1. The State of Food Insecurity in the World
Addressing food insecurity in protracted crises
Economic and Social Development Department Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Rome, October 2010

2. Some basic terms and definitions
Food security: exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food
Undernourishment: describes the status of persons whose food intake regularly provides less than their minimum energy requirements
Hunger targets: are outlined in two main agreements – the World Food Summit Target and the Millennium Development Goals

3. Trends in world hunger

4. Global hunger declining, but still unacceptably high
The number of undernourished people in the world is expected to decline in 2010 but it is still higher than before the economic and food price crises.
The decline is due to:
- increased economic growth
-the fall in international food prices since 2008

5. Where do the hungry live?

6. The designations employed and the presentation of material in the map(s) do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of FAO concerning the legal or constitutional status of any country, territory or sea area, or concerning the delimitation of frontiers.

7. Protracted crises: a special case

8. Characteristics of protracted crisis include:
Duration or longevity of the crisis
Conflict
Weak governance
Unsustainable livelihood systems and poor food security outcomes
Breakdown of local institutions
The definition of a protracted crisis is somewhat fluid: no single characteristic identifies a protracted crisis and the absence of one or more of the characteristics outlined does not necessarily mean that a country or region is not in a protracted crisis. This years The State of Food Insecurity in the World: Addressing Food Insecurity in Protracted Crises uses three measurable criteria to determine whether or not a country is in a protracted crisis:
1) The longevity of the crisis: This is based on the number of years a country has reported a crisis--whether a natural disaster, a human-induced crisis or disaster, or a combination of the two--that required external assistance. This information is collated annually for all UN member states by the FAO Global Information and Early Warning System (GIEWS). A country is considered to be in protracted crisis if it appears on the GIEWS list for eight years or more between 2001 and 2010, to capture more recent
crises or 12 years or more between 1996 and 2010.
2) Aid flows: The second defining criterion is the proportion of humanitarian assistance received by the country as a share of total assistance. Countries are defined as being in protracted crisis if they have received 10 percent or more of their official development assistance (ODA) as humanitarian aid since 2000.
3) Economic and food security status: The final defining criterion is that countries in protracted crisis appear on FAO’s list of low-income food-deficit countries (LIFDCs).

10. Food security outcomes in protracted crises
Approximately 166 million undernourished people in countries in protracted crisis
Roughly 20 percent of the world’s undernourished people live in countries in protracted crisis, or more than a third of the global total if China and India are excluded
Not all countries in protracted crisis have very high levels of undernourishment; in some countries crises are localized to certain areas or regions

11. Towards ensuring food security in protracted crises: recommended actions
Improving analysis and understanding
Donors and agencies must invest more in analysis, impact assessment and lessons learned in protracted crisis situations
Response analysis must be improved, building capacities in both production and use of better informed analysis of options for assistance
Information systems should be strengthened and expanded
Improving support to livelihoods for food security
Governments, donors and agencies should better link responses that address both short- and longer-term needs
Support for livelihoods must build on existing capacity and should strengthen positive livelihood adaptations
Efforts should focus on helping to rebuild and/or promote local institutions that support livelihoods
Reforming the "architecture" of assistance
A High-Level Forum should be organized to develop an Agenda for Action for tackling food insecurity in protracted crises
Donor planning should emphasize predictability for prevention, early action and long-term solutions
Modalities of assistance should move beyond the traditional categories of "relief" and "development" to a more diversified approach

12. For more information The State of Food Insecurity in the World
The international reference on global hunger issues
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