The World Food Summit estimated that approximately 840 million people in developing countries subsist on diets that are deficient in calories. Roughly 96 percent of these food-insecure people suffer from chronic deficiencies, and approximately 4 percent experience temporary energy shortfalls caused by natural or human-induced events. Approximately 170 million children under five years of age are underweight, representing 30 percent of the developing world's children. The number of people who are food-insecure as a result of specific nutrient deficiencies is less well known, mainly because of difficulties in definition and measurement and lack of data, but the numbers are likely to be much greater. The best available estimates suggest that approximately 250 million children are deficient in vitamin A, more than 800 million people suffer from iodine deficiency, and as many as 2 billion people are affected by iron deficiency and anaemia. The vast majority of the food insecure, whether their undernourishment is caused by deficiencies in energy or by deficiencies in micronutrients, live in low-income developing countries. Millions live in conditions that expose them to varying degrees of risk - a concept that is generally well understood but rarely quantified.
What is meant by food insecurity and vulnerability? |
Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. Household food security is the application of this concept at the family level, with individuals within households as the focus of concern. For the purpose of FIVIMS, food insecurity exists when people are undernourished as a result of the physical unavailability of food, their lack of social or economic access to adequate food, and/or inadequate food utilization. Food-insecure people are those individuals whose food intake falls below their minimum calorie (energy) requirements, as well as those who exhibit physical symptoms caused by energy and nutrient deficiencies resulting from an inadequate or unbalanced diet or from the body's inability to use food effectively because of infection or disease. An alternative view would define the concept of food insecurity as referring only to the consequence of inadequate consumption of nutritious food, considering the physiological utilization of food by the body as being within the domain of nutrition and health. Vulnerability refers to the full range of factors that place people at risk of becoming food-insecure. The degree of vulnerability of individuals, households or groups of people is determined by their exposure to the risk factors and their ability to cope with or withstand stressful situations. |
Food insecurity is a complex phenomenon, attributable to a range of factors that vary in importance across regions, countries and social groups, as well as over time (see Figure). These factors can be grouped in four clusters representing the following four areas of potential vulnerability:
In order to achieve success, strategies to eliminate food insecurity have to tackle these underlying causes by combining the efforts of those who work in diverse sectors such as agriculture, nutrition, health, education, social welfare, economics, public works and the environment. At the national level, this means that different ministries or departments need to combine their complementary skills and efforts in order to design and implement integrated cross-sectoral initiatives which must interact and be coordinated at the policy level. At the international level, a range of specialized agencies and development organizations must work together as partners in a common effort.
The World Food Summit resolved to reduce the number of undernourished people in the world by at least 50 percent by the year 2015. In addition, it set the longer-term goals of, eventually, eradicating hunger and achieving food security for all. If these objectives are to be achieved, appropriate policies and action programmes that are directed specifically to the people who are undernourished or at risk need to be developed and implemented. An important first step is the identification of food-insecure and vulnerable groups, the prevalence and degree of low food intake and undernutrition among these groups and the causes of their food insecurity and vulnerability. Such information makes it possible to monitor and assess the situation and to design and, eventually, evaluate possible policies and interventions.
If they are to be effective, policies aimed at promoting food security require accurate and timely information on the incidence, nature and causes of food insecurity and vulnerability. Unfortunately, such information is lacking in many countries, both developing and developed. There is a particular lack of good information at the subnational and household levels on key questions such as:
Such information is critically important for both national and local decision-makers if they are to formulate effective policies and programmes that address the real needs of the food insecure, and if they are to design and direct interventions that actually reach undernourished and vulnerable people efficiently. Most countries have established statistical services and systems that generate and analyse information. However, many of these national systems are currently constrained by a number of inter-related factors, including:
The World Food Summit recognized these problems and stressed the importance of finding practical solutions. Paragraph 4 of the World Food Summit Plan of Action concludes that: "It is necessary to target those people and areas suffering most from hunger and malnutrition and identify causes and take remedial action to improve the situation. A more complete, user-friendly source of information at all levels would enable this." A Food Insecurity and Vulnerability Information and Mapping System (FIVIMS) is the response to that challenge. l
Most countries already have a range of statistical services and information systems to generate and analyse information that is relevant for measuring and monitoring food insecurity and vulnerability. National statistical services normally conduct periodic censuses and surveys, while line ministries, such as those responsible for agriculture, health, trade, labour, industry or the environment, often maintain subject matter databases that contain a wealth of useful information.
