Special Focus: Food Security in Liberia

9. Uganda
10. Zambia

Introduction

Continuing peace in Liberia has allowed humanitarian agency activities to be increasingly directed towards repatriation, resettlement and rehabilitation, with programmes shifting from emergency relief to development. As a result, there have been many initiatives to improve understanding of food security at the community level. A definition widely used for food security is the one put forward by the World Bank - 'access by all people at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life. Its essential elements are the availability of food and the ability to acquire it' (World Bank p. 1, 1986). The definition put forward by the ACC/SCN focuses more on the household level - 'a household is food secure when it has access to the food needed for a healthy life for all its members (adequate in terms of quality, safety and cultural acceptability), and when it is not at undue risk of losing such access' (ACC/SCN, p. 30, 1991).

The shift in programmes activities from emergency relief to development in Liberia has prompted this section of the report. This is a departure from the way in which country situations are normally covered in the RNIS Reports in that more emphasis is given to the findings of a number of recent food security assessments. These assessments provide an understanding of the types and appropriateness of survival strategies employed by populations which in turn can lead to the identification of location-specific indicators for early warning and targeting purposes. Such information will become increasingly important as emergency food aid is slowly phased out. Assessment findings will also help inform decisions about how best to support the re-assimilation of returnees into their former homes.

Background

Civil war erupted in Liberia in 1989 leading to widespread displacement both within Liberia and into neighbouring countries, principally Guinea and Cote d'Ivoire. Efforts aimed at ending the fighting were unsuccessful until the signing of the Ajuba Accords in 1995. These accords led to a cease-fire and stipulated a timetable for disarmament and demobilisation. A cease-fire monitoring group (ECOMOG) was deployed along with UN observers. At that time, there were at least 1.7 million people affected by the war.

However, in April 1996, renewed fighting in Monrovia caused a serious setback to the peace process. The intense fighting led to massive population displacements in Monrovia, and widespread looting. Once the fighting abated, Monrovia was faced with a large displaced population, but greatly reduced humanitarian agency capacity. At that time, there were an estimated 285,000 internally displaced people in shelters in Monrovia and over a million people who required humanitarian assistance in the country. In addition there were almost 500,000 Liberian refugees in neighbouring countries. The widespread looting forced the humanitarian community to adopt a minimalist approach to humanitarian assistance programmes, providing life-saving interventions only with a minimum of staff.

Since the April 1996 crisis, peace has slowly established itself. Charles Taylor was elected president in what were declared to be free and fair elections. Assistance provided to the population, whether displaced or war-affected, has mainly been in the form of food aid. Geographic responsibility for these programmes has been divided between WFP and the Catholic Relief Services. The existence of two food aid pipelines has been advantageous as shortfalls with one agency have been offset by borrowing from the other. Major breaks in the food aid pipeline have not occurred.

The nutritional situation in many areas of the country showed similar patterns. High levels of wasting were often found in newly accessible areas. These were brought under control when improved security allowed for continual access. Currently, wasting appears to be low and relatively stable.

Malnutrition in Buchanan over Time

Malnutrition in Gbamga, Bong over Time

Food Security Assessments

The focus of assessments is shifting from anthropometry to food security assessments. It is hoped that the findings of food security assessments will provide an understanding of how communities and groups within communities cope, what are normal coping strategies, and what are distress strategies which would indicate an abnormal situation. This understanding would help identify location-specific food security indicators which could be monitored for early warning. It would also allow for better targeting of resources. This type of monitoring and targeting will become critical as emergency food aid is slowly phased out.

Repatriation of refugees and resettlement of the internally displaced are already underway. Humanitarian efforts are very much focused upon preparing places of return. It is expected that many refugees will return spontaneously making it difficult to know where to target assistance. Improved understanding of the food security environment in places of refugee return is therefore a priority.

Food security assessments are focusing on areas of refugee concentration and those likely to receive returning refugees. For example, an assessment was carried out by SCF(UK) in January 1998 in Vahun, in Lofa county near the border with Sierra Leone. Approximately 65% of the population are refugees from Sierra Leone. The main findings of the assessment are that:

· people have good access to food through their own production or via contract labour for cash or through gifts;

· lack of money is a serious problem;

· access to safe drinking water is a problem;

· roads are in poor condition but there is trade with Sierra Leone.

Since this assessment, there has been an influx of refugees from Sierra Leone into the region, further straining the supply of clean water. The likely impact of this influx can be better understood against the backdrop of the information provided by the food security assessment. New arrivals are likely to benefit from gifts of food from their hosts; the refugees and the indigenous populations are from the same ethnic group and social cohesion is said to be strong. Further income to purchase food would be obtained through contract labour and loans. The large influx is likely to stretch the resources of this area in the short term, and careful monitoring of labour opportunities, availability of food and market prices is essential to determine what interventions, if any, are needed in Vahun.

