Food assistance is not the only answer to food crises, local food markets must be also supported
Food crises of unprecedented magnitude with several countries in famine
On 16 October 2024, World Food Day will celebrate the right to food[1]. Unfortunately, this right remains theoretical for many people around the world.
Global food security in 2024 is in a critical situation, reaching alarming figures. According to the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report[2], although there has been a slight improvement in the situation in Latin America, food insecurity levels still remain very high in 2024, with 1 in 11 people worldwide suffering from hunger. According to the Global Report on Food Crises[3], nearly 282 million people in 59 countries are acutely food insecure, of which more than 36 million are in food emergencies (classified as Phase 4 in the IPC food insecurity classification system[4]). Many factors, such as conflicts, economic shocks and climate change, continue to aggravate the situation.
Armed conflicts will continue to be the main causes of food crises in 2024. They prevent access to food, destroy agricultural land and infrastructure, and affect supply chains. In Sudan, ongoing clashes have forced millions of people to displace, leading to severe food insecurity for more than 1/3 of the population, increasing the vulnerability of women and children. According to the Famine review committee (FRC), 10% of the population of the Zamzam IDP camp in North Darfur State will remain in a famine situation (IPC Phase 5) based on the projection for the coming months[5] (see map below).
As for the situation in the Gaza Strip, it is the most severe food crisis ever recorded in the history of reports of global food crises. Restrictions on humanitarian access, preventing the delivery of food aid, exacerbate catastrophic levels of food insecurity. 22% of the population is in IPC Phase 5, facing an imminent risk of famine[6].
Food assistance as urgent as support for local food markets
Supporting food markets does not immediately save lives, unlike food assistance. However, the existence of functional and resilient food markets can reduce the risk of intensifying the food crisis in the short to medium term, and even avoid food crisis situations in the long term. Humanitarian actors therefore have a role to play in supporting food markets. This can be done on two levels: 1) by restoring purchasing power to local populations through cash transfers, and 2) by strengthening the capacities of food markets.
A report by the Cash Consortium of Sudan[7] made the alarming observation last April that “if food is available in local markets, people cannot afford to buy it. And although the humanitarian trucks are loaded with food aid, they cannot reach the vast majority of communities in need due to access constraints. The “in-kind” food assistance modality is used in contexts where food markets do not function or are not accessible by the population for reasons of insecurity, for example. In this case, NGOs ensure the purchase and transport of food to the populations. But in the case of Sudan as described above, in the areas where food markets are still supplied and accessible, food assistance via “cash transfers” is possible. Today, many NGOs such as Solidarités International use this form of assistance.
Money or vouchers are distributed to people who can then go and buy the food they need, according to their socio-cultural preferences and from their usual traders. This is completely different from “in-kind” food aid where in general a single composition food kit is distributed to all beneficiary households at distribution sites where they have to wait their turn, often for several hours. In the case of “cash” assistance, the money from humanitarian aid is thus “reinvested” in local markets, which are also impacted by shocks (conflicts, inflation, etc.) and need their usual clientele to continue to function.
In parallel with this cash assistance restoring purchasing power to the population, humanitarian actors can therefore contribute to rehabilitating the capacities of local markets. Solidarités International is part of this approach in Sudan and has just started a project aiming at supporting local traders through various activities: providing equipment or cash to revive their commercial activities, helping to transport goods or rehabilitating storage spaces in markets. The objective of Solidarités International is to be able to increase the availability and diversity of food on local markets while guaranteeing reasonable prices.
In the current context of reduced humanitarian funding, the tendency of many donors is to focus on financing what they consider to be “life saving” assistance, which means, among other things, emergency food assistance. However, this assistance, which is extremely expensive (especially in the case of “in-kind” assistance), remains a short-term solution. Supporting the resilience of local food markets remains an essential response to fight food insecurity, both in the short and long term. In addition to ensuring the availability of food, these markets support an entire local economy and provide jobs throughout the food chain from agricultural production, to the transportation, processing and sale of food products. According to iPES FOOD[8], local markets are the backbone of food systems in many countries and regions. They make a key contribution to food security, equity and sustainability.
It is important that donors maintain their funding for food markets support integration in their emergency responses to food crises, even when budgets are tight.
Authors:
Julie Mayans works at the headquarters of the NGO Solidarités International as head of the Food Security & Livelihoods department. She has 17 years of experience in this sector and has worked in the field in many countries in Africa, Latin America and the Middle East on projects ranging from food assistance to agricultural development.
Pauline de Montalembert is currently Assistant to the Director of operations at Solidarités International. After studying law and international relations, she is currently studying for the NOHA Master’s degree (Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s Degree in International Humanitarian Action).
[1] This is a right provided for in various international legal texts, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights of 1966.
[2] FAO. (2024). The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2024 https://doi.org/10.4060/cd1254en
[3] 2024 Global Report on Food Crises. (2024), Food Security Information Network https://www.fsinplatform.org/report/global-report-food-crises-2024/
[4] IPC Overview and Classification System | IPC – Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (ipcinfo.org)
[5] IPC_Famine_Review_Committee_Report_Sudan_July2024.pdf (ipcinfo.org)
[6] IPC_Famine_Review_Committee_Report_Gaza_June2024.pdf (ipcinfo.org)
[7] Cash Consortium of Sudan (CCS), “From Feasible to Life-Saving – The Urgent Case for Cash at Scale in Sudan” (April 2024) https://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/cash-consortium-sudan-ccs-feasible-life-saving-urgent-case-cash-scale-sudan-april-2024
[8] Anchored Food: Territorial Markets as Pillars of Resilience and Food Security. (2024). IPES-FOOD ((international panel of experts on sustainable food systems). https://ipes-food.org/fr/report/alimentation-ancree/
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