RPCANews, July 2016 by SWAC/OECD

RPCAnews

n°01 July 2016

THE FOOD CRISIS PREVENTION NETWORK

RPCA

ANALYSE INFORM PREVENT

Contents  2016-17 Agro-pastoral campaign

www.food-security.net

Key messages  The overall food situation in June 2016 is satisfactory; the food reserve levels are good; markets are functioning well.

 Market situation  Food and nutrition situation  Network activities  Who’s who?

 Nearly 9.5 million people require food and nutrition assistance – most of whom live in the Lake Chad basin – due to the civil insecurity that is causing market interruptions and household livelihood losses.  The gradual onset of the rainy season in the Sahel is improving the availability of drinking water for livestock but has not yet increased the availability of forage; grass cover is minimal and is only starting to grow now.

Recommendations  Strengthen protection measures for vulnerable populations and mobilise the significant funding required to implement the response plans;  Strengthen food and nutrition monitoring in the Lake Chad basin area to support the implementation of appropriate mitigation measures;  Maintain market information monitoring to facilitate the timely detection of any dysfunctions that could impact the food and nutrition security of the populations;  Maintain information monitoring in desert locust infestation areas in Chad, Mauritania, Mali and Niger.

Photo: © uniCEF, Camp for internally displaced people in Kwanaya, near the city of Yola, northern nigeria.

 The seasonal hydrological and climate information forecasts for the 2016-17 agro-pastoral campaign indicate a probability of average to above-average overall rainfall in the Sahelian belt, but below normal in coastal areas of Gulf of Guinea.

2016-17 aGro-PastoraL CaMPaiGn

RPCA

2016-17 Agro-pastoral campaign The agro-pastoral campaign currently under way got off to an early start in the central and eastern Sahel and in areas with desert locust habitat (Chad, Mauritania, Mali and Niger). The season was late in starting along the coastline.

Cumulative seasonal rainfall in June 2016 as compared to normal (2000-15 period)

As compared with the normal level, cumulative rainfall from the beginning of the season (March-May) was: •

Above normal in the eastern parts of Mali and Burkina Faso, in the west and in northern Niger;

•

Normal to above normal in southern Mali, southern and western Burkina Faso, centralsouthern Chad and in the Gulf of Guinea countries;

•

Normal to below normal in the western Sahel, Sierra Leone and Liberia.

source : Emma station, Agrhymet/CILSS, June 2016

The quantities of water recorded in Mali in June did, nonetheless, allow for widespread sowing in the Sudanian areas (starting in May) and in the Sudano-Sahelian zone (starting in June).

With respect to the pastoral situation, grass cover is still minimal or almost non-existent in some areas of the Sahel, as shown by the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI).

As regards the hydrological situation, ﬂow in the main water courses is still low. However, this situation will improve with a gradual increase in rainfall in the coming months.

The situation involving livestock feed and drinking water is still a concern, especially in Chad and Niger, due to the depletion of feed supplies and the loss of surface water sources. This has

had a negative impact on the physical condition of the animals and puts them at risk for contracting endemic diseases at the onset on the rainy season.

Vegetation Condition Index (VCI), third ten days of June 2016 Limit of pastoral area >100 80-100 60-80 40-60 20-40 0-20

sources: SPOT VGT, PROBA V, MESA, Agrhymet/CILSS, June 2016

RPCANEWS, No. 01, JULY 2016

MarKEt situation

RPC As regards the desert loc u st sit uat ion i n nor thwestern A frica, measures are being taken to combat groups of hoppers and adults

in the southern parts of the Sahara, southern Morocco and the areas adjacent to northern Mauritania. Low numbers of adults are being reported in the northern parts of Mali and Niger. Given the situation and the civil security problems that are negatively

affecting these areas, an increased level of co-operation is needed between the agencies involved and the local communities in order to maintain information monitoring in at-risk areas in the frontline countries (Chad, Mauritania, Mali and Niger).

The seasonal hydrological and climate forecasts for the Sahel and West Africa indicate a likelihood of average to slightly above normal rainfall overall throughout the entire Sahel belt, but below normal in the coastal areas of Gulf of Guinea countries. The end of season dates will be late to normal for most of the Sahel belt and the northern parts of coastal countries. Quite long dry spells could interfere with the cultivation of crops in the eastern parts of the Sahel and the postflowering period in the western half of the Sudano-Sahelian zone.

