FAO and Netherlands Partnership (FNPP) - Back

The link between poverty and food insecurity as a common ground for intervention is gaining a new momentum and becoming increasingly part of the national political agenda. These efforts to revert current levels of poverty (70% of the population living below poverty line) and higher levels of chronic malnutrition (above 41%) together with the move towards decentralization and the spread out of best practice initiatives as well as the promotion of current national policies and strategies have all contributed to the current decreasing levels of poverty.

It is within this context that FNPP, a program financed by Netherlands Government through FAO, is going to, after a successful first phase, launching a second phase but taken a more solid direction in working with Government and its partners. Therefore, the program for the period of January 2006 through December 2007 will be working to support the Government at national and sub-national level, to enhance the understanding and the implementations of national policies and strategies to fight poverty and food insecurity.

At both levels, FNPP strives to support government to address the underlying causes of food insecurity during all phases of policy preparation, implementation and monitoring. In the course of the assistance to selected districts in Gaza , additional expertise will be needed. The FNPP food security theme is already partnered with the FNPP forestry theme and the FNPP fisheries theme, however FNPP expects that areas, such as water resource management (FNPP cross-cutting issue), marketing and agrobiodiveristy, be integrated in the FNPP programme with time. The overriding implementation strategy of the programme is to offer an integrated development approach to address food insecurity. All activities are directed to this cause and service the core FNPP-objectives. No parallel structures will be developed.

Among other things, FNPP at national level will be concentrating its effort:

• In supporting mainstream food and nutrition security in key government document, policies and strategies. Consequently, MPD is identified as one of the major partner and FNPP will be supporting its capacity in coordinating FSN issues in the different policies and sectors.

• A second strategic partner at national level is SETSAN, Mozambique 's technical secretariat for food and nutrition security. FNPP will not only provide a policy-officer within SETSAN to strengthen the Policy Unit of the secretariat and facilitate the linkage with MPD but also assist the initiatives in revising the National Food Security and Nutrition Strategies.

At the provincial level, FNPP will be concentrating its effort in Gaza in a pilot basis. A multi-sectoral team coordinated by a Senior FSN specialist and will be:

• Promoting the understanding and facilitating the implementation of all national policies and strategies relevant to poverty and food insecurity and nutrition issues;

• Jointly with UNDP, serves as advisors to the Governor in all relevant issues linked to development.

• Enhance the use of participatory approach in the preparation of Strategic District Planning and the inclusion FSN elements on it.

• Capacity building to staff from various institutions on FSN and its link to poverty

• Support and integrated vision on understanding FSN and provide its outlook as needed

Lesson learnt from these two levels of intervention (national and sub-national level) will be used to highlight best practice to influence decision maker and stakeholders and their replications within and outside Mozambique.