WUNRN
Women & Girls - Food Crisis
- Hunger - Malnutrition - Food Production - Poverty +
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THE STATE OF FOOD INSECURITY IN THE
WORLD:
ADDRESSING FOOD INSECURITY IN
PROTRACTED CRISES
Direct Link to Full 62-Page FAO-WFP
Report:
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Women
are the world's primary food producers, yet cultural traditions and social
structures often mean women are much more affected by hunger and poverty than
men.
Women produce between 60 and 80 percent of the food in most developing countries and are responsible for half of the world's food production, yet their key role as food producers and providers and their critical contribution to household food security is only now becoming recognized.
FAO studies confirm that while women are the mainstay of small-scale agriculture, farm labour force and day-to-day family subsistence, they have more difficulties than men in gaining access to resources such as land and credit and productivity enhancing inputs and services.
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THE STATE OF FOOD INSECURITY IN THE
WORLD:
ADDRESSING FOOD INSECURITY IN
PROTRACTED CRISES
Following
more than a decade of seemingly inexorable increases in the number of
undernourished people, estimates for 2010 presented in this edition of The
State of Food Insecurity in the World show a slight glimmer of hope, with the
first fall since 1995. But that still leaves nearly a billion people going
hungry, and it is too early to know if this is the beginning of a downward
trend or merely a momentary dip in the number of undernourished.
This year, The State of Food Insecurity in the World focuses on a particular group of countries, countries in protracted crisis, where levels of undernourishment are estimated to be at almost 40 percent. It examines the difficulties faced in trying to turn around the situation in such countries, not least the difficulty of moving beyond the mindset of humanitarian intervention towards a broader-based development agenda.
The report highlights actions that can be taken to rationalize the way protracted crises are handled. These include more holistic assessment of the crisis itself, including a deeper understanding of the drivers of crises; building on local community responses and institutions; introducing or supporting social protection mechanisms such as food-based safety nets; and moving from food aid to a broader-based food assistance approach.
The final section of the report provides recommendations on ways to improve engagement with countries in protracted crisis. These focus on improving the analysis and understanding of protracted crises; supporting the protection, promotion and rebuilding of livelihoods and the institutions that support and enable livelihoods; and changing the architecture of external intervention in protracted crises to match the reality on the ground.
As this edition of The State of Food Insecurity in the World shows, there
are many challenges facing countries in protracted crisis. But they are not
insurmountable – there is hope. Through improved understanding of the nature of
protracted crisis comes the ability to respond more effectively. Lessons from
the experience of many countries show that with careful attention to
livelihoods, strengthening longer-term assistance to existing local
institutions, investing in social protection mechanisms and transitioning from
food aid to food assistance are all powerful and fundamental tools for
addressing the root causes of protracted crises. This report illustrates that
there are many positive experiences to learn from through which to better
address the multiplicity of issues, including that of extremely high
undernourishment, in countries in protracted crisis.
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