Market situation Overall, markets are functioning at a satisfactory level with a good, regular internal cross-border supply of agricultural and food products, except in the conﬂ ict zone in the Lake Chad basin where the functioning of markets remains impaired. Over 10 million tonnes of marketable surplus grain is available to support the ﬂow of goods (see map).

Estimate of marketable surplus cereals (2015-16 campaign)

200 000 t 2 354 441 t

The overall price of major grains is up slightly. However, the price of corn has seen a sharper increase as compared with the average for the past five years, except in Niger and Senegal where the price fell.

456 550 t

743 876 t

982 705 t

3 659 151 t

Mobilisable stocks in thousands of tonnes > 500

> 300

> 200

source: CILSS

> 100

Calculated on the basis of consumption standards (corn, millet, sorghum and rice) and assuming that 50% of the surplus is being marketed.

Variation in average grain prices Price

Corn

Millet

Sorghum

Local rice

Imported rice

Average price

208

213

197

316

447

5-year average

191

194

179

336

430

Variation

12%

-3.2%

0.12%

0.7%

6.3%

Cereals

3.6%

source: CILSS © Food Crisis Prevention Network (RPCA)

RPCANEWS, No. 01, JULY 2016

MarKEt situation

RPCA Current cereal prices (March-April 2016) compared to ﬁve-year average price

The main cereal prices are slightly up overall as compared with the five-year average:

Stable source: CILSS

+ Strong

- Strong

+ Medium

- Medium

+ Weak

- Weak

As regards other food products – tubers and plantain in particular – the price has increased due to a diminished supply, especially in coastal countries (Benin, Côte d’Ivoire and Togo). The price of gari fell in Togo and Nigeria (see figure). Peanut and cow pea prices increased by 18% and 7% respectively, as compared with the five-year average. However, sesame prices dropped considerably, especially in Chad. As regards livestock prices, they are up overall as compared with the five-year average, except in Chad and Niger where prices fell. These price reductions are tied to a number of

•

Corn prices are up;

•

Millet and sorghum prices are down;

•

Local rice prices are up;

•

Imported rice prices are stable.

Price variations of food crops 100%

100 % 65 % 38 %

14% 20 % 3% -12% Ghana Cassava

Togo

-20 % Benin

Yam

Nigeria Gari

-3 % Côte d’Ivoire

Plantain

Sierra Leone

source: CILSS

factors including the depreciation of the Nigerian naira and trade barriers, especially along the Chad-Nigeria and Chad-Central African Republic corridors.

Food and nutrition situation

RPC

Food and nutrition situation Overall, the food and nutrition situation is satisfactory in Sahel and West African countries, except in the Lake Chad basin which hosts about 2.2 million internally displaced persons and refugees.

June-August 2016

However, despite the good harvest, nearly 9.5 million people require food assistance as well as measures to protect their livelihoods and combat malnutrition. National and regional response plans to aid vulnerable populations have been developed but the level of funding secured to implement these plans is still quite low. The lean period from June to August is particularly difficult for vulnerable populations; having exhausted their stocks of food from the previous campaign, many households are waiting for the new harvest. The nutrition situation remains a major concern, in particular in some areas of Sahelian countries and in Nigeria. Nearly 5.9 million West African children under the age of five may suffer from acute malnutrition in 2016

Phases of food insecurity None or minimal Stressed

Crisis

Source: Analysis of the Cadre harmonisé, Regional consultation on the food and nutrition situation, Accra, 29-31 March 2016

Emergency Famine Not analysed

including 1.9 million from its most severe form, if adequate measures are not taken. This is very much a structural problem that emphasises

the need to address the root causes of food insecurity and which confirms the relevance of the Global Alliance for Resilience (AGIR).

