An important part of FAO’s work in Sudan is to enhance the resilience of Sudanese families so that they are better able to withstand climatic shocks that threaten their food and nutrition security. A key component of this work is capacity building for families, communities and institutions on measures designed to avoid (prevention) or limit (mitigation and preparedness) the adverse effects of natural hazards and to provide timely and reliable hazard forecasts that enable people to protect themselves and their livelihoods.

The use of reliable information systems and the incorporation of evidence-based responses are essential for a holistic approach to food and nutrition security in Sudan. To this effect, FAO has helped organize two capacity-building workshops from 4-8 September in Khartoum to provide technical trainings on the use of two important tools in food security analysis. FAO’s Food Security Policy and Strategy (FSPS) Programme has invited regional and national representatives from the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) to lead a training on geographical information systems (GIS) to assess food and nutrition security status at the state level. Additionally, there is also a workshop on the use of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) system for acute malnutrition monitoring and forecasting in Sudan, organized by the Federal Food Security Technical Secretariat (FFSTS), the IPC Global Support Unit (GSU) and FAO, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health’s Nutrition Department.

Both of these tools serve to enhance the capacity of national institutions and programs to use early warning systems to detect, forecast and, when necessary, issue alerts relating to impeding food security and nutrition hazards. In doing so, FAO hopes to strengthen Sudan’s food security information system to ensure that information on possible impacts to the agriculture sector is identified and clearly communicated, and timely advice can be provided to farmers and pastoralists on what they can do to reduce disaster risk and protect their food security.

“Enhancing the availability and use of evidence-based information is integral to improving Sudan’s policies, strategies and programming for food security and nutrition,” said Rosanne Marchesich, Deputy FAO Representative in Sudan. “These are not just stand-alone trainings. These sessions are also an opportunity to strengthen the linkages between the State Food Security and Nutrition Technical Secretariats (SFSTSs) and the FFSTS, which now sits under the Food Security and Nutrition Council at the level of the Vice President.”

The Government of Sudan is to be congratulated in its efforts to address food security and nutrition in a holistic manner. This includes the drafting of the Food Security and Nutrition Policy that now sits with the Government of Sudan for final endorsement. Furthermore, the new Council can be a platform to implement the framework for action endorsed by Sudan at the Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2) in November 2014.

More about each workshop:

GIS Training Workshop 

The GIS training program focuses on strengthening the capacity of Sudan’s state-level government agencies in accessing, analyzing and reporting using FEWS NET’s remotely sensed agro-climatic products complemented with available field information. The main purpose of the course is to enhance the capabilities of technical staff to use satellite images by providing them with an understanding of the use of spatial and Earth Observation (EO) information as a complimentary tool in food security analysis. Participants include state-level staff in the FAO’s FSPS Programme and technical staff working in food security analysis from state and federal ministries and NGO partners. Participants will acquire hands-on skills in the application of GIS and remote sensing (RS) in food security analysis, and learn to work with satellite images and digital maps that are essential to a better understanding of food (in)security scenarios.

IPC Acute Malnutrition Classification Pilot Workshop

IPC is a set of tools and procedures for classifying the nature and severity of food security situations. Originally focusing on acute food security situations, IPC has recently developed a Chronic Food Insecurity classification, and is now in the process of developing an Acute Malnutrition classification. The aim of the Sudan pilot is to test the IPC Acute Malnutrition tools and procedures and to examine their applicability and usefulness in the context of Sudan. Participants will acquire hands-on training on the general use of the IPC system, with a focus on the new acute malnutrition tools. Feedback from the Sudan pilot will be presented and discussed at an IPC Nutrition Working Group meeting later this year, where the IPC Acute Malnutrition Classification tool will be finalized.