Due to capacity gaps in producing high-quality data, some African countries have yet to conduct a thorough analysis of the two FAO indicators used to monitor progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 2, which aims to achieve zero hunger, improve nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture.
These two critical food security indicators are the Prevalence of Undernourishment (PoU) and the Prevalence of Moderate or Severe Food Insecurity in the population, based on the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES).
To address this issue, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has collaborated with the Government of Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries to enhance the capacities of stakeholders in Tanzania, Mali, Angola, and Senegal.
This collaboration aims to help these countries analyze food security and nutrition data more effectively and monitor SDG Target 2 using standardized tools, enabling country, region, and international comparability. The goal is to promote partnerships that will help end hunger.
During an event held to disseminate the national food and nutrition security reports and evaluate the achievements of the project, Ahmad Babagana, FAO Representative for South Africa, highlighted the project’s successes. Not only has it encouraged the production of more accurate and timely data on food security and nutrition, but it has also provided valuable insights into the food security and nutrition situation in the four participating countries. In addition, the project has established partnerships throughout its implementation process.
Masahiro Hosaka, the Deputy Director of the Statistics Planning Division at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (MAFF) of Japan, shared his thoughts on the project’s achievements. He expressed his hope that the statistical information generated by the project would prove useful in the future, and that the participating countries would continue to use the knowledge and skills gained from the project. The MAFF of Japan has pledged to remain committed to improving agricultural statistics in the African region.
