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FIVIMS INITIATIVE IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
Maarten Immink
The
1996 World Food Summit (WFS) resolved to halve the number of hungry
people by 2015. This global goal was re-affirmed at the WFS: Five
years later in 2002, and is also one of the Millennium Development
Goals. Hunger is strongly linked to poverty, so that reduced food
insecurity and vulnerability are part of poverty reduction goals
and development objectives. The WFS Plan of Action calls for the
development, implementation and maintenance of food insecurity and
vulnerability information and mapping systems (FIVIMS) at national
and global levels. The FIVIMS initiative was established in 1997
as a network in the form of an inter-agency working group of multi-
and bilateral technical cooperation agencies, international non-governmental
organisations, regional institutions, research networks, with a
Secretariat at FAO in Rome {In Africa, the Southern African Development
Community (SADC) and the Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought
Control in the Sahel (CILSS) are Members of the Inter-Agency Working
Group on FIVIMS.}. It is meant to function as a framework within
which a wide range of activities are carried out that aim at providing,
globally and at country level, support to improved generation and
utilisation of information. The main focus of efforts at country
level is to strengthen existing national and sub-national information
systems or networks and to promote a more effective utilisation
of information in decision making, planning, policy and programme
formulation, and monitoring of national goals and targets.
The
FIVIMS Secretariat recently updated the inventory of FIVIMS-supported
and FIVIMS-type of activities implemented at country level. Focusing
on the Sub-Saharan Region, these are some of the findings, as compared
to the previous updating (1999-2000). In Central
and Western Africa, country level implementation
of FIVIMS type activities continues, but at a slow pace. Cameroon
and Chad have conducted work to identify and characterise
vulnerable groups, while the latter country has also conducted an
assessment of the existing information systems. In the Democratic
Republic of Congo, a national FIVIMS network has been established.
Benin, Cape Verde, Mali,
Burkina Faso and Senegal have
all identified and characterised vulnerable groups, while the latter
two countries have undertaken assessments of existing information
systems, and all five countries have established, or are in the
process of establishing, a national FIVIMS network. Preparation
of an action plan for FIVIMS is currently under way in Burkina Faso.
Eastern
Africa has seen some interesting developments lately. Progress
in Kenya is reported in greater detail below. In
Uganda a national FIVIMS network is being established,
after an assessment of existing information systems was conducted.
Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia
and Tanzania have all undertaken work to identify
and characterise vulnerable groups, while Eritrea has also established
an integrated food security information system. Ethiopia has a large
number of food security information systems operated by different
organisations; and a national FIVIMS network will facilitate sharing
of information.
FIVIMS
work in southern Africa is starting to show very
positive results, with new activities being undertaken in several
countries. National FIVIMS networks have been established in Angola,
Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia
and Zimbabwe. National FIVIMS Action Plans have
now been formulated in Namibia, South Africa and Zambia. In all
of these countries, as well as in Lesotho, vulnerable
groups have been identified and characterised. Work is ongoing in
Madagascar and Comoros Islands
to analyse the current food security situation and to identify vulnerable
groups. One of the countries in this region where FIVIMS work is
most advanced is Mozambique. Political interest in effectively addressing
food insecurity and vulnerability is high in this Region, particularly
now with the current food crisis.
An
important regional initiative is the SADC FANR Sector Development
Unit (SDU) that provides technical advice and training
for food security information experts from SADC member countries.
One of the most successful initiatives under the SADC-FANR SDU is
the Regional Vulnerability Assessment Committee (RVAC),
established in 1999. This ccommittee is made up of regional and
international professionals working to enhance food security and
livelihood analysis in both emergency and non-emergency situations.
The RVAC has taken the lead in responding to the complex emergency
that has hit Southern Africa. In doing so, the RVAC has proven an
excellent partner in promoting FIVIMS principles throughout the
region.
Kenya
provides an excellent example of what is meant by developing a country
level FIVIMS that facilitates networking among key technical agencies,
and promotes sharing of information and technical know-how among
food security experts from Government, multi- and bi-lateral donor
agencies and international NGOs. This Food Security Data subcommittee
of the Kenya Food Security Steering Group (KFSSG) {The Office of
the President (OP)/Arid Lands Resource Management Project, the Central
Bureau of Statistics, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development,
WFP-VAM, FEWS-NET, UNICEF and FAO are Members of the KFSSG}was established
in December 2002, and is chaired by the Office of the President,
while the National Food Security Information Coordinator serves
as secretary to the committee. Among the roles and responsibilities
of this subcommittee are: (a) assist with strengthening of food
security data and information management, and (b) consolidate food
security information reporting and dissemination. The subcommittee
will undoubtedly prove vital in extracting useful information from
national and sub-national data sets on poverty, health, food security
and malnutrition to identify and characterise the most needy and
vulnerable. Clear benchmark indicators will need to be developed
to measure and monitor the impact of poverty reduction and development
activities. The current food security information system has limited
coverage and a bias towards the disaster prone districts in the
arid North. Closer inter-institutional working relationships now
pave the way for a joint-strategy that extends food security monitoring
to the entire country
Since
2000 the FIVIMS Secretariat has provided technical support to the
Office of the President in Kenya, and to other national partners,
to improve the food security information management process. Future
support will aim at improving the technical capacity of central
and local government staff to undertake integrated food security
analysis, and to develop short and well-directed briefs on food
security issues for decision-makers.
For more information, please consult: IAWG-FIVIMS. Guidelines for
National FIVIMS. Background and Principles. IAWG Guidelines Series
No. 1. Rome, 2000, and the IAWG-FIVIMS Website: www.fivims.net,
or address any inquiries to the Co-ordinator of the FIVIMS Secretariat,
email: fivims-secretariat@fao.org
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