Estimated number of people in the food crisis (3) to emergency (4) phases, in millions 9,5

6,7

2.7

4,4

3.8

3,4 1,3 0,6

Sahelian countries*

Gulf of Guinea countries

Nigeria

West African and Sahelian countries*

March-May 2016 June-August 2016 *CILSS estimates, without Cape Verde and Sierra Leone

nEtWorK aCtiVitiEs

RPCA

Network activities RPCA at the World Humanitarian Summit 2016

T he first World Humanitarian Summit was held on 23 and 24 May in Istanbul, Turkey. Bringing together governments, development partners, humanitarian organisations and people affected by humanitarian crises, the summit was a forum to discuss the most pressing humanitarian challenges and to set an agenda for humanitarian action in the future. Participants debated five core respon-

sibilities: 1) Prevent and end conﬂ ict; 2) Respect rules of war; 3) Leave no one behind; 4) Working differently to end need; and 5) Invest in humanity. At a side event on “Walking the Last Mile: A joint global analysis of food crises to inform planning and resource allocation decisions”, organised by the European Union, FAO and the WFP, CILSS Executive Secretary Djimé Adoum shared the experience of the Sahel and West African region in the prevention and management of food insecurity. Mr. Adoum said that a global network for the analysis of food and nutrition situations would have to be based on regional blocs that could negotiate consensus and validate a common

vision before data is aggregated at the international level. The West African region is a pioneer in this field. For more than 30 years, it has been developing analytical and governance tools (Cadre harmonisé, Charter for Food Crisis Prevention and Management, etc.) that have allowed it to reach consensus. The ownership taken by regional actors and the network’s connection with decision-making centres have also been key factors to its success. The commitments made at the World Humanitarian Summit will be summarised in a document and shared at the 71st session of the UN General Assembly in September 2016.

EU: Innovation for food and nutrition security A high-level event, organised by the European Union on 25 April in Brussels, brought together top development policy leaders and experts to discuss four key areas of food security: innovation, nutrition, resilience and fi nancing in agriculture. CILSS Executive Secretary Mr Djimé Adoum participated in the high-level panel and shared West Africa’s experience, in particular within the RPCA. He also took part in a breakout session on resilience providing some insights from the Global Alliance for Resilience (AGIR). The event provided an opportunity to promote the RPCA in a global context and drew attention to West Africa’s success story in the field of food crisis prevention and management. In his opening statement, Mr Neven Mimica, European Commissioner for International Co-operation and Development, insisted that “We need to change the way we do business in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals”. The Executive Director of the World Food Programme, Ms Ertharin Cousin,

RPCANEWS, No. 01, JULY 2016

called for a new collective approach. “Feeding stomachs while saving lives is no longer good enough”, she said and then added: “Collective challenges require collective solutions”. The

high-level dialogue will compile fi ndings and recommendations from the four panels and issue conclusions to guide partners in their future support and initiatives.

nEtWorK aCtiVitiEs

RPC

ECOWAS and partners launch ECOWAP 2025 process

Meeting in Abidjan from 30 May to 2 June, the ECOWAS Commission, member state delegates and their partners officially launched the process of formulating the second generation of National Agricultural Investment Programmes (NAIPs) and the Regional Agricultural Investment Programme (RAIP) for 2025 (ECOWAP 2025). Participants examined the methodological guide for the formulation process and agreed on a roadmap setting out the main steps in the process. According to the current schedule, ECOWAS expects to complete the formulation of the RAIP in late December 2016 and that of the NAIP in June 2017. The guide offers eight operational steps

(adoption of a steering mechanism, capacity building, assessment of the fi rst generation NAIPs, adjustment of national agriculture plans and modalities of integration in the regional agricultural space, 2016-25 strategic planning, budgeting, validation and communication of results). Other critical conditions are implementation, monitoring and evaluation. The West African initiative is part of the continental process conducted under the auspices of the African Union in the framework of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) and the Malabo Declaration (commitment to spend at least 10% of the public budget in the agricultural sector). Its success will

depend heavily on national ownership and the effective mobilisation of countries to implement the roadmap. The ECOWAP Donor Group will undoubtedly have a key role to play in supporting the Sahel and West African countries. The multi-sectoral platforms established in the process of formulating “National Resilience Priorities” (NRP-AGIR) should facilitate the process. AGIR focal points will be closely involved in order to capitalise on their experience and integrate the identified resilience priorities into the new NAIPs. The UEMOA Ten-year community programme for agricultural transformation for food and nutrition security (PCD-TASAN) should also be taken into consideration.

