National Food Security Strategy Operationalizing the 7-Point Action Plan:

Presenter: Clemens Breisinger

The 7-Point Action Plan was jointly developed by the Ministries of Planning and International Cooperation; Finance; Trade; Public Health and Population, Agriculture

and Irrigation, Water and Environment; Fish Wealth, as well as the Social Welfare Fund, the Social Fund for Development, the Central Statistics Organization, and the

International Food Policy Research Institute. MOPIC and IFPRI gratefully acknowledge support from the European Union, the

Gesellschaft fuer Internationale Zusammenarbeit, and the World Bank.

7-Point Action Plan: National-level food security

2

2. Improve the business climate to foster pro-food secure private investments in promising sectors It’s jobs, jobs, jobs for the poor

3. Combine qat reduction policies with support for non-qat agricultural development Agricultural transformation

4. Improve risk management and enforce competition among cereal importers and consider physical grain storage for emergencies Food trade revolution

5. Implement the water sector strategy decisively Water, water, water

7-Point Action Plan (contd.): Household-level food security

3

1. Leverage the petroleum subsidy reform to promote food security through direct transfers and investments

Smart transfers

6. Better target public investment to the food insecure and improve service provision, especially in rural areas

Restructure public spending and services

7. Launch high-level awareness campaigns for family planning, healthy nutrition, women’s empowerment and qat

Women empowerment and awareness campaigns

How to operationalize the Plan? Policies, investments and campaigns

National food security

(Availability)

Macroeconomy Key sectors Governance

Food imports/foreign exchange earnings

Human capacity

and productivity

Stability, jobs and

services

Household food security

(Access and utilization)

Income Food Services

Calorie deficiency

Child stunting

Po

lici

es

and

inte

rve

nti

on

s

Crises an

d sh

ocks (

Stab

ility)

Source: Yemen National Food Security Strategy, simplified version)

Speeding-up policy reform is essential:

• Restructuring social security from subsidies to direct, targeted transfers – Expected impact is: lower poverty and budget savings

• Improve the business climate, especially through access to credit, protection of investors, and transparent tax regime – Expected impact is: higher private investments that create jobs

• Consider a consumption tax on qat – Expected impact is: reduction in qat consumption

• Laws and regulations for improving the competitiveness of cereal markets – Expected impact is: lower food prices

• Strengthen institutions – Expected impact is: more efficient and effective service provision

What about public investments?

• Broad investment areas from NFSS

• Overview of public spending allocation budget structure

• Example of resource allocation for growth acceleration (based on Joint Social and Economic Assessment)

Broad investment areas in the NFSS

• Agriculture (based on National Agricultural Strategy)

• Health and nutrition (based National Nutrition Strategy)

• Transport and trade

• Water (based on National Water Strategy)

• Targeted transfers and awareness campaigns

Investments in agriculture

• Productivity of cereals and pro-poor cash crops

• Water-saving technology for better water use efficiency (“more crop per drop”)

• Promotion of alternative crops to qat, for example coffee and cereals

• Renewal of agricultural research and extension

• Land and water management

Investments in health and nutrition

• Family planning

• Upgrading of existing health centers, including medication, equipment and education of health center personnel

• Programs for – breastfeeding education

– nutrition education

– hygiene awareness,

– birth aftercare and child growth

Investments in trade and transport

• Efficiency of supply chains and reduced post-harvest losses

• Infrastructure for better processing and marketing opportunities of private sector

• Strategic grain reserves of around 300MT, but effective governance will be critical for success

• Rural roads using cash for work programs for the poor

• Access to credit for poor rural women

Investments in water

• Improved access to clean drinking water for rural and urban households

• Strengthen capacity for and implementation of integrated water resources management, including groundwater monitoring and control and water quality improvement

Investment in targeted transfers and awareness campaigns

• Expansion of targeted and conditional cash transfers

• Promote awareness campaigns, especially for:

– family planning

– qat consumption

– breastfeeding practices

– healthy nutrition, and

– women’s empowerment.

