Sierra Leone Alliance Against Hunger and Malnutrition (SLAAHM) response.
Questions to participants:
- What are the risks incurred in West Africa concerning food and nutrition insecurity and what categories of people will be the most affected? Justify your answer.
- Risks of virus spill-over from wildlife to humans
- cost of food especially imported will be very high due to scarcity and access to domestic food
- increase in the population of bush animals in the forest will serve as a threat to the production of food and cash crops in the country
- continuous closure of community markets (Luma’s) may lead to destruction of perishable goods and hence leads to high rate of poverty among farmers
- Nutrition level of pregnant women, lactating mothers and children under five years of age will be drastically reduced.
Affected categories:
- Peasant farmers
- Pregnant women
- Lactating mothers
- Under five children
2. Due to Ebola, the population can no longer eat bush meat because these animals are the vectors of risk and the nutritional habits must change to substantially reduce the risks of contamination. Currently, a rush and huge demand for the livestock raised makes acquiring meat prohibitive. It is necessary to propose as soon as possible some means for the population to get meat. What do you propose to do?
- rearing of more domesticated animals at household level
- provide access to veterinary services
3. What consequences can the risk of catching the disease have for the agricultural production chain, cattle raising, fishing, agricultural products processing, transport from production areas to the major consumption centers represented by the cities?
- Lack access to some farming communities due to government restrictions on especially
entrance to some quarantine communities
- Increase in accidental cases
- High cost of transportation
- Mechanical breakdown of trucks entering those communities
4. Unemployment following the closing of businesses due to Ebola as well as other collateral damage will have less obvious effects which will not only slow down the efforts and means of fighting the disease but also will leave marks on the economy. All of a sudden food insecurity and malnutrition in the sub-region will assume proportions difficult to control.
Can you identify the collateral damage that the closing of production units, schools and others could cause? Is it possible that in this case there is an expectation of easy access to food in the cities? What are the risks foreseen in the next months? What is to be done?
DAMAGES
- The producers have been dislocated for fear of the disease
- Most of the indigenous master farmers have died
- There will be food insecurity
- Grain reserve has been utilized by farmers due to food scarcity
- Reserved budget meant for farm family sustainability has been consumed for upkeep
- Increase in wild life does resulting in damage of farming produce
ACCESS
No access.
RISK FORESEEN
- There will be acute food shortage with traders/commercial creating artificial scarcity
- There will increase malnutrition among pregnant women, lactating mothers and children below five years
5. What roles can the actors: States, WAEMU, ECOWAS, AU, Intergovernmental Organizations of West Africa, International Organizations, International Cooperation, International Community, NGOs and International NGOs play in anticipating all the causes of these problems of food and nutrition security as well as their consequences?
- Build the capacity of the Alliance at National level to coordinate the activities of its operations
- Collaborate with the Alliance in all it’s planning on issues relating to Food and Nutrition security in the country.
- Provide funding support to the Alliance
- Monitor and document activities implemented by the Alliance.
6. In the context described, what can the Platform of Alliances against Hunger and Malnutrition in West Africa do to galvanize actors at all levels into dynamic action with the objectives of :
- Saving the small producers and family farmers?
- Integrating the Ebola effect and other epidemics into the right to food in West Africa?
- A general mobilization to achieve a real Zero Hunger situation in West Africa?
- Support Smallholder Commercialization Programme (SCP) through awareness raising for restructuring of the Agricultural Business Units (ABCs) to improve on their productivity across the country.
- Assist the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security (MAFFS) in the dissemination and popularization of the findings of the assessment on the impact of Ebola outbreak on food production activities in farming communities in the country through radio and TV discussions and to also to be represented on the team in the planning meetings of this activity.
- Popularize improved Food production, storage and utilization for effective nutrition
- Conduct Awareness Raising, communication and sensitization activities on Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) with decentralized authorities and communities at risk (farmers, hunters) in partnership with key stakeholders (Government, UN organizations, INGOs and local NGOs).
- Collaborate with other CSOs that operate in the food security sector to come up with a position statement on the socio – economic impact of Ebola on farmers in the country.
- Engage Civil Society Organizations with interest in food and nutrition security to have a broad base support for the activities of the Alliance.
SLAAHM wants to see those most affected by hunger and malnutrition capacitated to take the lead in the planning and implementation of key activities on the initiative. Since the majority of women, children and men most affected by Hunger and Malnutrition fall within the poor sector of the population, strategies for the implementation of the Zero Hunger initiative must be responsive to the needs and concerns of the poor.
Francis William Webber