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Disaster Risk Management Strategy in West Africa and the Sahel | FAO (2011-2013)








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    Document
    FAO Regional Programme Framework for Disaster Risk Management 2010 -2013
    Reducing and managing disaster risk to improve food and livelihood security in Eastern and Central Africa
    2010
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    Each year, countries in the Eastern and Central region of Africa (ECA) experience the highest number of natural hazards and people -induced disasters in all of Africa. More and more people are adversely affected by natural hazards, such as droughts and floods, as well as crop and livestock diseases, civil conflicts, unstable market conditions and volatile food prices, gender inequalities and HIV. As they result in the loss of lives, assets and livelihoods, these natural and people-induced disast ers affect men and women differently and, at the same time, weaken the social support systems. Given the complex nature of often simultaneous and protracted crises affecting ECA, coordinated action towards adopting a more holistic approach is needed. Such an approach would integrate disaster risk reduction (pre-disaster preparedness, prevention and mitigation) into emergency response and post-disaster recovery strategies. In line with this need, FAO has elaborated a new Strategic Framewo rk that will serve as the foundation for the regional disaster risk management (DRM) programme in Eastern and Central Africa. The regional approach is based on the new corporate strategy aimed at improving preparedness and response to food and agricultural threats and emergencies by effectively linking short- and long-term interventions through disaster risk reduction (preparedness, prevention and mitigation), emergency response and transition options. This Regional DRM Programme Framewo rk provides an integrated approach to disaster risk reduction (DRR) and DRM interventions on natural hazards, crises and threats common to countries in ECA and acts as a platform for the development of national Plans of Action (PoAs). This Framework is intended as a working document, subject to change, aimed at supporting the development and implementation of DRR and DRM efforts in food and agriculture in coordination with governments, regional economic commissions (RECs), African Union (AU), UN -system, particularly the other two Rome-based agencies (the World Food Programme [WFP] and the International Fund for Agricultural Development [IFAD]), NGOs and other stakeholders in the region. Three main programme priorities are foreseen for 2010-2013: (1) to enhance and promote risk reduction concepts and practices in programming; (2) to increase the timeliness and quality of emergency response to disasters, crises and threats; and (3) to integrate transition concepts and linkages related t o transforming risks into programming. The overall objective of the Regional DRM Programme Framework is to lessen the adverse impacts of hazards, to reduce vulnerability and to strengthen community resilience, in an effort to help the countries in the region to become more food secure and to enable them to focus on developing sustainable food and agriculture systems. The following countries will be covered by this regional programme: Burundi, the Central African Republic (CAR), the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Somalia, Tanzania and Uganda.
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    Document
    Good Practices for Hazard Risk Management in Agriculture. Summary Report Jamaica 2008
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    The vulnerability of the Caribbean region to hydro- meteorological hazards such as hurricanes, floods, drought, high magnitude rainfall and related hazards such landslides is underscored. The recurrent impacts of these events have wreaked havoc on environment, economy and society throughout the region. Although the contribution of agriculture to Caribbean regional GDP has steadily declined over the last two decades, this sector has remained a major employer of labour and as such a main player in the livelihood profile of the region. The extreme vulnerability of the agricultural sector to a variety of hazards/disaster has been a perpetual focus of hazard/disaster management and interventions in the Caribbean. Over the past decade, the FAO has regular responded to the relief/rehabilitation/reconstruction needs of the sector in the aftermath of hurricane-related disasters. While such response and rehabilitation interventions are important, the extent of devastation caused to the agricultu ral sector by the 2004-2005 hurricane seasons stresses the need to move from a reactive to a proactive mode in order to facilitate more long term and sustainable benefits form interventions. It is in recognition of the immense negative impact of the 2004 hurricane season on the agricultural landscape of the Caribbean region and in response to the urgent call for assistant from regional policy makers, that the Food and Agricultural Organization funded the regional project Assistance to improve lo cal agricultural emergency preparedness in Caribbean countries highly prone to hydro-meteorological hazards/disasters. Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba and Grenada were among the worst affected countries by hurricane-related disasters during 2004-2005, hence the urgent need to emphasize preparedness as a mitigation strategy for the impacts of these events. While the aforementioned countries all have Disaster and Risk Management (DRM) frameworks that address preparedness and mitigation issues to different extent and involve a wide cross-section of stakeholders, there are weaknesses in linking long-term development planning within the agricultural sector with the realities and projections of recurrent natural hazards/disasters and improving preparedness and mitigation measures. Until relatively recently, DRM has followed the traditional path of emphasis at the national and regional levels with scant regard for community level needs. Over the last 5 years the Caribbean region has been experiencing a paradigm shift in this regard, with increased recognition of the importance and advantages of community-based disaster management planning. It is this approach to DRM, which was applied in the regional FAO project. The project was organized in two phases. The first evaluated the DRM framework as well as identified and documented good practices employed by Jamaican small farmers in mitigating the impacts of hydrometeorological hazards in three pilot sites as well as in the broader agro-ecolo gical environment. The second phase involved the implementation of good practices – in case of Jamaica the Hedgerow/alley cropping technique in a selected community. The implementation process was undertaken in collaboration with the Rural Agricultural Development Authority and involved the provision of technical training as well as material inputs to participating farmers while at the same time ensuring that the project outputs are sustainable. Over 90 farmers, school children and agricultural extension officers were trained in the implementation of the technique while over 60 farmers benefited form the provision of inputs. Sustainability of project outputs was integral to the implementation process and in that regard various measures were implemented to ensure expansion of the technique beyond the pilot site as well as ensure sustainability. A number of important lessons were learned from the good practice implementation process, the most significant of which related to the role of N GO’s in the implementation of community level projects. Lessons learned and recommendations arising from the project are discussed later in this report
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    Brochure, flyer, fact-sheet
    Strengthening resilience to food and nutrition insecurity in the Sahel and West Africa
    Good Practices Booklet
    2016
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    In the Sahel, around 65 percent of the active population works in the agriculture sector and their livelihoods are therefore affected by climate change, markets and environmental factors. More than half of these are women. Recurring crises pose real concerns for the achievement of sustainable food and nutrition security in the region. The root causes of vulnerability to food insecurity and malnutrition are complex and multidimensional. They are linked to a range of closely related factors, such as poverty, health, hygiene, access to basic social services, dietary behaviour, socio-cultural norms, weak production levels, access to markets and the inadequacy of some public policies, as well as to climate variations and other frequent shocks, which result in large numbers of people being plunged into an almost permanent state of fragility. To address these recurrent crises, analytical tools to assess the situation and identify vulnerable populations have been set in place in the region and refined in recent years (including first and foremost the Cadre Harmonisé). In addition, innovative practices have been developed, to support risk reduction, climate change adaptation, the fight against malnutrition and social protection (particularly through approaches based on social safety nets and cash transfers). Among other achievements, the Knowledge Share Fair organized by CILSS, IGAD, FAO and their partners in 2013, in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, offered an opportunity for national and international actors to exchange experiences of these food related practices. This booklet presents eleven good practices that were developed during the Knowledge Share Fair, with the aim of promoting their dissemination and replication at regional and international level.

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