDS through safety nets • Nutrition, ARVs and HIV-AIDS linkages SARPN Conference on Enhancing Civil Society Participation in SADC Food Security Processes: 14th – 15th November, 2005

15. Contemporary policy debatesLonger-term response • Trade liberalization • Consensus on liberalization (‘maize without border’) • Question on how to maximize benefits while mitigating negative impacts • Trade policy work on removing constraints (NTBs, infrastructure, information, govt behaviour) • What would be the impacts of removal of EU/US ag. subsidies on African consumers? • Disaster risk reduction • Mainstream into development programming (Hyogo framework, NEPAD) • Policy and legislative frameworks are being put in place • Methodologies to implement these policies? SARPN Conference on Enhancing Civil Society Participation in SADC Food Security Processes: 14th – 15th November, 2005

16. Challenges and opportunities • CSOs need to stay ‘relevant’ amidst a changing humanitarian aid architecture • Donor channelling funds through SWAPs and DBS • UN restructuring to support national capacity building (Triple Threat) • CSO experience, grounded in field level programs, key. Emphasize continuous learning • Contribute to food security policy formulation, implementation and review SARPN Conference on Enhancing Civil Society Participation in SADC Food Security Processes: 14th – 15th November, 2005

17. MONITORING & IMPACT ASSESSMENT (Policy data) ANALYSIS OF POLICY OPTIONS Policy Change Cycle POLICY DIALOGUE/ REVIEW POLICY IMPLEMENTATION Challenges and opportunities SARPN Conference on Enhancing Civil Society Participation in SADC Food Security Processes: 14th – 15th November, 2005

18. Challenges and opportunities • Excellent examples of effective CSO contribution to policy at a national level • What is best addressed at the regional level? (co-variant, cross border and regional problems) • Refine agenda with a lens of: • Areas of expertise and practice – greatest traction • Potential for collective action SARPN Conference on Enhancing Civil Society Participation in SADC Food Security Processes: 14th – 15th November, 2005

19. Challenges and opportunities • Provide advocacy around two key messages: • Livelihoods crisis, not a food crisis • Balancing policy attention to economic growth and social transfers • In addition to the current technical agenda two possible themes to be brought into the debate: • Nutrition, health and education • Climate change • Use a regional voice to influence • Governments • Donors – allocation of ‘developmental resources’ SARPN Conference on Enhancing Civil Society Participation in SADC Food Security Processes: 14th – 15th November, 2005