Africa Food and Financial Crisis
Food for the Hungry’s Response
Food for the Hungry
236 Massachusetts Ave. NE
Washington, D.C. 20002
202-547-0560



Food for the Hungry (FH) is a Christian
relief and development organization that
was founded in 1971.
FH works alongside the poor who are
suffering from injustice and poverty to help
them reach their full, God-given potential.
Our work primarily focuses on facilitating
sustainable development and providing
emergency relief to those in need.
Funding
FH receives funding from USAID, the
State Department, USDA, OFDA,
CIDA, UN-OCHA, private donors and
FH national offices.
 FH has over twenty years of Title II
program experience and currently
implements Title II-funded food
security programs in four countries.

Geographic Locations
Asia
Bangladesh, China,
Cambodia, India,
Indonesia, Laos,
Myanmar, Philippines
Africa
Burundi, DRC.
Ethiopia, Kenya,
Mozambique, Rwanda,
Sudan, Uganda
Latin Am. & Caribbean
Bolivia, Dominican Republic,
Guatemala, Haiti, Nicaragua,
Peru
Food Crisis




If you were to discuss the
sudden advent of the food
crisis with an African farmer
her response might be a
puzzled look,
Or the comment, “so what’s
new?”
Unfortunately this situation is
the status quo of the
chronically food insecure in
Africa.
Unless long term, sustainable
action takes place the food
crisis that many African
families face will continue long
after the media has forgotten
“The Food Crisis”
Food Security


FH feels the best way out of the Food Crisis will
be through long term development that results
in sustainable food security.
Food security depends on at least four major
factors
1.
2.
3.
4.

Risk Reduction
Availability of food
Access to food
Proper Utilization of food
There will be no quick fixes to food insecurity
and we need to address all these issues to deal
with the current crisis.
Disaster Risk Reduction

Ethiopia: using the Productive
Safety Net to reduce risks associated
with soil degradation and loss of land
through:
• Gully reclamation
• Terracing
• Tree planting

Kenya: Reducing conflict through
peace committees
Short – Term Mitigation in northern Kenya





The food crisis has severely affected HHs in
northern Kenya.
Even in good years, the pastoralists and agropastoralists of this region suffer from chronic
food insecurity.
The average pastoralist family funds the purchase
of 65% of their food from the sale of their
livestock.
Because of growing food insecurity and drought a
significant number of these pastoralists have
become destitute after losing most of their
livestock.
They have left their traditional livelihood and are
referred to as ‘pastoral dropouts’.
FH’s mitigation program in northern Kenya


1.
2.
3.
The short term response to this situation includes cash
for work for the most vulnerable.
The goals of the cash for work program are:
short-term mitigation to address immediate food needs
and protect lives and livelihoods
Reduction of risk by creating and/or strengthening
productive community assets that will benefit long term
market development and linkages.
Cash for work outcomes include market infrastructure
development, improved access to water resources,
increased fodder availability, and improved natural
resource management.
Challenges




Many have “written-off” the pastorialist livelihood
in northern Kenya as unsustainable.
However recently a major change in thinking has
occurred and the GoK and others are renewing
their commitment to supporting the pastorialist’s
way of life.
Long-term solutions are needed but will be
difficult to bring about.
FH is working with pastorialist communities to
promote market development and animal
production through sustainable NRM.
Improved Access and
Availability
Northern Ethiopia


The vast majority
of households in
northern Ethiopia
rely on farming for
their livelihoods.
Crop productivity is
declining due to
soil erosion, over
use of the land and
soil infertility.
Climatic Change


Rainfall patterns are
becoming less and
less reliable. Neither
the start of the rains
nor their length can
be predicted.
Consequently, long
season highland crops
such as wheat and
barley are becoming
more risky to plant.
Potatoes – part of the solution



Farmers are turning to
another traditional crop, the
potato
Potatoes mature faster than
cereal crops and therefore
can avoid problems
associated with the changing
rainfall patterns.
However traditional potato
varieties are low yielding
and are not resistant to the
late blight.
Cooperating with local research centers