A food security assessment was carried out among the displaced shelters in and around Monrovia between June and October 1997. The numbers of displaced people increased dramatically after the April 1996 crisis. Many settled spontaneously in abandoned buildings in what are termed 'irregular shelters'. They did not receive food assistance, and conditions in these shelters were generally quite poor. A general ration was distributed in the regular shelters although this was gradually phased out and finally stopped in February 1998 in the belief that these people would be returning home to prepare their fields and that a general ration might encourage them to stay.

The assessment determined that the main sources of food for the displaced population were cash income, allocated food aid and their own production. Cash was obtained by selling wood and charcoal and other small businesses, including the selling of produce grown as part of work contracts on farms. Families considered to be the most food insecure were those without cash to start a small business, or family support or without access to land for gardening. Based on this, interventions aimed at helping start small businesses would be most effective.

A food security assessment in Maryland found that during the war, farmers in the more productive areas of the north-western part of the county largely remained on their land, increasing acreage under cassava cultivation as inputs necessary for rice production became scarce. The majority of refugees have returned, particularly around the Pleebo area, and are operating in a fairly vibrant cash economy, and benefiting from strengthened ties with Ivorians.

School feeding provides a nutritional and economic incentive for families to keep their children in school. It is essential that there is equal coverage in both rural and urban areas and that school records at the beginning of terms are not viewed as attendance records, particularly in the case of tracking boy:girl ratios.

The timely provision of seeds and tools will have the most lasting effects of any input and every effort should be made to allow farmers the means to produce a first harvest of rice by August or September. Storage/preservation improvements are vital as this would promote both the nutritional and economic well being of families. Regular monthly monitoring of sources of income (defined in the full report, see list of sources at the end of this section) together with the costs of the minimum food and non-food basket should be initiated.

A food security assessment was carried out in Zota district of Bong county to determine how recent returnees, mainly from Guinea, are regaining their livelihoods. For many returnees, sale of the harvest in Guinea provided funding to transport the family back to Liberia. Returnees have been earning income to buy food through fishing and small-scale marketing. However, labour is needed to restart farms and investment in agricultural inputs is necessary. These competing demands on limited financial resources mean a decision to support the family's short-term nutritional needs or the longer-term agricultural needs would need to be made.

The provision of aid in such situations would mean people do not have to choose between short- and long-term objectives. The timely provision of aid in the form of tools and seeds to returning communities should not just be seen as being tied to when they are most needed to the increase of choice. Lack of tools leads to lack of income-earning opportunities. Seeds given late will mean that most people will have had to search them out with goods or money that would have been used to buy food or pay school fees. Food-for-work schemes are unlikely to be the best way to provide support to returnees because so much labour is needed to re-establish their homes and farms.

There are major efforts being made by humanitarian agencies to coordinate assessments in Liberia. A 'Food Security Forum' is an initiative just getting started. This is a group of humanitarian agencies -both UN and NGO - concerned with food security who are trying to develop common methodological approaches to assessments and share information amongst agencies. This should help inform agency programming decisions. Furthermore, it would avert duplication of assessments and inappropriate aid programmes.

Conclusion

Assuming there is no deterioration in the security situation, it is likely that many families will be returning home in the coming months. The process of return has already started with large numbers of people returning to prepare and plant their fields. However, it is often the case that only some families members return and it is likely that a more comprehensive repatriation will only occur at the end of the school year (June/July 1998). In anticipation of this, humanitarian agencies must continue to assess the food security situation in areas likely to receive the largest numbers of returnees in order to clarify where resources can most effectively be targeted to best support the process of re-settlement.

Over the next year or two, the shift from emergency relief to more developmental programmes is expected to continue. However, some capacity for emergency response should be maintained, given the fragility of the current peace. Rehabilitation of this country, whose infrastructure has been almost entirely destroyed by years of conflict, will be a long-term process and it will be years before Liberia is restored to its pre-war state.

List of sources:

ACC/SCN (1991) Nutrition-Relevant Actions. Some Experiences from the Eighties and Lessons for the Nineties. Geneva.

ACF Displaced Shelters in Monrovia, Food Security Assessment. June-October 1997.

Personal communications from ACF (Monrovia), CRS (Monrovia), SCF(UK) (Monrovia) and WFP (Monrovia).

SCF (UK) Food Security Assessment Vahun District, Lofa County, Liberia. January 1998.

WFP Briefing Note on Emergency Food in Liberia. Brief note 2.

