By Jaya Ramachandaran
The Sahel and West Africa face a major food and nutrition crisis for the second year in a row, and experts say 27.1 million people will be at risk in the lean season of 2021. A swift and coordinated response was needed, along with increased political commitment to more sustainable ways of dealing with recurring crises and the growing need for food aid across the region.
A restricted meeting, held on April 8th and 9th under the auspices of the Commissions of the Economic Community of West African Nations, brought together key food security actors in the region, including ministers and other government officials, senior officials from regional organizations. Civil society and private sector representatives, technical and financial partners.
The Intergovernmental Standing Committee on Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS) and the Club Secretariat for the Sahel and West Africa (SWAC / OECD) organized the meeting.
At the limited video conference meeting, which was attended by around 200 participants, the members of the Food Crisis Prevention Network (RPCA) confirmed the final results of the agro-pastoral campaign 2020-21 and discussed the food and nutrition situation.
They reviewed the response plans for the food and nutrition crisis in the region this year. They discussed the key findings of the pilot exercise conducted by the government of Burkina Faso to assess their leadership capacity in managing food and nutrition security.
They also addressed the theme of the 37th Annual RPCA, the progress of civil society oversight committees, and preparatory work for the United Nations Food Systems Summit scheduled for September.
The meeting concluded that the 2020-21 agro-pastoral campaign was overall good, despite disruptions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as some localized dry spots and floods. Total grain production reached 74.3 million tons, an increase of 9% over the five-year average and an increase of 0.6% over the previous campaign.
The average per capita production (175 kg) increased by 1% compared to the five-year average. However, in Côte d’Ivoire and Guinea, grain production has decreased by 8% compared to the previous campaign. Tuber production, estimated at 194.9 million tons, increased 11.6% from the five-year average.
Pastoralists have plenty of pastures and water, but access to these resources remains severely limited in many conflict-affected areas. Similarly, public health measures related to COVID-19 continue to disrupt and block cross-border migratory movements, impacting the livelihoods of ranchers and others in the pastoral economy. Almost 57,000 ranchers with around 1.5 million cattle were blocked in January 2021.
Factors Worsening the Food Crisis
The members of the RCPA network highlighted the following factors that are exacerbating the food crisis and requiring increased surveillance:
- The security crisis leading to a large influx of internally displaced people and unsustainable increases in food and humanitarian aid; Burkina Faso and Nigeria are home to 1.1 and 2 million internally displaced persons, respectively.
- The effects of COVID-19 have undermined the livelihoods of vulnerable populations, especially those who work in the informal sector. Tackling both the pandemic and the security crisis is putting a strain on national budgets, limiting their ability to respond to food emergencies, and further limiting their ability to address root causes of food insecurity.
- Persistent inflation in several countries (Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone). The intertwined effects of inflation, the security crisis and the health crisis are driving food prices up – more than 40% above the five-year average in Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone – and making it difficult for vulnerable households to afford food.
The network found that for the second year running, the region is facing an unprecedented food and nutrition crisis. Cadre harmonisé analysis shows that 19.6 million people, including 9.2 million in Nigeria, are currently in dire need of food and nutrition assistance. From June to August 2021, the number of people with acute food insecurity can reach 27.1 million, including 12.8 million in Nigeria, if appropriate measures are not taken.
Another 51 million people are currently under pressure (phase 2) and could get into a crisis situation. That number can reach 67 million during the lean season. In 2020, more than 1.5 million malnourished children aged 6 to 59 months were admitted to recovery centers.
The general nutritional situation could deteriorate further in 2021 as the security crisis persists and health centers and schools close and children are deprived of school meals. In the face of this food emergency, the RPCA calls for a swift and coordinated response from all parties involved.
Worrying spread of the food crisis
In particular, it was recommended that ECOWAS, UEMOA and CILSS work together to activate regional solidarity mechanisms as soon as possible to address food crises and support the work of their member states, as was the case in 2020.
The network highlighted the worrying spread of food crises in the region. The Liptako-Gourma region, the Lake Chad Basin and northern Nigeria are still acute hotspots for food insecurity, which are largely fueled by the security crisis.
In addition, the countries of the Gulf of Guinea (Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone) have experienced food emergencies over the past three years. In these countries, the crises are mainly caused by inflation and economic shocks, which could affect around 0.68, 0.94 and 1.8 million people, respectively, in the lean season of 2021.
It is the second year in a row that Sierra Leone has reported more than 1 million people with acute food insecurity. Therefore, the RPCA reiterates its April 2020 recommendation to ECOWAS on the critical need to work with relevant countries to implement robust mitigation measures and help vulnerable households become more resilient so they can cope with the effects of inflation.
The network calls on all stakeholders to change paradigms and increase political support for more sustainable approaches to tackling the root causes of chronic food insecurity.
To this end, it reiterates the appeal of the 35th annual RPCA meeting and calls on governments, with the support of regional organizations (ECOWAS, UEMOA, CILSS) and partners, to fundamentally change their investment priorities in order to support the development of more sustainable development and resilient local food systems and improving the livelihoods and resilience of the most vulnerable.
Building on Mali’s achievements in building resilience, SEG / AGIR members are reminding governments and all stakeholders to make more structural and long-term investments to build resilience among the most vulnerable. This is the best option to tackle the root causes of hunger and malnutrition and break the vicious cycle of recurring food crises.
To do this, the region’s food systems need further support. RPCA members urge ECOWAS, UEMOA and CILSS to seize the opportunity of the UN Summit on Food Systems to promote a shared vision of the Sahel and West Africa on food issues. You encourage these organizations to set up an inclusive technical working group on the subject.
They also welcome the proposal by the Sahel and West Africa Club to hold a meeting with its members in late May. This meeting as well as the topic “Maps & Facts” of the SWAC Secretariat on transformations of the food system give the working group food for thought and help it to formulate a regional vision.
At the end of their discussions, the members of the network agreed to hold the 37th RPCA annual meeting on December 6th and 7th, 2021 with the general topic “Women, conflict and food and nutrition issues”. In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, discussions will be held in the first half of 2021 to agree on the arrangements for holding the meeting (with virtual and / or physical participation) and, if necessary, the choice of a host country.