CILSS: A beacon institution deserving of support The 51st ordinary session of the Council of Ministers of the Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS) was held on 30 June in Ouagadougou. Bringing together some 100 participants under the chairmanship of Mr Kassoum Denon, Malian Agriculture Minister and CILSS Co-ordinating Minister, the meeting served as a framework to review the 2015-16 activity report, the services provided to the 13 member countries, the orientations of new ﬂagship projects at the regional level and the fi nancial status of the organisation. The mandates of the Executive Secretary Mr Djimé Adoum, as well as the Director-General of the CILSS Agrhymet Regional Centre, Mr Kouamé Guy Marcel Bouafou, were renewed. Mr Alexandre Deprez, Director of the USAID West Africa Regional Mission and focal point for the technical and fi nancial partners, reaffi rmed the support of the partners. The Director of the Sahel and West Africa Club Secretariat (SWAC/

© CiLss OECD) paid tribute to CILSS for its actions in favour of food security and resilience. “I came here to show my respect to an institution that is a real blessing; an institution that no one today could consider removing from the Sahel landscape and now West

Africa”, Mr Laurent Bossard said. He expressed hope that, despite the difficulties, the organisation will continue to preserve and develop the capital of knowledge, experience and inﬂuence that has ﬂourished through CILSS since its creation in 1973.

RPCANEWS, No. 01, JULY 2016

nEtWorK aCtiVitiEs

RPCA UNION ECONOMIQUE ET MONETAIRE OUEST AFRICAINE ------------------------La Commission --------------

Programme Communautaire Décennal de Transformation de l’Agriculture pour la Sécurité Alimentaire et Nutritionnelle dans l’espace UEMOA (PCD-TASAN)

2016 - 2025 Environnement Approprié des Affaires et d’Investissements Agricoles

Janvier 2016

_________________________________________________________________________ 380, Av. du Pr. Joseph KI-ZERBO 01 B.P. 543 OUAGADOUGOU 01- BURKINA FASO – Tél. : (226) 50 31 88 73 à 76 – Fax : (226) 25 31 88 72 Email : commission@uemoa.int Sites Internet : www.uemoa.int et www.izf.net

Who’s who ?

www.food-security.net

UEMOA ten-year community programme for agricultural transformation for food and nutrition security (PCD-TASAN) 2016-2025 T his prog ram me, adopted in March 2015, is the result of d iscussions by the U EMOA Commission under the guidance of the heads of state meeting within the High-Level Committee on Food Security. It will serve as a reference for the programming of the Union’s interventions in the agricultural sector and food security for the next decade. The programme focuses on the development and promotion of value chains. The approach provides a coherent set of investments to bring together agricultural sector actors and to develop areas of growth. UEMOA authorities are seeking to promote an enabling environment to facilitate investment and access

to credit for family farms. Developed in an inclusive manner and with the technical support of the FAO, the PCD- TASAN “reﬂects the will of member states, partners and agricultural professional actors to begin the sustainable transformation of agriculture, to sustain economic growth and to improve the incomes of professional actors as well as food security in the region,” according to UEMOA Commission President Mr Cheikhe Hadjibou Soumaré. The cost of the PCD-TASAN is estimated at nearly 758 billion CFA francs, of which 58% will go to component two on improving the productivity and dynamism of agricultural sectors.

Tchambakou Ayassor, ECOWAS Commissioner M r Tcham bakou Ayassor, a Togolese national, was appointed as new ECOWAS Commissioner for Agriculture, Environment and Water Resources on 11 March 2016. He is no stranger to the West African institutional food security landscape; he worked until 2012 as Director of the UEMOA Agriculture and Food Security Department, co-ordinating the implementation of the Union’s Agricultural Policy (PAU). Before joining the UEMOA Commission in 2005, he worked for five years as a technical advisor to the Togolese Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries and was DirectorGeneral the Togolese Cotton Company SOTOCO for four years. Mr Ayassor has a long professional experience in rural development. He holds a degree in agricultural engineering from the University of Benin and a master’s

degree focusing on plant protection from the University of Connecticut (United States). Mr Ayassor will have to address many challenges during his mandate: the regional community has launched a process of developing a second generation of National Agricultural Investment Programmes (NAIP) and the Regional Agricultural Investment Programme (RAIP). Decisive progress is also expected on the implementation of the Regional Food Security Reserve that is managed by the ECOWAS Regional Agency for Agriculture and Food (RAAF). Most importantly, Mr Ayassor will have to affi rm ECOWAS leadership and must in particular respond to the high expectations of West African agricultural producers’ organisations that are pushing for increased West African fi nancing in the agricultural and food sectors.

This RPCANews was prepared on the basis of contributions from the following organisations:

SAHEL AND WEST AFRICA

Club Secretariat