New consensus needed to avert famine

A number of priority issues must urgently be addressed - by governments, aid agencies, donors, media, and local communities directly affected - in order to avert famine in the Horn of Africa, according to a discussion paper from the USAID-funded Famine Early Warning System (FEWS Net) and the international aid agency, CARE. While the technical, logistical and financial resources had long existed to eradicate the phenomenon of famine - which had led to "significant progress" being made towards its elimination in some parts of the world - vulnerability appeared to be on the increase in the Horn of Africa, said the authors of the paper. Clear consensus on definitions of what constituted a "famine" (as opposed to a "crisis"), the various factors involved (disease and exposure as well as lack of food), and on when to use the term (considering its political implications) were essential, said FEWS Net/CARE. "The definition frames the understanding of the problem and consequently shapes the response." Differences between chronic and transitory food insecurity must also be understood, and response programmes tailored accordingly. In much of the Horn of Africa, food aid was being used in the name of emergency response to ameliorate what was essentially chronic food insecurity, said the paper. Furthermore, famines were complex events which were part of "a process", and not an event to be taken in isolation, said FEWS Net/CARE. "Famine events are, in effect, the tip of an iceberg." An understanding of economic issues in a given region, as well as of governmental policy, was essential to the understanding any famine situation. "Currently, humanitarian relief is often carried out in isolation from the agenda of policy and government reform," said the paper. FEWS Net/CARE emphasised that media organisations must accurately report on the causes of famines, as well as on "the event". "Promoting a public discussion of the underlying causes is central to forming effective policies and governance structures aimed at eliminating famine." Local media could play a more effective advocacy role, said FEWS Net/CARE. "As long as the media continues to focus on famines as news 'events' there is likely to be little pressure for change." The "rural bias" of early warning and response systems required review, added the paper, as famines were not exclusively rural. Links between HIV/AIDS and food security were also increasingly important, with the current food crisis in southern Africa being partly linked to the pandemic in the region.