National Food Security Strategy

National Food Security Strategy is a national Strategy with a cross-sectoral approach. The main objectives of the Strategy are stated as to cut food insecurity by one-third by 2015, to make 90 percent of the population food secure by 2020 and to reduce child malnutrition by at least one percentage point per annum.
The Strategy pays special attention to children’s nutrition and health, by reason of their role in the future development of the society and economy and their high vulnerability. To avoid hunger, especially in rural areas, the average diet consists of calorie-dense cereal products by more than half. Underlying causes of deterioration of Yemen’s food security at the national level are declined oil exports and increased food imports. One of the major policy action is petroleum subsidy reform. A reduction of fuel subsidies is expected to have positive effect as freeing up a large share of the government budget to be spent on measures that improve food security. In order to improve food security and allow for accelerated and sustainable socioeconomic development, Water sector reform will be critical. The successful management of reducing overall groundwater use and the redistribution of water from agriculture to other economic activities and human consumption will play a decisive role for Yemen’s future food security. Because of the importance and urgency of this issue, Yemen has developed a comprehensive water strategy. Investing to expand drinking water supply is an additional measure taken by the Government to reach the food security goals and to reduce child malnutrition in particular. Access to clean drinking water affects people’s nutritional status especially through its direct consumption. In both rural and urban areas, improved access to water has a positive effect on the nutritional health of children and other individuals. Coordination between grain reserves and other food security programs including NGO-run food aid, school feeding and food-for-work programs is critical for the efficiency of the grain reserve and the overall functioning of all food security programs in a country.
A reduction of fuel subsidies is also expected to have positive effect as freeing up a large share of the government budget to be spent on measures that sustainably increase agricultural productivity. Reduced water availability is one the challenge of agricultural and food production in the future. Reducing qat production is one the options to maintain current food production levels.
To raise awareness of the central role of women for food security by improving women’s educational attainment, economic participation, health status and empowerment, more effort is needed. There are also key areas of investment including programs related to breastfeeding education, nutrition education, hygiene awareness building, family planning, birth after-care and child growth-monitoring in addition to the existing birth assistance and immunization programs. Reduction of fuel subsidies is mainly driven by rising wages and employment in all sectors, also in sectors where the food insecure work. In order to be pro-food insecure and pro-poor in the long run, private sector-driven growth needs to be both socially and environmentally sustainable. Many promising sectors generate employment in rural areas.
In Yemen’s situation of limited production-side potential and rapidly increasing food demand, the supply of food can only be achieved by trading in the global market. Attracting foreign direct investments in labor‐intensive sectors, where Yemen has a comparative advantage, will make an important contribution towards achieving the food security goals. Foreign investments comes with new technologies and fresh market opportunities.
Food security is highly vulnerable to shocks such as food price surges and climate variability. Prevention of the external shocks is often only possible to a limited extent. But preparedness, emergency relief and disaster management plans can cushion the adverse effects of these shocks on food security. To deal with emergencies such as global food price crisis and natural disasters, if appropriate measures are implemented, food security will be substantially improved.
The Food Security Committee comprises of all relevant ministries, agencies and other actors, including the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Industry and Trade, Ministry of Public Health and Population, Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, Ministry of Water and Environment, Ministry of Fish Wealth, the Social Welfare Fund, Social Fund for Development, and civil society groups are all key players in the effort to improve food security in Yemen.