FH is working closely
with Ethiopian
research institutions
to promote high
yielding varieties of
potatoes.
These varieties are
resistant to late blight
and yield up to 3
times more than
traditional varieties.
Local Success



Last year, approximately 105
tons of these improved
potatoes where produced by
local farmers and were sold
and distributed in the local
community.
They continue to be multiplied
throughout the area and are
greatly increasing local potato
production.
This production is being used
locally to improve diets and
the potatoes are also being
sold in local markets to
generate income.
Challenges




Value chains that reach beyond the local
community need to be strengthen and developed
for these improved potato varieties.
Limited availability of the certified potato seeds is
restricting the proper functioning of the value
chain.
FH is working with the MoA, research centers,
local farmers and wholesalers to produce and
market larger quantities of these varieties.
More work needs to be done to make the value
chain a “well oiled machine”.
Challenges, continued…



Connecting the isolated
rural markets to markets
with greater opportunities
is difficult due to poor
roads and access.
Local research capacity
seems adequate and
excellent varieties are
being generated.
However, the MoA’s
extension system is under
funded and ineffective.
Improved Food Utilization
through Behaviour Change
- using available food and
resources more effectively
FH uses Formative Research to design
Behavior Change programs




Food utilization can be greatly improved with a
few simple but key behavior changes.
FH conducts local – formative research to
determine which key behaviors need to change
and therefore should be promoted.
The research also determines what barriers
keep people from adapting these key behaviors.
We then design our program to promote these
key behaviors and address the barriers to
behavior change.
Some Common Nutrition and Hygiene Behaviors that
improve food security, utilization & reduce malnutrition




Mothers washing their hands with soap at
appropriate times.
Giving all children ORS when they have diarrhea.
Women breastfeeding their newborns within one
hour of birth and exclusively breastfeeding them
for 6 months after birth.
Families providing the right foods to children
when they turn 6 months old.
Key Behaviors are then promoted
through Care Groups
Each Promoter serves 10
groups of 10 Leader Mothers
(totaling 100 Leader Mothers)
About 15 Promoters
in Each District
Promoter #2
10 Leader Mothers
Each Leader Mother
serves 10 mothers and
their families
10 Leader Mothers
Promtor #1
Promoter #3
10 Leader Mothers
Promoter #6
Promoter #4
Promtor #5
Promoter #7
10 families
10 Leader Mothers
10 families
Promoter #10
10 Leader Mothers
Promoter #9
Promoter #11
10 Leader Mothers
Promoter #12
Promoter #14
10 Leader Mothers
Promoter #13
Promoter #15
10 families
10 Leader Mothers
10 Leader Mothers
Promoter #8
10 families
10 Leader Mothers
10 families
10 families
10 families
10 families
10 families
10 families
What happens during Care
Group meetings?




Social networks are formed to
support behavior change.
Members report illnesses and
discuss how to deal with them.
Members report on their progress
in health promotion & troubleshoot
The week’s hygiene and nutrition
messages are presented by
posters, songs, dramas, or games.
Care Group – Behavior Change Communication Results
Fewer Malnourished Children (Decreased by 42% in 2.5 years)
40.4
15.6
Challenges with the program




The Promoter is very important to the
program. There may be a lack of communitylevel MOH staff to assume role of Promoter at
end of project.
(However, we have found that many Leader
Mothers still do HH outreach after phase-out).
The program requires a commitment to
gathering and using formative research data.
The program requires a mindset shift from
“education” to promoting behavior change.
Summary of FH actions
Short-term mitigation
 We address emergency food access needs
through cash for work and food for work activities
Medium and long term activities
 We address risk through Disaster Risk Reduction
activities such as safety nets.
 We promote Improved utilization, availability and
access through sustainable change.
 We target root causes to avoid future crises (or
at least reduce the severity/frequency)
Thank you