WFP/ACF/SCF (UK) Summary of Food Security Findings Zota District, Bong County. 4-6 February 1998.

WFP/SCF (UK) Maryland County Food Security Assessment. 11-14 December 1997, Draft Report.

World Bank (1986) Poverty and Hunger: Issues and Options for Food Security in the Developing Countries, Washington, D.C.

The number of cases of malnutrition reported in many areas continues to rise. After some delays, flight clearance was granted to bring relief items to four locations in Bahr-el-Ghazal [FAO 22/12/97, OLS 16/03/98 WFP 30/01/97 06/02/98].

Ethiopian and Eritrean Refugees There are approximately 136,000 Ethiopian and Eritrean refugees in Sudan requiring assistance [DHA Jan-Dec 98].

Overall, the displaced population around Khartoum can be considered to be at moderate risk of malnutrition and associated mortality (category IIb in Table 1) due to past reports of high levels of wasting and limited access by humanitarian agencies. Recently displaced populations around Aweil, Gorgorial and Wau are likely to be at high risk (category IIa), due to inaccessibility. The remaining population in Southern Sudan can be considered to be at moderate risk (category Mb in Table 1), although there are undoubtedly pockets of high risk. The Ethiopian and Eritrean refugees are not currently thought to be at heightened nutritional risk (category IIc in Table 1).

On-going interventions

During the next nine months, large parts of Sudan (especially in the south) are expected to experience the worst humanitarian conditions since 1994. The humanitarian aid strategy in Sudan for 1998 has four overarching goals:

· meeting the most acute needs first. The main focus will be on meeting the emergency needs of those in southern Sudan, the transition zone and the displaced camps and settlements in the greater Khartoum area;

· securing access to areas with populations with acute need and where clearance to assess needs, deliver aid and monitor activities is inconsistent or denied;

· strengthening impact and strategic monitoring;

· insistence on adherence to humanitarian principles by all Operation Lifeline Sudan (OLS) agencies, partners and counterparts [DHA Jan-Dec 98].

9. Uganda

There are currently an estimated 594,000 people in Uganda requiring emergency assistance. This total number is comprised of 162,000 refugees from Sudan, 30,000 from Rwanda and DRC. There are also 402,000 internally displaced people in Uganda requiring assistance. Sporadic insecurity in Northern Uganda continues to be reported. For example, there was an attack by the rebel group the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) on a Sudanese refugee camp in Kitgum district. In addition, heavy rains which have caused flooding through the region, have damaged coffee, tea and cotton crops [IRIN 16-22/01/98, 24/02/98, WFP 16/01/98].

Origin	Sep. 96	Dec. 96	Mar. 97	Jun. 97	Sep. 97	Dec. 97	Mar. 98
Sudanese Refugees	214,000	214,000	225,000	165,000	175,000	176,000	162,000
IDPs	20,000	200,000	200,000	150,000	270,000	382,000	402,000
Rwandan Refugees	7,000	11,500	14,500	17,000	14,000	14,000	15,000
Refugees from DRC	15,800	15,800	28,800	21,000	14,000	14,000	15,000
Total	256,800	441,300	468,300	353,000	473,000	586,000	594,000

There were reports of a new influx of approximately 700 refugees into Uganda in early January. Some of these refugees are Congolese who were initially in camps in Rwanda [WFP 16/01/98].

There are approximately 162,000 Sudanese refugees in Uganda. This total number has decreased since the last RNIS report due to repatriation of some refugees. However, there continue to be new arrivals fleeing periodic insecurity in Sudan [OCHA 01/02/98].

There are currently 402,000 internally displaced Ugandans requiring emergency assistance, a significant increase from earlier planning figures of 256,000. These people have been displaced due to insecurity caused by rebel activity. The current security situation is variable with periods of calm, followed by upsurges in fighting. This sporadic insecurity along with poor road conditions continues to disrupt food deliveries [WFP 23/01/98, 20/02/98]. There are no nutritional details on this displaced population, but continued insecurity, heavy rains and poor road conditions are all leading to disruptions in food deliveries which are likely to be adversely affecting nutritional status.

Overall, the affected population in Uganda can be considered to be at moderate nutritional risk (category IIb in Table 1) due to continuing insecurity.

On-going interventions

IDPs need to be urgently resettled and many will require seeds, tools and plastic sheeting so that they can move out of public buildings. Due to the increased caseload, there may be insufficient stocks of food. Requests for additional food aid assistance should therefore be supported by the donor community.

10. Zambia

There are approximately 34,000 refugees in Zambia requiring emergency assistance. This total number is broken down as follows:

· 1,100 Congolese refugees;
· 32,000 Angolan refugees;
· 700 Rwandan refugees;
· 200 Burundi refugees.