| dc.description.abstract | Despite the institutional pursuits to ensure food security in the region, the EAC is still engulfed in a pool of food security problems. The study examined the capacity of the existing institutional framework to ensure food security in the EAC in a situation when the old food security constraints have persisted and the region is facing newly emerging challenges which are likely to exacerbate the already devastated food security status. Guided by two paradigms; regionalism and human security, the study employs a qualitative research method to explore descriptions of Key Informants on food security and the EAC.
The study is anchored in an argument that whereas food insecurity in the EAC is largely a result of weather shocks and conflicts, which continue to damage the social and economic fabric, related entitlements and disruption of the already scarce infrastructure, the role of weak institutional frameworks on food security has exacerbated the food security question in the region. The study revealed cases of insufficient food productivity, physical inaccessibility to food, and increasing levels of malnutrition. Areas majorly affected by droughts, floods, pests and diseases and other natural calamities or income demand such as income losses or war and displacement were found to be the most affected. Particularly, for people living in remote areas that do not have good transport and storage infrastructure, especially for perishable food items, which lose their nutritional value and wholesomeness quickly under poor storage conditions, malnutrition is the major problem. Food insecurity in the EAC ranges from severe to extreme and the causes of this are conflicts in areas of South Sudan and the DRC where millions of people face chronic food insecurity. Also, there are cases of seasonal food insecurity in areas like Burundi, Kenya and Uganda where food insecurity is transitory-which all point to institutional weakness to address the food security insufficiencies in the region. This weakness is manifested by the uncoordinated efforts for food production, distribution and storage; poor technology, poor infrastructure, among others, which make it impossible for the regional institutions to ensure food security in the EAC.
The study recommends a number of things that need to be done to boost the institutional capacity to ensure food security in the EAC; the regional group must harmonize the civil unrests that originate from political and governance abnormalities in the region, domestic agricultural production must be boosted to stabilize food prices especially in the face of the shocks, regional institutional framework on food security must ensure that there is improved access to financial services which can help farmers at a regional level make profitable investments, the regional food security institutions must improve food storage, preservation, transport and distribution technologies and infrastructure to reduce seasonal food insecurity. The framework must embark on elimination of food and nutrient loss and waste and establish a formidable social and institutional infrastructure which will help to stabilize domestic food prices and render food more affordable for the poor households especially by giving special attention to empowering the local producers, while recognising that efficient and effective food production technology is key to achieving food and nutrition security objectives. | en_US |
