The recurrence and magnitude of food crises in Southern Africa underscore the need to improve prevention and response mechanisms in order to address the determinants and the dynamic nature of food insecurity, at both national and regional levels. The strong upward trends and increased variability in global food prices over the past two years have led to concern about the lack of sufficient information to gauge the likely effects of global food crises on the SADC country and to identify, design, and implement policy actions that can best avoid risks and take advantage of opportunities.

The SADC Food Security Summit held in Dar es Salaam in 2004 emphasized the need to strengthen national early warning systems; enhance vulnerability monitoring capabilities; and develop a Regional Integrated Agricultural Information System to enhance agricultural development and sustainable food security in the subregion.

Food security information is provided through a myriad of sources operated by governments, donors, multi-laterals and NGOs in Southern Africa. Designers and implementers of FSIS need to enhance the credibility of the information through a process of consultation and coordination. Clear communication strategy and capacity building will allow policy makers to understand how the information is derived and analysis undertaken.

FSIS outputs have been characterized by the continued primacy of a food response despite their dual expected role in informing both relief and developmental actions. The paucity of data on costs of FSIS and their various components constitutes a severe constraint on financial planning and sustainability. The lack of coordination has led to duplication/wastage, lack of standardization of information and confusion for decision makers.

While mainly focusing on food supply, FSIS in the SADC region lack information about underlying livelihoods and assets, longer-term vulnerability analysis and poverty monitoring. They are still weak in terms of collecting, packaging and disseminating information about people’s ability to gain access to food, as well as the availability of food. There are concerns about the accuracy and reliability of some data.  Linkages of FSIS to trade policy and private sector decision-makers are poor. This limits the potential for private sector mitigation activities and response to disasters.
The Food Security Early Warning Systems (FEWS), as a major component of FSIS in the SADC, do not monitor the existence and potential effects of HIV/AIDS. Heavily dependent on external resources and orientated to climatic shocks, they are almost always aimed at monitoring rural populations despite rapidly increasing urban poverty and vulnerability.

It is against this background that the ECA-SA, in collaboration with the SADC Secretariat and FEWS NET Southern Africa, is organizing a Seminar. The meeting will discuss issues, challenges and constraints faced by FSIS in the sub region and provide a forum through which different stakeholders will make recommendations aimed at strengthening the food security information value chain in the sub region.
To assist Members States in facing these challenges, and as part of its Multi-Year Programme with the SADC, ECA-SA will prepare an issue paper on “enhancing the effectiveness of food security information systems in the SADC Subregion” and present it to the Seminar. The Paper will review issues and challenges faced by member States and other stakeholders in developing FSIS and make recommendations to strengthen the production, delivery and consumption of quality agricultural and food security information in the SADC region.