The major objectives of the review study of CCA reports and PRSPs prepared at country level were to assess the extent to which food insecurity and vulnerability problems are analysed and incorporated into policies, strategies and interventions, and to identify aspects deserving improvement in the country report conceptualization, analysis, organization and preparation process. The lessons learned from the CCA reports and PRSPs review study are aimed at improving the analysis of food insecurity and vulnerability to provide a sounder basis for the formulation and monitoring of policies and action programmes at national and subnational level.
Based upon the results of the review study, this chapter formulates three main conclusions, followed by specific recommendations for improving the way food insecurity and vulnerability and related poverty are addressed in the CCA reports and the PRSPs.
The first main conclusion is that there is a general deficiency in analysis of the extent and the underlying causality of food insecurity and vulnerability, and of the poverty of specific population groups. Hence, little analytical basis is provided for targeted policy and programme development. The fragmented analysis of food insecurity and vulnerability and of poverty in the reports, while providing valuable details on some aspects of these problems, leaves other aspects unnoticed, overlooked or neglected. This reflects the different perspectives and capabilities of the parties involved in developing the reports. The incomplete nature of the analyses, however, shows the need for a wider utilization of existing capabilities in the country through involvement of more parties, or the need for expansion of existing capabilities through capacity building, or indeed a combination of both.
To improve the existing analysis in the reviewed country reports, the following interventions are recommended.
Improve data collection. The first aim in data collection is to make use of all relevant data and information available in the country from different sources and institutions, not just from national bureaus of statistics, but also from NGOs, health or agricultural departments, and international databases. This calls for an extensive body of collaborating institutions. The second aim is to identify gaps in data and information, so that collection methods can be identified and action taken to fill the data gaps. In data collection, specific attention must be given to:
(i) geographical disaggregation to identify the spatial distribution of the poor, food insecure, and vulnerable groups;
(ii) temporal dimensions to provide insight into (intra-)annual variations, past trends and projected developments; and
(iii) social aspects - gender, age, rural-urban distribution, ethnicity, etc. - to provide insight into the social dimension of food insecurity and vulnerability, and poverty.
This disaggregation supports priority setting and targeting of interventions.
Improve the methods of analysis used. Methods of analysis must be based mainly on the national databases. They can range from descriptive analysis to identify relevant indicators, to analytical models for simulating the consequences of interventions.
Identify a comprehensive and congruent set of indicators. These should address the components of food insecurity and vulnerability, and related poverty. An overall description and analysis must result in indicators to convey to policy-makers and other stakeholders the status and essential aspects of food insecurity and vulnerability, and poverty. The selection of a basic indicator set can be derived from currently available indicators, but they should be made country specific to present a national perspective. Special attention should be given to the use of graphical methods of presentation, like maps and graphs, to visualize food insecurity and vulnerability and to facilitate overview.
Support functional cooperation. Data collection and analysis efforts along the lines indicated above form the basis for functional cooperation among a diverse group of national and international institutions operating at both national and local levels. A focus on analysis, rather than on implementation of policies linked to spending of budgets, limits competition among institutions and thereby facilitates cooperation. A strong interdisciplinary team is needed who share knowledge and understand each other’s disciplines, who are analytical, well educated and who can catalyse a process of stakeholder involvement. In this respect, it is important to mention the participation of academic institutions for the analytical aspects, and the involvement of civil society organizations (CSOs) to ensure broadening and diversifying the range of actors engaged in the process. CSOs can also draw attention to issues of marginalization, exclusion, regional difference in deprivation, corruption and poor governance (McGee, Levene and Hughes, 2002).
The second main conclusion from the review study is that in both types of country report there is a lack of consistency between priority setting and the analysis of food insecurity and vulnerability, and poverty, and policies, strategies and interventions aimed at alleviating food insecurity and vulnerability, and poverty. This lack of consistency in the country reports does not necessarily imply that this consistency is absent in the respective countries, but rather indicates that either the CCA and PRSP preparation processes are not sufficiently systematic, or that existing gaps are not clearly identified in the sequence of information collection, analysis and the formulation of actions.
It is recommended the potential links between the analysis of food insecurity and vulnerability, and poverty and the formulation of policies and the implementation of interventions be exploited to remedy these problems, in three policy areas.
Policies dealing with the availability of food:
(i) agricultural policies dealing with primary food production within the country;
(ii) domestic trade policies dealing with transport, storage, processing and the retail of food and food products; and
(iii) international trade policies regarding import and export of food and food products.
