EU, UN launch €8.6 million food security programme in eastern Sudan

The EU and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) are launching a €8.6 million three-year Food Security Policy and Strategy Capacity Building Programme.The programme, implemented in collaboration with the government of Sudan, strives to strengthen the capacity of government Ministries in Red Sea, Kassala, Gedaref and Blue Nile States of eastern Sudan to make more informed and inclusive food security decisions that can be better implemented and monitored. In the case of Sudan, food security is of particular importance. The programme will be complemented by actions the EU delegation is currently preparing with partners. €20 million will be made available to support small-scale farmers in eastern Sudan. The Food Security Policy and Strategy Capacity Building Programme will build on the achievements made under the EU funded Sudan Institutional Capacity Programme: Food Security Information for Action (SIFSIA) programme.SIFSIA helped build the foundation at the federal level, an integrated and coordinated food security information system through intensive capacity building activities. In contrast to the previous project, which focused on federal level, this new project will pay particular attention to the relevant authorities of Red Sea, Kassala, Gedarif and Blue Nile state, but equally supporting the federal government. The new programme will use the experiences and lessons learned from SISFIA to strengthen the capacities of state governments to formulate food security policies and strategies based on well-researched evidence. The implementation of the new programme is being done by international and national staff recruited by FAO and their counterparts. FAO project staff members are seconded by the line ministries of the four states, based at the Project Support Unit (PSU) established in Khartoum and at the Technical Support Units (TSUs) established in the four states. The field team is supported by technical experts from FAO’s Headquarters in Rome and from FAO’s Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa in Cairo. Ad Spijkers, FAO Representative in Sudan: “In the past, the efforts have been humanitarian in nature and therefore had limitations in tackling the underlying causes of food insecurity. The new programme being launched today aims at a better understanding of the causes of food insecurity so as to design interventions that not only protect livelihoods but contribute to agricultural development and ensure that people’s livelihoods become more resilient.This initiative will be integrated with the National Agricultural Investment Plan (NAIP) which will contribute positively in putting a wide multi-sectoral understanding when designing strategic direction towards agriculture development in Sudan.” File photo Related: EU delegation pledges €80 million for Sudan’s eastern states (10 November 2013)EU-Sudan talks on peace and development in eastern states (22 October 2013)‘30% of eastern Sudan children malnourished’: Hospital Director (26 June 2013)