Food security monitoring and capacity development: key issues and challenges

1. Food security monitoring and capacity development: key issues and challenges Monitoring Food Security CFS Round Table Rome 12-13 September 2001 CFS Round Table on Monitoring Food Security

2. The first best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago....the second best time is now A West African proverb CFS Round Table on Monitoring Food Security

3. Why Food security monitoring is important ? Response and policy planning and monitoring Prevention/preparedness: EWS can be considered as the first line of defense to periodic food insecurity and famine threats Global monitoring of food security and hunger reduction

4. A definition of national ISFS “National multi-stakeholder platforms, established by or with national governments, to monitor food and nutritional status, identify population at risk of food insecurity, provide early warnings when needed, develop response recommendations, and coordinate, monitor and evaluate responses to food insecurity” Joint Evaluation of FAO and WFP support to information systems for food security (October 2009)

5. ISFSs may include Crop production and rainfall monitoring Import and food availability Price and marketing monitoring Assessments of the severity of food insecurity Nutrition status monitoring Prevalence of undernourishment Synthetic indexes of food security ….

6. The fundamental role of countries • Statistical and other agencies in country need to provide timely and accurate data. • These agencies must ensure that key indicators are collected and interpreted in a timely fashion using a harmonized data collection process that ensures data quality, comparability and transparency between countries. CFS Round Table on Monitoring Food Security

7. Do these capacities exist at country level? No generalization possible Countries with generally functioning systems (e.g. Mozambique) Several countries systems are unsatisfactory Countries with effective EWS but externally driven and managed (and delinked from longer term statistics) Duplications and institutional overlaps a common feature CFS Round TablonMonitoringFood Security

8. What went wrong? Important international investments took place particularly in the nineties Efforts were geared towards the creation of international EWS capacities National government tended to leave FSIS function to the international community Focus on training individuals rather than building institutions CFS Round Table on Monitoring Food Security

9. What have we learned from successful CD experiences? Linking information flows to decision making processes Promoting stakeholders networks that include public and private actors Getting beyond training to build institutions CFS Round Table on Monitoring Food Security

10. Five key prerequisite conditions for successful institution building • Budgetary adequacy and continuity of financial resources • Country users demand driven capacity building • Government willingness to put in place the necessary institutional arrangements and avail information in a transparent manner • A steady and renewable source of technically qualified staff • Scientific support from international and regional sources

11. In practice there is a need for Recognizing and closing critical information gaps Improving coordination Setting quality standards and sharing best practices Building a clear understanding of how to integrate ISFS into national decision-making processes..and Enhanced political willingness to support ISFS processes CFS Round Table on Monitoring Food Security

12. What is happening at the global level on CD for ISFS? FAO/WFP Joint Strategy on ISFSN Agricultural Market Information System AMIS CountrySTAT Global Strategy to improve to improve Agriculture and Rural Statistics The Food Security Information Network (FSIN)

13. Objectives of the FSIN Strengthen country and regional FSI Help propose and establish FSI standards, harmonize methods and share best practices Advocate and raise awareness CFS Round Table on Monitoring Food Security

14. FSIN key principles Professional engagement Different approaches, one goal Demand-driven Linking information to decision-making Creating public goods Local ownership Seek harmonization and reduce overlap CFS Round Table on Monitoring Food Security

15. FSIN Expected outcomes Increased use of national and regional ISFS outputs At-risk countries/regions with increased capacity in FSI New monitoring and analysis tools to bridge FSI gaps New technologies for collecting and disseminating data and analyses CFS Round Table on Monitoring Food Security

16. FSIN expected outcomes Additional resources contributing to FSIN Use of common technical standards of data collection Greater south-south capacity building and south-north learning Increased use of ISFS outputs for purposes beyond humanitarian responses CFS Round Table on Monitoring Food Security

17. Questions: • What are the main constraints to food security monitoring in your country/institutions? Are these of technical, institutional or financial nature? • What are the channels of communication between data generation institutions and decision makers and how could these be improved?

18. Questions(2): • Is food security monitoring a function to be covered by the public sector or can this be supplemented by other stakeholders? How should this happen? • What role would you see the international community to play in supporting country level food security monitoring systems? • What role would you see regional organizations to play in supporting country level food security monitoring systems?

19. The first best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago....the second best time is now A West African proverb CFS Round Table on Monitoring Food Security

20. ADDITIONAL SLIDES CFS Round Table on Monitoring Food Security

21. Vision, strategy pillars & operating environment Standards, methods and tools global partners countries VISION: Credible, relevant and timely assessments and analyses Monitoring and in –country assessments Capacity development Statistics, information and analyses Joint FAO/ WFP Strategy on Information Systems for Food and Nutrition Security (ISFNS)

22. Components and functions of the FSIN Network/community of practice v v Country/regions Country/regions Country/regions Country/regions Advisory\management board Global Public Food Security Data System – linked to existing initiatives Global Data Source Institutions (FAOSTAT, GIEWS, IFPRI, EC/JRC, FEWSNET/ NASA/USGS etc) responsible for giving access to existing data Technical Working Group (FAO, WFP, IFPRI & others) responsible for preparing technical guidelines FSIN small Grants Facility/information sharing platform to promote standards and south – south learning