1. Luca Alinovi Senior Economist, FAO
Addressing long term issues in humanitarian crisis contexts: Improving Food Security Analysis and Response
Luca Alinovi
Senior Economist, FAO

2. Expectations on Addressing Protracted Crises
ECHO Food Assistance Policy, Moving towards addressing short and longer term concerns in protracted crises
Relationship between humanitarian food assistance, rural livelihoods and food security, and
mechanisms and strategies to restore and/or strengthen rural livelihoods and support resilience mechanisms particularly in protracted crises

3. Current limits in protracted crises context
In such contexts, humanitarian responses, in particular food assistance, are often the only available tool for addressing the root causes of hunger and food crises even when they are structural in character and would require correspondingly more structural and longer-term interventions

4. Relations between humanitarian food assistance, livelihoods and food security
Humanitarian food assistance can also be used to protect and strengthen the livelihoods of a crisis-affected population, to prevent or reverse negative coping mechanisms (such as the sale of productive assets, or the accumulation of debts) that could engender either short-term or longer-term harmful consequences for their livelihood base, their food-security status or their nutritional status (see COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, Humanitarian Food Assistance ) .

5. Operational Implication
Needs for having flexible tools to address livelihoods needs, taking in consideration:
Seasons
capacity development
adaptations and changes
results more than outputs

6. Principles
Humanitarian principles are proven to be very effective in driving humanitarian interventions
In developmental conditions, however developmental objectives are the driving forces under which different principles should be applied (sustainability, participation, empowerment etc)
And In longer term crises??

7. Key Issues

8. Issue 1: Institutions
Failing institutions and related conflicts over resources are the driving factors of crises and food insecurity.
Institutional dysfunction started before the conflicts and fuelled the conflicts (e.g. Eastern DRC land tenure issues-capitalisation of land Kinshasa led that impacted on food insecurity and then land utilised to reinforce militia power base)
The prolonged nature of the crises impacted heavily on informal institutions (e.g. in Sudan on Dinka Kinship mechanism were weakened by the magnitude and duration of the 1998 crises. The famine of breaking relationship. Or the impact of the conflicts on traditional natural resources regulatory mechanisms (Somalia and Sudan)
Adapting institutions to the crisis such as rural markets in Jubba (a process ignored by the international community)

9. Issue 2: The Policy Environment
Informal policy processes and the political environment are downplayed or misunderstood.
a purposive course of action followed by an actor or a set of actors” (Anderson, 1994)
International community downplays informal policy processes and the political environment
Formal policies are often of little relevance in a crisis context
Informal policies: food aid used to reach consensus and feed militias in Sudan
ARS in Nuba mountain instrumental to GOSS policies of depopulating SPM controlled area
Food aid as a tool to strengthen local social network (Dinka policy priority) contrasts with WFP targeting mechanisms

10. Issue 3: Local Responses
Affected communities are already acting for the long term and not merely waiting for the “emergency to be over”.
Yet, mainstream analytical frameworks are hardly ever appropriate in this respect.
Rural markets in Somalia
Financial markets in Somalia
Chambres de paix in DRC
Changing trading patterns in DRC
Food aid utilised as mean to strengthen local social safety network in Sudan

11. Issue 4: Delivery Mechanisms
Coordination is crucial but rarely enforced.
Involving local institutions and partners is the exception rather than the rule.
NMPACT rules of engagement subscribed by all partners
Fear of humanitarian community to involve local partners because of neutrality concerns and related missed opportunities( e.g. chambres de paix to deal with land issues in DRC)

12. Issue 5: Time Matters
The protracted nature of the crises led to a sustained erosion of livelihoods and to structural vulnerability.
Several long-term adaptation mechanisms exist - but food systems’ resilience is a concern.
‘the measure of a system to remain stable or to adapt to new situation without undergoing catastrophic changes in its basic functions’ (Pingali et al, 2005).
Coping versus adaptation mechanisms Short-term strategies are usually referred to as coping strategies, and include ‘temporary responses to declining food entitlements [that] are characteristic of structurally secure livelihood systems’ (Davies, 1996). Adaptation strategies in contrast are longer term, and defined as the process of ‘changes to livelihoods which either enhance existing security and wealth or try to reduce vulnerability and poverty’, including the ‘diversification’ of assets and income sources in anticipation of future shocks (Davies and Houssain, 1997)
Changes of livelihoods basis (from fish to farm in DRC from livestock to agriculture in Jubba) or of farming systems (Nuba) but regulating mechanisms/institutions not in place
several long term adaptation mechanisms - but food systems’ resilience a concern

13. Issue 6: Food Security Perceived as a Humanitarian Problem Only
Short-term responses based on humanitarian paradigms dominated and had an impact on longer-term food security whilst development paradigms have been applied uncritically.
Most responses aimed at increasing the supply side dimension of food security only
Providing fishing equipment in lake Edward further contributing to the depletion of fishing resources (the real problem
Providing free seed in Juba Somalia when markets (and seed markets) were functioning
Application of development paradigms such a participation in Somalia and ignoring clan politics and related

14. Addressing protracted crises
More than 80% of the current humanitarian funding support responses in protracted crises
the type of needs to be addressed often embraces a mix of chronic and transient/acute needs
often the root causes of these events are a mix of chronic factors and the effects of immediate triggers (natural disaster, conflict)

15. Key messages
Recognising that humanitarian food assistance is part of a broader food security agenda.
Recognising that humanitarian food assistance must be linked to underlying and/or longer term issues.
Recognising that humanitarian food assistance should not take place in isolation and must be coupled with efforts to tackle the underlying and root causes of hunger and food insecurity.