When emergencies last for decades. How to improve food security in protracted crises ?

33 countries currently face a food security crisis, 14 of which have been in this situation for more than a decade. When emergencies continue for such extended periods of time, traditional humanitarian and development paradigms are not suitable for guiding effective responses. Rather than engaging in relief programmes, interventions should follow longer term strategies and build on local institutions. This FAO policy brief propose recommandations for future action:

• In order to deal with protracted crises, short-term relief programmes need to be coupled with measures to address the underlying causes of food insecurity
• Interventions must build on local institutions and livelihood adaptation strategies to achieve more sustainable solutions
• The current aid architecture needs to be more flexible and support longer term interventions and development approaches, even during acute crisis situations.

FAO, Economic and Social Perspectives - February 2010