How much funding is needed to achieve the food security strategy’s objectives?

• Objectives of NFSS:

– Make 90 percent of the population food secure by 2020

– Reduce chronic malnutrition (stunting) among children by at least 10 percentage points by 2020

• Investments will be needed in all priority sectors

Public spending overview Public investments made up only about 10 percent of GDP in 2012,

compared to 24 percent for energy subsidies

Source: IMF 2013, Article IV consultation

Public investment overview by sector Agriculture and health & education make up about 11 percent of

capital spending

Source: Own representation based on MOPIC 2012

How to allocate additional investments by sector? Example of growth acceleration from JSEA

Source: World Bank, EU, UN, IsDB 2012: Joint Social and Economic Assessment

How to allocate investments by governorate? There seems to be no relation between public spending allocation and

food insecurity rates

Source: Yemen National Food Security Strategy, simplified version)

Example of comprehensive food security investment project (1)

Basic infrastructure Costs (US$)

Agriculture

Irrigation program1

Water-harvesting reservoir (including open cisterns, closed tanks, spring

protection works, fencing, protection walls, sedimentation basins,

conveyance canals, water-drawing pipes), average cost per unit 33,700

Trade and transportation

Road network1

Asphalt main road, per km 70,100

Feeder unpaved road, per km 37,800

Health and education

Water and sanitation

Nonmechanized community spring water system, per capita1 50

Piped drinking water connection in the house through drinking water network,

per capita2 6

Piped sewage water connection in the house through sewage network, per

capita2 19

Combined drinking water and sewage water connection in the house through

networks (full coverage, gradual) , per capita2 21.5

Electricity1

Community electricity program with generator, per capita 37

Health facilities3

Construction (new), per unit

Health unit 40,000

Sources: (1) Alcaraz et al. 2010 based on IFAD 2010, specific for Yemen; (2) Hutton and Bartram 2008,

for selected Middle Eastern and North African countries; (3) Compernolle 2005, specific for Yemen; (4) Ogawa 2004, specific for Yemen.

Note: Costs are reported as estimated for the year of the study.

Basic infrastructure Costs ( (US$)

Health center 180,000

Rural hospital 860,000

Governorate hospital 3,225,000

Referral hospital 4,000,000

Upgrade and equipping, per unit

Health unit 27,000

Health center 77,000

Rural hospital 450,000

Governorate hospital 900,000

Referral hospital 2,500,00

Maintenance (annual), per unit

Health unit 3,350

Health center 12,850

Rural hospital 65,500

Governorate hospital 330,000

Referral hospital 464,000

School4

Construction of classroom, per unit 16,000

Example of comprehensive food security investment project (2)

Sources: (1) Alcaraz et al. 2010 based on IFAD 2010, specific for Yemen; (2) Hutton and Bartram 2008,

for selected Middle Eastern and North African countries; (3) Compernolle 2005, specific for Yemen; (4) Ogawa 2004, specific for Yemen.

Note: Costs are reported as estimated for the year of the study.

Spatial monitoring and evaluation system

Access to water % Sanitation facilities %(water <= 40% and

sanitation <= 44%)Number of food

insecure >= 50,000

Accessibility

Access to local markets Access to health facilities

Sources: (1) Alcaraz et al. 2010 based on IFAD 2010, specific for Yemen; (2) Hutton and Bartram 2008,

for selected Middle Eastern and North African countries; (3) Compernolle 2005, specific for Yemen; (4) Ogawa 2004, specific for Yemen.

Note: Costs are reported as estimated for the year of the study.

Next steps

• How much additional funding for food security is requires to achieve the NFSS objectives?

• How to allocate those resources – Across sectors?

– Across governorates/districts?

– Over time from 2014-2020?

• How to monitor and evaluate progress?

• How to foster awareness and information campaigns?

• Close coordination and cross-sector collaboration will be critical for success!