State of agric is challenge to food security

Government Statistician Dr. Philomena Nyarko says a major challenge to food security in Africa is the underdeveloped agricultural sector.

 

Agriculture, she observed, is characterised by over-reliance on the weather, minimal use of modernised farm inputs, significant food crop losses at both the pre- and post-harvest stages, and inadequate food storage and preservation facilities.

The other challenge, she said, is providing evidence on the extent of the problem through making available the required food security statistics.

“One cannot monitor and track progress made with respect to food adequacy for all, its availability, accessibility, and utilisation without the required statistics,” she said. “It is worth noting that achieving food security will directly translate into poverty alleviation and create wealth for the target population.”

Data suggest that between 2011 and 2013 an estimated 842 million people globally suffered from chronic hunger.

Speaking at the opening of a regional training workshop in Accra on the topic “Food Security Analysis Using Food Consumption Data Collected through National Household Surveys”, Dr. Nyarko said in developed nations the problem is alleviated by providing targetted food security interventions.

These include food-aid in the form of direct food relief, food stamps, or indirectly through subsidised food production. These efforts have significantly reduced food insecurity in those regions.

“I would like to state that development of reliable statistics on food security is critical to the monitoring and evaluation of national development strategies as well as regional and global initiatives, including monitoring of the Millennium Development Goals.”

The four-day training workshop had among other objectives developing capacity to provide sound statistical evidence to inform policies and programmes geared toward the reduction of food insecurity at national and sub-national levels.

Other objectives were improving the capacity of national statistical officers and other national stakeholders to generate food security statistics by applying updated methodologies to data from national household surveys.

It was also aimed at strengthening coordination between national institutions involved in the collection and analysis of food security and nutrition data; supporting policymakers to use food security statistics for policy-making; and promoting  Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) standards, methods and tools for analysing food acquisition and consumption data.

Dr. Lamourdia Thiombiano, FAO Deputy Regional Representative for Africa, said the organisation’s vision is to ensure food security in Africa and the FAO is committed to supporting countries in meeting the Millennium Development Goals on food security.

He added that food security relates to the availability of food within the context of adequate water and sanitation.

 “The degree of malnourishment may be a reflection of how food-secure or food-insecure a country is, and it should be of concern to all of us.”

He explained that the FAO identifies the four pillars of food-security as availability, stability of supply, access and utilisation by the body.

“Having sufficient quantities of food on a consistent basis or having sufficient resources to obtain appropriate food for the provision of a nutritious diet; and using food based on appropriate knowledge of basic nutrition to meet dietary needs and food preference is crucial to household and individual well-being,” he said.