2016 Near East and North Africa Regional Overview of Food ...

1 2016. 2016. Near East and North Africa Regional Overview of food insecurity Sustainable agriculture Water Management is Key to Ending Hunger and to Climate Change Adaptation food AND agriculture ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS. CAIRO, 2017. Required citation: FAO. 2017. Near East and North Africa Regional Overview of food insecurity 2016. Cairo, pp. 35. The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the food and agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

2 The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by FAO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. ISBN 978-92-5-109648-2. FAO encourages the use, reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product. Except where otherwise indicated, material may be copied, downloaded and printed for private study, research and teaching purposes, or for use in non- commercial products or services, provided that appropriate acknowledgement of FAO as the source and copyright holder is given and that FAO's endorsement of users' views, products or services is not implied in any way.

3 All requests for translation and adaptation rights, and for resale and other commercial use rights should be made via or addressed to FAO information products are available on the FAO website ( publications). and can be purchased through FAO, 2017. CONTENTS. iv Foreword v Acknowledgements vi Abbreviations and Acronyms vii List of Figures, Tables and Boxes viii Country and Territory Abbreviations 1 Part I. food insecurity : Prevalence and Trends 4 Part II. The Four Pillars of food Security and Nutrition 14 Part III. Policy Commitments and Experiences to End Hunger, Achieve food Security and Improved Nutrition and Promote Sustainable agriculture (SDG 2): A Focus on Water and Climate Change 26 Bibliography Foreword T.

4 He first edition of the Regional Overview of food insecurity , Near East and North Africa , launched in 2015, took stock of the progress made in the region towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This second edition of the Regional Overview coincides with the adoption of the sustainable development agenda and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the agreement on climate change reached at the 21st Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP21) in Paris. The report therefore takes into account this context and gives particular attention to the situation of food insecurity from the sustainability perspective, in particular SDG 2, which aims to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture .

5 In analysing the food insecurity situation in the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region, the report uses both the prevalence of undernourishment and food insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) which are agreed upon indicators for the tracking of Target of SDG 2. Most countries in the NENA region enjoyed a steady improvement in their food security and nutrition situation up to the beginning of the decade. food production was rising and the prevalence of undernourishment and poverty was receding as well as the prevalence of stunting and anaemia. The food security and nutrition situation has, however, sharply deteriorated since 2012.

6 Not only the prevalence of undernourishment, but even the numbers of undernourished have increased. The first assessment made by the food and agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) using FIES data reveals that the region has a very high proportion of people experiencing problems of access to food at moderate or severe levels, second only to sub-Saharan Africa . The deterioration of the food security situation is largely driven by the spreading and intensity of conflicts and protracted crises. The Syria crisis in particular has deepened during the period 2015-2016, leaving more than half of the population in need of food assistance and million refugees, mostly in neighbouring countries.

7 The numbers of food insecure and the internally displaced are also rising in Iraq and Yemen. Beyond conflicts and crises, the report argues that water scarcity and climate change are the most fundamental challenges to the achievement of SDG 2. Water scarcity is the binding factor to agricultural production in the NENA region and the driver of the region's dependency on food imports. Building on the evidence accumulated in the framework of FAO's Water Scarcity Regional Initiative for NENA, the report shows that climate change is expected to affect the four dimensions of food security: availability, access, stability and utilization.

8 Most of the impacts of climate change will be channelled through the water sector. The Regional Overview underlines the urgency to develop and implement strategies for sustainable management of water resources and to adapt to the climate change impact on water and agriculture . The report documents several positive experiences in sustainable management of water resources and climate change adaptation in the region. It highlights the importance of accelerating investments aimed at improving water efficiency and water productivity as well as the need for a shift in cropping patterns towards less water-consuming crops.

9 The report explores other major options for the adaptation to climate change impacts on water and agriculture , including the need for designing and implementing social protection measures for building resilience of farmers to extreme events, cutting food losses and improving trade policies. The report stresses on the importance of building a strong evidence base for assessing the impact of climate change on food security and for the formulation of sound and flexible water adaptation measures and agricultural policies. It calls for strengthened Regional collaboration to face the massive challenge of water scarcity and climate change, building on the strong political will expressed by the leaders of the region and building on the positive experiences in many countries.

10 FAO is already supporting countries in the region to improve the management of their water resources in the context of the Water Scarcity Regional Initiative, adopted by the League of Arab States. Now is the time to promote and implement an integrated policy framework to achieve SDG 2 and adapt to climate change. Abdessalam Ould Ahmed Assistant Director-General/ Regional Representative Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa iv Acknowledgements T. he Near East and North Africa Regional Overview of food insecurity is a publication prepared by the Regional Office for Near East and North Africa (RNE) of the food and agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), led by its Regional Representative Abdessalam Ould Ahmed.