Project outputs

Training material

The most critical bottlenecks in decentralization are the capacity of local government to comply with an expanding mandate and the awareness and ability of civil society to get involved in district planning, monitor implementation and demand improved services. While stakeholders in each of the three countries have different training needs, they also share common demands. To date, no complete training manual for integrating food security and the right to food at district level exists.

This doesn’t mean that work has to start from scratch. Most of the material developed by FAO can be used, enriched and adapted. Some material however, in particular on accountability or transparency as it relates to food security concerns at district level, has to be developed. As the countries cannot wait until material is finalized, the project will follow a dual approach of developing the material while using prototypes. Towards the end of the project however, a complete training manual should be finalized.

In September 2010, district officials attended a 2-week course on “Integration of food security and nutrition into district development plans - Application of good governance practices in Sierra Leone, Uganda and Zanzibar”, jointly organized by FAO and InWEnt (now part of GIZ – Deutsche Gesellschaft für international Zusammenarbeit).

Reference Guide “Integrating the Right to Food”

Decentralization - the transfer of authority and responsibility for public functions from the central government to intermediate and local governments or quasi-independent government organizations and/or the private sector - is a complex multifaceted concept. The way decentralized planning functions and the extent to which food security and nutrition are acknowledged will differ from country to country. The technical assistance provided by FAO thus has to be tailored to the country’s needs. At the same time, there are also communalities and similar needs. A methodological reference guide that builds on the experience of this project and learns from other initiatives is thus dearly needed.

Reference Guide “Empowering Civil Society”

Empowerment involves creating pathways for voices to be heard, and for the poor and hungry to fully participate in the formulation, implementation and monitoring of public policies. Stated more simply, to ensure that the right to food remain a priority on the local government agenda, it is necessary to create an enabled community of active citizens, and informed citizens, along with responsive, accountable, transparent government officials and processes. The project will explore constraints and opportunities of civil society in districts indicated in three countries to extend the boundary of possibilities for civil society as the true stakeholder in development processes and ultimately as the final but most important beneficiary of all development efforts. The reference guide will suggest methods and tools improving civil society involvement in food security policy design, implementation and monitoring.