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| | | Title | Food Insecurity in the East African Region: Policy Dilemma | | Author | Laibuni, Nancy ; Omiti, John; Natu, Hellen | | Subject | Food Security | | Publisher | African Research and Resource Forum (ARRF) | | Number of Pages | 15 pages | | Language | English | | Geographical Coverage | Africa | | Keywords | Food Production, Food Imports, Food Insecurity, EAC, East African Community | | Abstract | The countries in the East African region are not able to produce enough food for their population, thus there is high child mortality and a high proportion of people who cannot meet their energy (calorie) requirements. An eclectic approach is used to highlight the various policy interventions that have been used in the region to mitigate food insecurity. In an effort to assure food security countries in the region have applied a cocktail of polices. Broadly, the policy interventions are divided into three, those that focus on cushioning the consumers, those that focus on ensuring that the producers stay in production and those that facilitate trade. These interventions have been carried out intermittently, sometimes with abrupt changes in speed and direction, therefore do not achieve much, because they are costly and unsustainable thus the region continues to suffer from food insecurity. There is need for paradigm shift in the policy direction to focus more on improved food production and productivity, agro-processing and regional trade. In addition, development of technological, infrastructural, and marketing innovations by both the public and private sector should be encouraged. Governments in the region should endevour to provide the necessary economic infrastructure and policy commitments to improve food security region. | | Copyright Holder | African Research and Resource Forum (ARRF) | | Copyright URL | http://www.arrforum.org/ | | Filesize | 259446 MB | | File Format | PDF | | [ View / download original document ] |
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