ECO/FAO POLICY ANALYSIS  

WORKSHOP ON FOOD SECURITY

Almaty, 21 October, 2003

PRESS RELEASE
 

         A five days workshop on Policy Analysis on Food Security for National Focal Points and Consultants of the ECO member states in the field of Food Security started on 20 October 2003 in Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan with the participation of six member countries.

         FAO and ECO are jointly organizing this workshop within the framework of Technical Cooperation Programme for preparation of a Food Security Programme for the ECO Region. 

         The workshop aims at training the National Focal Points and ECO officials in project/programme identification, formulation, appraisal, monitoring and evaluation as well as to focus on policy analysis issues and tools pertaining to Food Security in the ECO Region.

         The workshop is discussing following topics (1) Food security and its measurement, and comparative analysis of food security situation in the ECO region (2) macroeconomic concepts (3) types of policies and policy cycle (4) policy analysis matrix and its application (5) Competitiveness of the agricultural sector (6) Water and food security (7) Trade policies and food security impact of policy analysis and (8) Agriculture and regional food security, and country presentations.

         Food security is shortly defined as every individual’s access to food at all times for maintaining an healthy and active life. In the ECO region there are serious food  security problems especially in Afghanistan and Tajikistan and specific parts of the region.  ECO countries had 60 million undernourished people in 2000 which corresponded to 15.6 % of the total population. 

         One of the objectives of the ECO is to enhance effective utilization of the agricultural potentials of the region. Agriculture sector has been major economic contributor to national economies of the ECO member countries generating 23.4% of GDP and employing 42% of the economically active population in the region in 2000. In fact, 26% land was cultivated in 2000, as compared to 49% potentially cultivable area indicates the prospects for increasing agricultural production through intensification process and expansion of cultivated area in the region. Some uncultivated areas in the region can easily be cultivated by the establishment of effective irrigation systems and adoption of other measures.

          ECO has recently launched a food security project with technical and financial assistance of FAO to address the food security problems in the region. Some of these problems and challenges are transitional situation, war and civil conflicts, insufficiency of data, economic constraints, need for capacity building (policy makers/analysts  and policy researchers), land use and farming system, lack of rural financing, pollution issues and population growth. 

          The workshop will function  mainly as a training program but it is also expected that a set of recommendations will be considered to address the food security problems in the region.

         The workshop will be followed by a meeting of National Consultants on Food Security on 27-28 October 2003 in Almaty. The National Consultants from ECO member states will be responsible, among others, to assemble all materials related to food security policies and programmes in their respective countries.

[Home]  [Contact us]  [Feedback]  [Back]