In recognition of the right to food*, and the increased vulnerability of households to food and...
The Red Cross Red Crescent food, nutrition and livelihoods activities vary greatly depending on t...
Policy Food Security and Nutrition Policy Strategy Strategy 2020 CPRR Long Term Planning Framewor...
Interventions National Societies’ preparedness and risk reduction related intervention areas to...
Case studies highlight the achievements, lessons learnt and best practices or stories of how food...
National and local level government line departments (such as the ministry of agriculture,...
Persistent food and nutrition insecurity continues to be a chronic problem globally. According to the FAO there are almost 870 million people chronically undernourished today, representing 12.5 per cent of the world`s population, or one in eight people, of which nearly 850 million live in developing countries. An estimated 52 million children under-five years of age are believed to suffer from acute malnutrition and 165 million children under the age of five, or 26%, are chronically malnourished.
Although there has been progress, the number of undernourished around the world remains unacceptably high with Asia and the Pacific and Africa being the most affected regions. The number of undernourished in Asia and the Pacific is currently 563 million and 239 million in Africa, meaning 13.9 per cent and 22.9 per cent of the total population in the regions are food insecure. Underlying factors include natural disasters – with drought being the single most common cause of food shortages – conflicts, poverty, lack of agricultural infrastructure, all of which are compounded and exacerbated by environmental degradation and climate change.
Food is vital, as it constitutes the basis for life. It is not only the main source of nutritional welfare, a guarantee of good health and a factor in reducing poverty but it also allows communities to reduce the impact of crises that could fall on them. Achieving food and nutrition security and improving people`s livelihoods in a sustainable manner is therefore key to the efforts of the IFRC to save lives, protect livelihoods and strengthen recovery from disasters and crises and enable healthy and safe living. The IFRC supports Red Cross Red Crescent National Societies to assist local communities in setting up long term food security programs. These programs are carried out in a participative way where communities actively manage their own development projects.
“Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life”. (World Food Summit, 2009)
MEMBERSHIPSGlobal Food Security ClusterGlobal Nutrition clusterSUN movementINITIATIVESLivelihoods Resource Centre