National Workshop on SDG Indicator 2.1.2 (Ezulwini, Eswatini)

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with the Eswatini Vulnerability Assessment Committee (VAC), is hosting a capacity-building workshop on the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) in Ezulwini, Eswatini from June 5 to June 7, 2024.

As the custodian agency for food security SDG Indicator 2.1.2, FAO is responsible for building technical capacity in member countries to monitor progress towards SDG Target 2.1: End hunger and ensure access for all people, particularly the poor and vulnerable, to safe, nutritious, and sufficient food all year round by 2030.

Overall, the workshop aimed to enhance the capacity of the Eswatini VAC and relevant stakeholders to effectively utilize the FIES for monitoring and analyzing food security and nutrition data. It focused on the FIES methodology, data collection, analysis, and interpretation, with the goal of supporting evidence-based policies and interventions to improve food security in Eswatini. Data from the Eswatini Vulnerability Assessment Surveys of 2021, 2022 and 2024 was used.

Outcomes:

• Enhanced understanding of the FIES methodology and its application in food security analysis.
• Developed skills in data collection, analysis, and interpretation of FIES data.
• Strengthened capacity to generate reliable and comparable food insecurity estimates at national and sub-national levels.
• Promotion of the use of FIES data for evidence-based decision-making in food security and nutrition programming.
• Sharing of experiences and lessons learned from FIES implementation in other countries.
  

Participants:

Among the participants were members of the Eswatini VAC, including representatives from government ministries, UN agencies, NGOs, and other relevant stakeholders involved in food security and nutrition monitoring and assessment.