FAO Regional Conference for the Near EastThirty-Second Session 24 – 28 February 2014, Rome, Italy Yemen – Impact of the protracted crisis on food and nutrition security and the role of agriculture in creating sustainable livelihoods and supporting peace-building ©www.fao.org

1. FAO Regional Conference for the Near
East
Thirty-Second Session
24 – 28 February 2014, Rome, Italy
Yemen – Impact of the protracted crisis on
food and nutrition security and the role of
agriculture in creating sustainable livelihoods
and supporting peace-building
NERC-32
For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region

2. Crisis in Yemen – Simultaneous shocks
•
Conflicts and civil strife
•
Natural disasters
•
Water scarcity
•
Volatile food and
commodity prices
•
Transboundary threats
Shrinking coping mechanisms and resilience
NERC-32
For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region

3. Food security situation
1 out of
2 people
do not have
enough
food to eat
NERC-32
For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region

4. Integrated Food Security Phase Classification
Yemen Current Acute Food Insecurity Situation Overview
HIGHLIGHTS
• 10.5 million
food insecure
(½ population)
• 4.5 million
severely food
insecure
(of total)
• 47% chronic
malnutrition
among
children
(2nd highest
rate worldwide)
Map
Key
NERC-32
For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region

5. Main drivers of food insecurity
• Conflict, displacement,
general insecurity
• Extreme poverty
• Limited / non-diversified
livelihood opportunities
• Unemployment
(particularly among youth)
• Rapid population growth
• Drop in agricultural
production & productivity
• Water scarcity
• High food import reliance
o 90% wheat, 100% rice,
> 90% milk & dairy
NERC-32
For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region

6. Agriculture sector overview
•
Employs
•
Main livelihood •
Rural areas
•
50% labour force
•
66% population
75% live there
• GDP: 17.5%
NERC-32
•
• Arable land: 5%
For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region

7. Agriculture sector challenges
• Lack of quality inputs
• Losses due to crisis
(crop, livestock & inputs)
• Climate change
• Degraded terraces
• Water scarcity and
management
• Insufficient investment
and services
NERC-32
For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region

8. Agriculture sector challenges (cont.)
• Qat – which currently
accounts for:
‒
‒
‒
‒
40% agricultural production
23% total water use
10% total cropped area
25% planted irrigated area
• Pest infestations
(desert locust, tomato
borer, palm weevil)
• TADs and zoonoses
(e.g. Brucellosis)
NERC-32
For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region

9. Agriculture’s role and potential
• Vital to:
– improve food and
nutrition security
– strengthen resilience
of local communities
• High potential for:
– economic growth
– employment creation
– external trade
NERC-32
For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region

10. FAO’s programmatic response
Enable the
environment
Institutional
capacity building
Food security and
nutrition planning,
coordination and
institutional set-ups
National capacity in
agricultural
planning and
project formulation
Watch to
safeguard
Improved food
security analysis
and targeting (IPC)
Food and nutrition
monitoring and
analysis
Early warning:
EMPRES/GIEWS
Prepare
and respond
Productivity
Food security and
agriculture
coordination
(crop, livestock, fishing)
Backyard
production
(gardens, poultry)
Quinoa
Animal health
Transboundary
threats
Seafood quality
P I L L A R S
NERC-32
Protect and build
livelihoods
O F
Emergency
response to
support the food
and nutrition
security, and
agriculture-based
livelihoods of the
most vulnerable
R E S I L I E N C E
For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region

11. Challenges and way forward
RESILIENCE
RESILIENCE
• Livelihood diversification, enhanced production
and productivity, employment creation
WATER SCARCITY
WATER SCARCITY
SECTOR &
CAPACITY
DEVELOPMENT
• Strategic, holistic approach
(policy, legal, institutional, technical, participator
y, integrated)
SECTOR & CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT
• Institutional capacity, value chain, input
efficiency, productive potential, strategic
crops, post-harvest, marketing, qat alternatives
LINKAGES
LINKAGES
NERC-32
• Regional initiatives
For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region

12. Unmet needs – Humanitarian
• Livelihood protection & restoration
– emergency provision of food
production assets (pastoral,
agropastoral, crops, fisheries)
• Emergency animal restocking,
treatment and vaccinations
• Alternative livelihoods & income
generating activities (e.g. beekeeping, small animal/poultry,
vegetable production)
• Emergency nutritional assistance to
food insecure populations through
strengthened local food production
NERC-32
For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region

13. Unmet needs – Development
•
•
Management of fisheries resources
and exploration of
fisheries/aquaculture potential (e.g.
fish stock assessments and coastal
community development)
•
Value-chain (e.g. dairy production)
and employment generation
•
Agrofood sector efficiency
•
NERC-32
Efficient natural resource management
and other environmental actions
(strengthening institutional
capacity and community resilience)
Crop/livestock/fishery production and
productivity and food safety
For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region

14. Building partnerships
•
• Food Security and Agriculture
Cluster partners
• Government: Ministries of
Agriculture and Irrigation;
Fish Wealth; Planning and
International Cooperation
• Rome-based agencies
• UN agencies (e.g.
UNDP,
UNICEF, IOM and
ILO)
• Donors
NERC-32
• International, regional and
national initiatives (e.g. water
scarcity, SUN movement)
For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region

15. THANK YOU
NERC-32
For a Resilient and a Food Secure Region