Policies dealing with health, nutrition and care:
(i) public health (a set of tasks for which the government has primary responsibility);
(ii) water supply and sanitation; and
(iii) nutrition.
Policies dealing with the socio-economic and political environment:
(i) employment and income policies;
(ii) education and training policies; and
(iii) policies dealing with urban and rural public services and infrastructure.
The policies mentioned under the three headings all have direct relevance to food insecurity and vulnerability, and poverty. However, national policies dealing with, for example, a stable currency or the growth of domestic production, and the absence of domestic or international conflicts, have of course a direct impact on the effectiveness of interventions. Besides depending on the results of the country analysis, the formulation of food insecurity and poverty alleviation policies and the implementation of the resulting interventions require priority setting and integration within the national policy framework. This task of national priority setting and policy formulation is the prerogative of the national decision-makers. The indication of links between the analysis of food insecurity and vulnerability, and poverty and the relevant policy fields provides national decisionmakers with the information required to support rational decisions.
The third main conclusion from this review is that the CCA reports and PRSPs start from different perspectives, but that both result in similar policies, strategies and interventions, irrespective of whether or not food insecurity and vulnerability or poverty are identified as development priorities.
This convergence could be expected because food insecurity and vulnerability, and poverty are closely related phenomena that largely affect the same group of relatively disadvantaged people in society. Yet, often the preparation of the CCA reports and PRSPs involve different stakeholders, and the PRSPs and CCA reports seldom refer to, or rely upon, the information and data provided in the other. This points to some duplication of efforts at country level. It is therefore recommend that:
efforts should be directed towards one integrated situation analysis (and report?) addressing poverty reduction, livelihood protection and strengthening, and sustainable development, with an identifiable component that emphasizes food insecurity and vulnerability. Such an integrated situation analysis implies, if not a merger, then exchange of relevant expertise; and
food security must be used as an essential component of development. This provides a direct link to MDGs and turns food insecurity and vulnerability into benchmarks for monitoring goals and targets.
Based on these three main conclusions and derived recommendations, this review strongly recommends the development of an integrated framework to address food insecurity and vulnerability, and poverty in CCA reports and PRSPs. FIVIMS - as the network that assembles, analyses and disseminates information about people who are food insecure or at risk - can effectively support such an integrated framework.
MDGs, CIF and the FIVIMS conceptual framework taken together provide a valuable starting point for such an integrated framework that can be applied widely in country studies. The integrated framework would consist of two components:
the analysis of food insecurity and vulnerability, and poverty; and
the utilization of the analysis in the process of policy formulation, determination of strategies, and the formulation of interventions.
The first section could be in the form of detailed, universal guidelines, because the phenomena of food insecurity and vulnerability, and poverty show worldwide similarities. The section would cover data collection and disaggregation, methods of analysis, indicators and parties involved. Data collection and analysis efforts based on the integrated framework approach would form the basis for functional cooperation among a diverse group of institutions with varying expertise and operating at international as well as local level.
The second section, on actions to alleviate the problems of food insecurity and vulnerability, and poverty, would necessarily be dealt with in a more indicative way. This is because the formulation of policies, strategies and interventions depend, on the one hand, on the results of the country analysis, and, on the other hand, on priority setting within the context of all national priorities. While guidelines facilitate the analysis aspect, a process approach is needed for priority setting, policy formulation and identification of effective interventions.
The integrated framework to address food insecurity and vulnerability, and poverty must be incorporated into the preparation procedures of both the CCA report and the PRSP, or of any type of food insecurity and vulnerability, and poverty situation analysis. The focus in CCA reports on analysis would be strengthened, and the relative weakness on policies would be remedied. In a similar way, the framework would deal with the relative weakness in PRSPs regarding analysis of food insecurity and vulnerability, and poverty issues, and further strengthen the existing emphasis on policies and interventions.
However, delivering improved country reports is not a matter of requesting country teams to follow frameworks. It is emphasized that the process of developing the country reports must pursue two parallel aims: implementing a comprehensive and well-structured analysis to capture all relevant dimensions of food insecurity and vulnerability, and poverty, while at the same time establishing a broad process of participation.
Steps that are required to move from this review study’s conclusions and recommendation to country-level application therefore involve:
Development of an integrated framework, including methodological and operational guidelines.
Application of the integrated framework in a few selected countries. Testing the framework will reveal existing analytical capabilities, as well as requirements for capacity building and the required adaptation of the framework to better address the specific national situation.
Incorporation of food insecurity and vulnerability, and poverty analysis into ongoing policy analysis of activities at country level.
