FAO's Work on Household Food Security and Nutrition in Emergencies

FAO is currently re-assessing its role in emergencies. This process started last year following an evaluation of some selected FAO emergency interventions and projects. A manual, presenting the inventory of the various programme, polices and activities in place, within the different divisions in FAO, is presently being prepared. The draft version provides information on the scope of FAO technical expertise in different sectors including, early warning, mitigation, relief, rehabilitation, reconstruction, and development. However, the nutrition division in FAO is considering other emergency related activities into which FAO might expand.

As part of this the nutrition division is currently focusing attention on ways of integrating household food security and nutrition considerations into agricultural relief and rehabilitation activities from the start of such programmes. The nutrition division is in the process of producing guidelines, wwhich will consider household food security and nutrition aspects in the various stages before, during and after a disaster. The main objectives of these guidelines are to increase awareness among nutritionists and other professionals, who are involved in developing agricultural/rural and rehabilitation programmes, about which are the most vulnerable population groups in a given region following a disaster, how they can be assessed, what is the impact of food insecurity on opportunities for people to re-establish their livelihoods, what is the role of nutritional status as an indicator of household food insecurity, etc. The guidelines should provide a practical tool to be used in assessment and planing to facilitate the identification and development of appropriate agricultural relief and rehabilitation interventions/programmes, supporting household food security and nutritional improvement.

In addition to this work FAO nutritionist are increasingly participating in WFP/FAO Crop and Food Supply Missions, particularly in the Great lakes region.

For further information, or if you have any suggestions as to the content and/or format of the proposed guidelines, please contact: Ellen.Muehlhoff@fao.org Florence.Egal@fao.org Marion.Herens@fao.org (until 30th September) Veronica.Tuffrey@fao.org (until 30th September)