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Food security – policy issues Increased dependency on food imports – knock on impacts to health and foreign exchange How do global food price increases affect Pacific Island households?. Are households receiving adequate nutrition?.
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Food security – policy issues • Increased dependency on food imports – knock on impacts to health and foreign exchange • How do global food price increases affect Pacific Island households?
Are households receiving adequate nutrition? 75% of Pacific Islanders die prematurely from non-communicable diseases
Food security – policy issues ‘Agriculture, forestry and fisheries are the backbone of our economy’ • To what extent? Numbers employed? Which commodities? Domestic sales? Expenditure on food? Subsistence production? Contribution to GDP?
Difficult to get a clear picture of food and nutritional security in the region Feeds into MDG 1,4,5 What do we need to know?
Number of factors required for food security estimates • Domestic production • Imports and Exports • Seeds, waste, feed • Nutrition factors • Change in stocks • (Remittances)
Food Balance Sheets Measure of food availability From stocks production imports feed, seed & waste Processing / industrial use Exports FOOD Other utilisation Nutrition factors Population Available food and nutrition per capita
SPC/FAO –collaboration on agricultural production, trade stats and FBS • Constraints to complying with international standards and collecting primary data • Trade stats – weak customs data, classification systems, informal trade • Decisions about what is collected often outside the NSOs
SPC/FAO -agricultural production, trade stats and FBS • Data may exist but sitting elsewhere – need champions • Quarantine – need to use HS classifications and record quantity accurately • FBS – accounting for tourist consumption
The way forward? • Integration – better use of admin data • Assistance from FAO available for FBS if data available • Regional trade statistics database – useful for dissemination to users • Use of HIES and census data where possible – FAO scoping study
For discussion • How can we better capture the national food security status? • Where are the main constraints and opportunities? • Experiences with using HIES to provide information