9-Feb-14 1 Food Security assessment and the link with nutrition Module 9.

Apr 10, 2023 1

Food Security assessment and the link with

nutrition

Module 9

Apr 10, 2023 2

Learning Objectives

• Be familiar with the concept of food security

• Understand basic principles of a food security assessment

Underlying causes

Immediate causes

Basic causesFormal and informal infrastructure/

political ideology/resources

Inadequate food intake

Poor PublicHealth

Household food

insecurity

Disease

Undernutrition

Poor social and care practices

Source: UNICEF conceptual framework

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I am food secure because...

….Complete this sentence….

Definition of food security

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A person, household or community, nation or region is food secure when all members at all times have physical and economic access to buy, produce, obtain or consume sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for a healthy and active life.

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What does this mean in practice?

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Three pillars of food security

• Availability of food

food production, food imports, etc

• Access to food

household food production and reserves,

family income, solidarity mechanisms,

barter, etc

• Utilization of food

health situation (diarrhoea, malaria,

AIDS), food storage and cooking

practices, fuel, age related needs, etc

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Three pillars of food security• Availability of food

food production, food imports, etc

• Access to food

household food production and reserves,

family income, solidarity mechanisms,

barter, etc

• Utilization of food

health situation (diarrhoea, malaria, AIDS),

food storage and cooking practices, fuel, age

related needs, etc

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Link the following situations with availability/access/utilisation of food

• A severe drought can reduce a harvest or kill livestock. 

• Pipeline break in food assistance 

• High market prices of important food products   

• Shortage of seeds or fertilisers  

• Lack of nutritional knowledge causes people to have an inadequate diet or cause extensive vitamin loss during preparation.

• A broken bridge can hamper access to food or trade markets.  • Some strong cultural beliefs prevent people from eating certain healthy food products    

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Link the following situations with availability/access/utilisation of food

• High medical fees can reduce household budget for food.       

• Unsafe drinking water can cause chronic diarrhoea and result in decreased absorption of nutrients.

 • Conflict can ruin a social welfare system or reduce charity  

 • A locust infestation can diminish food stocks or ruin harvests

• High number of people unemployed  

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Important elements in Food Security assessments

• Livelihood

• Vulnerability

• Coping strategies

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A livelihood is a… “way of making a

living”

• In the food security context it means people, their capabilities, their assets, their income and the activities they require in order to make a living.

• Food security can be an outcome of a livelihood oriented programme

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Vulnerability

A household’s vulnerability is determined by its ability to cope with:

• risks and shocks, such as drought, flooding,• adverse government policies, conflict, and the HIV/AIDS

crisis.

The magnitude, duration and timing of the shock areimportant factors.

In order to minimize the impact of such shocks and maintainadequate food access, households and communities employcoping strategies.

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Coping strategies are activities people use as a means ofgetting through difficult times, brought on by eventsaffecting their livelihood and way of living.

When you assess Food Security you look at the differentcoping strategies of communities and households. Who is using what kind of coping strategy, and how well is itworking?

Are coping strategies always ‘abnormal’ or damaging?

Coping strategies

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Why would information on

Food Security be important when

you work in nutrition?

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Importance of Food Security Assessment

Results might be able to

- Explain the current nutrition situation- Predict worsening or improvement of

nutrition situation - Direct you to the most effective

intervention to address malnutrition

Underlying causes

Immediate causes

Basic causesFormal and informal infrastructure/

political ideology/resources

Inadequate food intake

Poor PublicHealth

Household food

insecurity

Disease

Undernutrition

Poor social and care practices

Source: UNICEF conceptual framework

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Example:

What has the rise in unemployment in an area to do with nutrition

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Food security assessments

Might be conducted: • as part of early warning and surveillance

systems, for emergency preparedness or monitoring;

• to identify the main constraints that prevent households from meeting their food and other needs; and

• as part of studies to understand the causes of malnutrition. (These situations are not mutually exclusive and may therefore overlap)

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Food security assessments

Most emergency food security assessments have one or more of these objectives:

• Estimation of the severity of food insecurity• Projection of future food insecurity• Identification of groups that are more

affected by or vulnerable to food insecurity • Identification of appropriate interventions to

improve households’ access to food

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Depending on objectives, some of following questions need to be answered

■ How do people make their living?■ How do people meet their food needs?■ What resources do they have?■ Who accesses these resources over time?■ How does a normal situation compare to a crisis?■ Can people manage without assistance from

the Government/NGOs/United Nations/Red Cross/Crescent?

■ If not, how can the humanitarian community support coping strategies?

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• There is no standard method for assessing food security in emergencies and different agencies have developed approaches that suit their individual needs.

• The various approaches to food security assessment have some similarities and some differences.

• While there is no single ‘best’ way to conduct food security assessments in emergencies, certain elements from the approaches used by different agencies can be used.

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In all cases,

any attempt should be made to

combine nutrition assessment with food security information,

as the first one is likely to be explained, at least partially, by the second.

*

Key messages• Food security means access by all people, at all times, to sufficient, safe

and nutritious food for a healthy and active life. • Food insecurity is just one of the underlying causes of undernutrition. • Access to food is often disrupted during emergencies. It is therefore vital to

understand how households access food to plan appropriate interventions to protect food security and ultimately nutritional status.

• Food security assessments might be conducted: (i) as part of early warning and surveillance systems, for emergency preparedness or monitoring; (ii) to identify the main constraints that prevent households from meeting their food and other needs ; and (iii) as part of studies to understand the causes of malnutrition.

• Food security cannot be measured through a single indicator so multiple measures have to be used and analysed together.

• There is no standard method for assessing food security in emergencies. But certain elements from the approaches used by different agencies can be taken to form a ‘hybrid’ suitable for a particular working context, as long as technical and analytical rigour is maintained.

• Including nutrition information in a food security assessment (and vice versa) improves the quality of the results and helps to ensure an appropriate response.