Food security analysis workshop #gambia

The Ministries of Agriculture, Trade and Water
Resources, in partnership with the World Food
Programme, Food and Agricultural Organization,
among others, recently held a five-day workshop
on joint food security analysis at the Baobab
Resort Hotel.
The workshop was meant to analyse the current
and projected food security conditions of The
Gambia through the joint Permanent Interstate
Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel
(CILLS), FAO, WFP, Famine Early Warning
System Network (FEWS NET) and NGOs
Harmonized Framework. Abdoulie Danso, the
deputy permanent secretary at the Ministry of
Agriculture disclosed that the platform was to
give experts food security, vulnerability, market
and nutrition backgrounds, with the view of
analysing the food security situation in The
Gambia using the Joint Harmonized Framework.
"It is worth noting that CILSS has registered 40
years of existence and has been supportive of
member countries' development initiatives in all
areas of development most particularly in the
area of food security," Danso reminded.
Therefore, he informed, CILSS in collaboration
with its partners such as USAID, EU, Canada and
French Development Agency and member
countries, has developed a common tool to
analyse food security and provide information.
The Harmonized tool has been developed in a
process of research-action in 15 countries in
collaboration with national stakeholders and
actors of the CILSS member countries and other
coastal countries of West Africa. The
development of the Framework was based on
inclusive participation, consensus, transparency
and coordination and synergy that allows for
analyzing food and nutritional security of the
countries.
The DPS of Agriculture affirmed that the results
achieved during the implementation process of
the HF in the Sahel and West Africa can be
summarised to improving the overall analytical
framework of national and regional devices for
the prevention and management of food crises
by taking into account the different indicators of
the results of food security and the inference of
contributing factors.
"The HF has also supported in improving the
understanding of concepts, estimation process of
vulnerable populations and strengthening the
framework for synergy between local actors in
different countries and at regional level for more
efficient management of food crises," he added.
Danso further revealed that The Gambia, being a
signatory to this body, has since been benefiting
from all its development programmes. In view of
their commitment to ensure food security for the
citizenry, governments in West Africa have given
priority to this programme. "In line with this
programme, The Gambia Government under the
leadership of the president, Sheikh Professor
Alhaji Dr Yahya Jammeh, has echoed food
security as a key development agenda and has
promoted policies and programmes that are
responsive to regional, sub-regional, national and
local food security dimensions," he noted. The
DPS went on: "I am convinced that this [forum]
has a membership that is multidisciplinary, as this
workshop requires proper analysis of data from
all institutions here present to allow The Gambia
integrate well into regional as well as sub-regional
food security endeavors". Danso then asserted
that since 1984 countries have been experiencing
food insecurity as a result of poor harvests or
insufficient incomes, preventing populations from
accessing adequate food. This situation, he noted,
was translated into a change in policy. He noted
that people used to talk about cereal food self-
sufficiency, but that, now it is more about food
security, access to markets, utilization and above
all, poverty control and better access of
populations to food. In many Sahelian countries
including The Gambia, he went on, several
strategies are developed by the population in
order to satisfy their food needs. As regards to
decision makers, he went on, this is translated
into a change in information needs. Therefore the
outcome of this workshop, according to him, will
ensure that The Gambia, like all other CILSS
member states, is provided with adequate food
security information analysis to enhance good
governance of food security for its population.
Salifu Sowe, the regional food security technical
advisor of CILSS, reiterated that the workshop
was about analyzing food security across the
country to come up with a good food security
map. He further disclosed within two weeks they
would have a regional map showing where they
have major food insecurity across all West
African countries.
Sowe told the participants that over the years,
countries have been using different methods and
tools to analyse food security, noting that the
forum would be a follow-up to the training CILSS
had provided in August.