Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
availability of wild food and, ultimately, the agricultural economy as a whole to understand
what impact these growing conditions may have on overall food security. Contextual liveli-
hood information is then used to understand how these market and environmental conditions
will impact specific groups in each community in the country (Verdin et al ., 2005).
Effectiveness of early warning systems
Research conducted during and after famines in Africa in the 1970s and 1980s (von Braun et
al ., 1998) demonstrated that early and focused intervention could break the link between
climate extremes and famine (Wisner et al ., 2004). With the enormous expansion in com-
munication systems during the past decade, warning has moved from being focused on the
past few months and the current situation, to warning of developments that will occur in the
next six months. This “earlier” early warning provides timely, quantitative and comparable
information about the food security situation across multiple continents.
Unfortunately, early warning did not result in an early response during the food security
crisis that occurred in the Horn of Africa in 2011. According to a joint report by Save the
Children and Oxfam Great Britain published in 2012, there was accurate and quantitative
early warning of the food crisis over a year before an adequate response was made. The report
states
across Ethiopia, Kenya, Djibouti and Somalia this crisis has played out very differently,
but common to all of them was a slow response to early warnings. Early signs of an
oncoming food crisis were clear many months before the emergency reached its peak.
Yet it was not until the situation had reached crisis point that the international system
started to respond at scale.
(Hillier and Dempsey, 2012)
Although early warning systems have greatly increased their responsiveness and ability to detect
andanalyzeinformationtoprovideearlierwarnings,therehasnotbeenaconcurrentchangein
the humanitarian systems to respond to these warnings. Neither longer-term development pro-
grams nor shorter-term subsistence support from the humanitarian community has changed in
order to take the guidance of the early warning community as seriously as they should.
The Hillier and Dempsey (2012) report focuses on the need for a re-examination of the
commitment to providing needed entitlement transfers during times of crisis to save lives and
the livelihoods of those afflicted. In order to raise large sums for humanitarian response,
adequate media and public attention is required to motivate the movement of funds (Maxwell
andFitzpatrick,2012).Thismissesthepointofearlywarning-ifanalysisanddocumentation
show that there is a high probability of an event happening, response needs to begin imme-
diately before the media and political reaction begin. At the moment, response does not occur
until after the situation reaches a crisis point and images of starving children, migrating fam-
ilies and parched fields hit the media. This perpetuates chronic vulnerability to recurrent
drought and dependency on humanitarian assistance in places like East Africa.
Thereportpointsoutthatthereisahugenumberoforganizationsandinstitutionsworking
on food security in East Africa. Not only are the national governments themselves highly
focused on food security issues, but there are many national, international and United Nations-
afiliatedorganizationsthatanalyzeinformation,providesupportandconductshort-and
 
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