Many countries have also established information units or systems for such specific purposes as providing early warning, promoting market efficiency, monitoring health and nutrition status or preparing food security situation assessments. In many developing countries, similar information systems are maintained by donor agencies or non-governmental organizations (NGOs), either in parallel with ongoing government-supported information systems or in partnership with governments. These activities are usually established for purposes of monitoring specific programmes or for assessing the need for food aid and directing its delivery.
General categories of existing national information systems that are relevant to FIVIMS include the following seven examples:
Typical examples of national information systems of relevance to FIVIMS are shown in the following six boxes.
Mozambique |
SNAP Purpose The purpose of SNAP is the timely transmission of information on potentially serious food shortages. Institutional set-up Although the secretariat of the early warning system is not yet formally established, methods and procedures for the acquisition, management, interpretation and dissemination of information relevant for early warning purposes are well established. Data and information SNAP carries out agronomic monitoring and field surveys, collects agrometeorological and satellite information for forecasting and estimating area planted, yields and staple food production, and generates staple food supply and demand balance sheets. Products It produces regular reports and bulletins (at ten-daily or monthly intervals), and issues special alerts and technical notes as needed, in the form of tables, graphs and satellite images. Constraints and challenges It suffers from a lack of formal structure, which is a challenge to the future sustainability of the information system. It also needs more formal linkages with other partners, in order to achieve better coordination, and further decentralization of information system activities, including the provincial-level analysis. Linkages with FIVIMS FIVIMS activities in Mozambique are seen as having the potential to promote greater collaboration and networking among the many different information systems that support the overall food security development objective. |
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Senegal |
CASPAR Purpose Early warning and food security planning are CASPAR's main functions. Institutional set-up CASPAR is based at the Ministry of Agriculture and also serves as Secretariat to the Food Security Council in the Office of the Prime Minister. Data and information It monitors agricultural production, rainfall, pests and diseases (based on rainfall data and satellite information, area under cultivation, production estimates and assessments of pastoral areas), cereal prices and other market information, as well as monitoring and analysing geographic areas with food-insecure population groups (including estimates of the number of villages threatened by severe food insecurity or famine). Products It produces periodic reports, including twice-yearly bulletins. Constraints and challenges It suffers from limited access to a broader range of food security data, such as anthropometric and nutrition information, and requires easier access to other databases. Linkages with FIVIMS CASPAR has been appointed as the national FIVIMS focal point. |
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Zambia |
FHANIS Purpose FHANIS has an advocacy role with the objectives of strengthening design and implementation of food and nutrition programmes, and improving the focus of food relief and supplementary feeding programmes. It also carries out research activities and monitors the impact of government policies on the welfare of the population. Institutional set-up It is based in the Population and Development Department of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development and has close linkages with the Central Statistics Office. It is governed by two committees: a multi-ministerial Steering Committee and a Technical Committee. FHANIS provides a multisectoral forum for discussion of the household food security and health and nutrition issues that are to be brought to the attention of senior policy-makers. Data and information It collects general food security information at the household level (food availability, stocks, prices, trade and markets, livestock), health and nutrition variables and information on water and sanitation, as well as on food consumption and employment levels in urban areas. Products It produces baseline and evaluation reports, district profiles, regular tabular reports and monitoring reports (including maps and graphs). Constraints and challenges It is currently understaffed and still largely dependent on donor financing. It receives erratic and inadequate funding from the government. User demand for data and information is increasing and FHANSIS is unable to cope with requests. The analysis of available information and data-sets needs to be improved, and information for longer-term development planning and for emergency purposes needs to be collected. Linkages with FIVIMS FHANIS addresses many of the tasks and products envisaged under FIVIMS. |
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Peru |
SISVAN Purpose The main objective of SISVAN is improved efficiency and effectiveness of food and nutrition interventions in the country. Institutional set-up The Ministry of Health is its lead institution, and it has the collaboration of the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Statistical Institute. The information needs of different user groups have been determined, and a food and nutrition data bank designed. A remote, cross-sectoral network will be established with the Ministry of Health. Data and information It collects information for country food and nutrition profiles, and indicators on nutrition status, health, access to health facilities and food security. It monitors demographics and education facilities, and has a database of ongoing projects and programmes. Products SISVAN produces bulletins, graphs, tables and maps. Constraints and challenges It is difficult for the SISVAN database to satisfy all of its users' needs; for greater effectiveness, existing databases need to be linked directly (electronically) to SISVAN. Linkages with FIVIMS SISVAN is being established in the spirit of FIVIMS - as an intersectoral initiative - which provides a solid basis for further FIVIMS-related work in Peru. |
