A cross section of the IPC workshop

Food security stakeholders from across the country are meeting in Zanzibar to strategize the roll-out of the Chronic Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) roll-out in Tanzania. 

Speaking at the opening of the workshop the Assistant Director, National Food Security Division in the Ministry of Agriculture (Mainland), Ombaeli Obadiah Lemweli, said that the aim of the meeting was to forge a strategy for assessing the food security in the country.

“The objective of our meeting is to empower the stakeholders before they set to the field where they will assess the chronic drivers of food insecurity that contribute to malnutrition in the United Republic of Tanzania,” he said.

IPC and its importance

Explaining Mr. Lemweli said that IPC is a set standardized tools and procedures for classifying the severity of food insecurity situations for evidence-based strategic decision-making by providing information on the situation, most affected geographical areas and populations, duration, timeframe and driving factors.

According to him, since adoption in 2008 Tanzania has been applying the IPC acute approach which mainly focused on the short term solutions to food insecurity that has been experienced in some parts of the country on certain occasions.

“Response interventions mostly emphasized on short-term humanitarian needs which didn’t address the underlying causes of food insecurity hence the need for IPC chronic roll out. This will bring about medium and long term interventions that could lay a foundation for a lasting solution to food insecurity in the country,” he pointed out.

Zanzibar food security situation  

On her part, the Director of Food Security Department in the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources, Livestock and Fisheries of Zanzibar, Mansura Mosi Kassim, said that one of the major causes of food insecurity in the isles was high food prices that make it difficult for some sections in the society to afford.

“Though we don’t have a serious food insecurity problem but high food prices and some dietary behaviours greatly contribute to food insecurity and malnutrition in some communities,” she said.

FAO’s involvement and support

Speaking at the occasion, Assistant Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) responsible for programmes, Charles Tulahi, said that the Organization attached much emphasis on food security and good nutrition as that provided a basis for a healthy nation.

 “FAO together with the Government and other partners is now running a one year project to assess the chronic drivers of food insecurity contributing to malnutrition in the country and therefore enable the country to achieving Sustainable Development Goals related to food security and nutrition,” he said adding: “FAO would like to reassures continued support and collaboration with the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania and other partners in the undertaking of the acute and chronic food insecurity assessments and subsequent actions.” 

The project “Assessment of the chronic drivers of food insecurity that contribute to chronic malnutrition in the United Republic of Tanzania” aims to contribute to the eradication of hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition in the country by improving capacity of governments and other stakeholders to enhance the adequacy, efficiency and effectiveness of public resource allocation and use for food security and nutrition.

It also aims to improve capacities of governments and stakeholders for strategic coordination across sectors and stakeholders for food security and nutrition; and also to monitor trends and analyze the contribution of sectors and stakeholders to food security and nutrition.

It is implemented under the technical support of FAO in collaboration with the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania and other partners including World Food Programme, Oxfam and Save the Children with financial support from the European Union, United Kingdom Government and USAID