The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock says it is important that the Ministry and the Government have information on the food security situation in homes across the country.
It says that is why the Ministry has allocated $135,000 dollars to conduct the survey out of the $2.5 million allocated to the Women in Agriculture Development Programme for 2012.The survey will help the Ministry design a programme that addresses the needs of the day, and the needs of women folk in the country.
It is understood that a multi-sectoral approach will be taken, with a particular focus on four the main pillars of food security:
- The availability of food products, which requires a sustainable agri-food chain, intensification of agricultural production, and the development of international trade and regional integration. Support for smallholder farmers is essential insofar as rural areas are more affected by shortages;
- Access to food, through supporting employment, increasing income and social mechanisms for income compensation, including in times of crisis;
- The nutritional value of food intake, particularly for pregnant and lactating women and children under five. This area of action specifically requires training and education actions, as well as greater agricultural diversification;
- Crisis prevention and management, by uniting the different humanitarian and development actors to implement the Linking Relief, Rehabilitation and Development (LRRD) and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) strategies.
The Ministry calls on the public especially at village level to participate and support the survey, so that it can develop the right approach to deal with food security.
Source: Press Release, Government Communications Unit