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Poland |
Moves towards a national food security, nutrition and health information system Purpose The main purposes of such an initiative are the elimi-nation of food insecurity and the prevention of deficiencies and diseases related to inadequate nutrition. Institutional set-up A preliminary proposal has been made for the establishment of a national information unit on the state of food security, nutrition and health in Poland. Data and information The information unit is expected to compile data on the demographics and general living conditions of the population, assess the health status of specific population groups, monitor poverty indicators, analyse household budget surveys (particularly in respect to food consumption), and compile food balance sheets. Products It has not yet been determined what the products will be. Constraints and challenges A multisectoral policy needs to be formulated, in order to enhance the understanding that food security, nutrition and the prevention of diet-related diseases should be treated as one complex problem which can only be resolved through intersectoral collaboration. Linkages with FIVIMS In support of improved food security and nutrition, it is absolutely necessary that ongoing and planned work on information systems in Poland is linked to the FIVIMS initiative. However, this will have to be a step-by-step process. In this regard, the National Food and Nutrition Institute is prepared to cooperate with UN agencies and other organizations in the realization of a FIVIMS in Poland. |
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Viet Nam |
FIVIMS-related information systems Purpose The systems' role is to support policy decisions regarding movements in rice markets and to satisfy the food and nutritional requirements of the population. Institutional set-up At least four information system activities produce information that is of relevance to FIVIMS: a crop monitoring system (CMS) and a market information system (MIS), which are both run by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development; nutrition surveys, which are conducted by the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN); and household income and expenditure surveys, which are produced by the General Statistics Office. Data and information The CMS was established to generate paddy production forecasts and estimates on a monthly basis. It also reports on the main agricultural activities, aggregating information collected from the community level. The MIS is primarily concerned with the prices of rice at key market centres in all 61 provinces. NIN's nutrition surveys provide information on food consumption, as well as the status of specific population groups. Surveys conducted by the General Statistics Office are important for understanding the income and expenditure patterns of farming households in selected provinces. Products The CMS produces reports (at ten-daily and monthly intervals) on agricultural production and conditions affecting the rice crop in the field. The MIS produces monthly reports, and NIN and the General Statistics Office produce ad hoc reports. Mapping techniques are rarely used in any area of data and information dissemination. Constraints and challenges The CMS is experiencing operational problems after technical assistance ended, and also faces financial constraints to the updating of baseline data. The MIS should assess the needs of vulnerable population groups, but resources for doing this are limited. NIN and the General Statistics Office have inadequate national databases, and methods need to be improved if accurate data and information are to be available at the national level. Linkages with FIVIMS An interministerial National Food Security Committee, chaired by the Minister of Agriculture, has recently been established. Through this committee, good linkages with FIVIMS may be established in support of improvements in national information systems. |
Although a great number of national information systems of various kinds have already been established around the world, or are in the process of being developed, they vary widely from country to country. Variation relates to the number of systems established and their content, how well they are integrated, their geographic coverage, the indicators and analytical techniques they use, the quality and reliability of the information they produce, and their institutional sustainability. Differences with regard to the availability of financial resources, access to state-of-the-art technology, the skill level of officers responsible for day-to-day operation and management, and the strength of institutional support structures may all affect performance. Components of many national systems are funded and managed as projects, which are often dependent on external financial and technical assistance.
The wide variation in the level of information systems development across countries has several important implications. First, not all national systems have an equal need to be strengthened. Second, not all of the countries that need support require it in the same areas. Third, many lessons can be learned from the experiences of countries where information systems are better developed, and these countries may play an important role in transferring best practices to those countries that request assistance. Finally, there can be no single formula for strengthening national food security and vulnerability information systems. Each case must be considered individually in order to determine its unique set of objectives, particular constraints and specific needs.