1. 1 EMERGENCY FOOD SECURITY & NUTRITION PROBLEMS 2.3 Weighing a child using the Salter scale

2. 2 Problem 1: Undernutrition can become epidemic in displaced populations, when normal access to food is cut off and rates of infectious disease rapidly increase. UNHCR photo, L. Taylor, Upper Lofa Country Liberia, 1993 First, let’s look at the nutrition problems…

3. 9/22/20153 A vicious cycle Measles Diarrhea Pneumonia Malaria Lowered Resistance Poor Appetite Infection High energy Utilization Malnutrition

4. 9/22/20154 Problem 2: The underlying causes of malnutrition in the affected population are not understood or addressed. UN photograph, Operation Lifeline Sudan, August 1998

5. Conceptual framework of the causes of undernutrition Shocks, trends, seasonality, social, economic, cultural, and political environment BASIC CAUSES UNDERLYING CAUSES IMMEDIATE CAUSES Insufficient livelihood assets Poor livelihood, Poverty Household food insecurity Inadequate maternal intake, poor feeding practices Unhealthy household, poor health services Short term consequences Long term consequences: abilities, size, disease Maternal & child undernutrition Inadequate dietary intake Disease See page 146

6. 9/22/20156 Problem 3: Standardized food baskets are not nutritionally adequate for everyone UN photo, Roghani Refugee Camp, Afghan/Pakistan border, December - 2001

7. 9/22/20157 nutritionInterWorks/UNHCR Daily Energy Requirements AVERAGE DAILY REQUIREMENT: 2100 Kcal/person/day Based on WHO technical Report No. 724 and UN Pop. Data, mid 1995

8. 9/22/20158 Problem 4: It is difficult to determine and administer the starting and stopping of selective feeding programs for the severely malnourished WFP photo /Ramin Rafirasme - Sierra Leone - Makeni nutritional/ therapeutic centre.

9. 9/22/20159 Problem 5: Normally diverse food sources are replaced by standard rations resulting in severe micronutrient deficiencies, even when overall calorie requirements are met. signs of SCURVY www.echt.chm.msu.edu www.healthcentral.com

10. 9/22/201510 Photo: P. Delchevalerie http://www.ennonline.net/fex/10/fa12.html Signs of pellagra… Cassal's necklace

11. 9/22/201511 Problem 6: Food types provided through international mechanisms often do not match customary foods, and so may be traded at a loss, or wasted.

12. 9/22/201512 Problem 7: It is often difficult to conduct a credible nutrition survey upon which to design suplementary feeding programmes. UNHCR photo

13. (more) problems in food security and food transfer programs Guardian photo

14. Problem 8 Poor accountability and control Ethnic Albanian refugees reach for a loaf of bread being distributed in the center of Kukes, Albania. - Washington Post photo

15. Problem 9 Families cannot attain self-sufficiency

16. A Food Aid Problem 20,000 people have collected in a drought-induced IDP camp in Domistan. Most of these are small rural farmers who have migrated to the outskirts of this large city seeking work and food. Several NGOs have been providing food and shelter here for the last two years. The drought is in its third year, but there are heavy snows now and the new crop in the Spring may be quite good, if people can plant wheat. These people have no other access to food for the next 5 months Local market prices for wheat are low, and the markets are full of internationally donated wheat. The IDPs have consumed all of their livestock and funds. Many are deeply in debt to family members. Outline a basic Food Aid program for this group for one year. Donors have decided to jointly fund only one consolidated program for the next year.

17. Your flip chart should look something like this…... Food Aid Proposal by Us 1. Goal: Blah blah blah 2. Assumptions: Yadda, yadda, yadda, etc. 3. Activities 3.1…………... 3.2…………... 3.3……………. 3.4……………... 4: Inputs 4.1……………. 4.2…………... 4.3………………..

18. Problem 10 Loss, waste, and spoilage FAO photo

19. Problem 11 Poor (or no) targeting to specific need www.un.org/av/photo/subjects/images/187724.jpg

20. For the 20,000 famine- affected IDPs from the last problem… What specific targeting within this community might be required? How would you determine this?

21. Problem 12 Difficult logistics for delivery

22. Problem 13 Food distribution can destabilize local farmers, markets, and relationships - reducing longer-term food security FAO photo

23. Problem 14 No “control” over distributed items IRC photo, Jalazai Refugee Camp, 2001

24. Distribution Pros and Cons - Fill in the Chart….. Distribute Food to: Heads of families Group or social leaders Individuals Primary School students Workers PROS CONS

25. Problem 15 The most at risk do not receive distributed food FAO photo

26. 9/22/201526 CONCLUSIONS ON NUTRITION Nutrition and malnutrition are fields based on, and requiring, trained professional nutritionists Even so, avoiding serious malnutrition,is based on and requires meeting basic standards of service in many other sectors, such as water, sanitation, health, and shelter. While this information does not make you professional nutritionists, it does raise your ability to better understand the inter-related nature of nutrition/malnutrition and the other service support sectors

27. CONCLUSIONS ON FOOD TRANSFER PROBLEMS Logistics form a primary part of food aid programs, but even good logistics cannot overcome poor targeting and distribution, which may be even more difficult to solve Distribution systems must be seen to be equitable, and still be prioritized to those most in need Food transfer should be done in ways that harm local capacities and economic structures the least.