Assessment of Food Security Early Warning Systems for East and Southern Africa
The risk of the El Niño-induced food insecurity in southern Africa in 2016; the recent risk of famine in northern Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia, and South Sudan; and the recent outbreak of the fall armyworm (FAW) in East and Southern Africa (ESA) all de...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2018
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/454781516290787924/Assessment-of-food-security-early-warning-systems-for-East-and-Southern-Africa http://hdl.handle.net/10986/29269 |
| Summary: | The risk of the El Niño-induced food
insecurity in southern Africa in 2016; the recent risk of
famine in northern Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia, and South
Sudan; and the recent outbreak of the fall armyworm (FAW) in
East and Southern Africa (ESA) all demonstrate that
responses are still largely reactive than proactive.
Inadequate early warning systems (EWSs), coupled with
limited investment and weak institutional and technical
capacity, are implicated in contributing to food
insecurity–related emergencies in ESA. Yet over the years,
strong evidence has emerged on the benefits of investing in
EWSs. In Ethiopia, investing in a drought EWS, which would
reduce livelihood losses and dependence on assistance, has a
benefit-cost ratio (BCR) of between 3:1 and 6:1. Similarly,
the BCR of improving national hydro-meteorological services
in developing countries ranges from 4:1 to 36:1. Consistent
with one of the goals of the Sendai Framework for Disaster
Risk Reduction (SFDRR), increasing investment in EWSs would
contribute to a substantial increase in the availability of,
and access to multi hazard and disaster risk information,
one of the key inputs in achieving the sustainable
development goals (SDGs). |
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