Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament An EU policy framework to assist developing countries in addressing food security challenges SEC(2010)379
Date: 2010-03-31
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU policy, developing countries, development policy, food aid, food production, food resources, hunger, malnutrition, security of supply

EN 

EN 

   EN 

 
 
EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

Brussels, 31.3.2010 
COM(2010)127 final 

. 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE 
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 

An EU policy framework to assist developing countries in addressing food security 
challenges 

SEC(2010)379 

EN 

   EN 

 
 
 
1. 

RATIONALE  

In  recent  years,  hunger  and  malnutrition  have  increased;  in  2010,  over  1  billion  people  are 
considered  to  be  food  insecure.  Food  insecurity  affects  human  development,  social  and 
political  stability,  and  progress  towards  achieving  the  Millennium  Development  Goals 
(MDGs).  Fragile  states  in  particular  encounter  severe  difficulties  in  achieving  MDG  1  – 
eradicating extreme poverty and hunger.  

Soaring food prices on global markets in 2007-08 sparked a rethink of global food security. 
The United Nations (UN) High Level Task Force (HLTF) on the Global Food Security Crisis 
was  set  up  to  enhance  coordination  within  the  UN;  the  Global  Partnership  on  Agriculture, 
Food  Security  and  Nutrition  (GPAFSN)  was  launched;  and  G8  leaders  agreed  a 
comprehensive agenda on food security at the Summit in L'Aquila in 2009.  

The European Union (EU) reacted to the growing food security challenges with an additional 
€1 billion 'Food Facility' 1 as a temporary measure to support those developing countries worst 
affected.  The  EU  and  its  Member  States  are,  and  have  been  for  many  years,  the  most 
important and reliable players in world food security, both financially and politically. 

Recent  developments  and  future  challenges  require  a  new  common  food  security  policy, 
further  strengthening  EU  leadership  in  the  global  food  security  agenda,  and  improving  the 
effectiveness of EU assistance, in line with the Lisbon Treaty2, the EU2020 initiative3 and the 
European  Consensus  on  Development4.  Future  food  security  challenges  include  population 
growth,  pressures  on  natural  resources  and  ecosystem  services,  and  adverse  impacts  of 
climate change on agriculture, affecting growing conditions and making adaptation measures 
necessary. Moreover, key issues in the current food security agenda, such as nutrition, price 
volatility,  social  protection  and  safety  nets,  biofuels,  food  safety,  research  and  innovation, 
large-scale land acquisition, and the “Right to Food” concept5 need integration into an overall 
policy framework.  

The objective of this Communication is to provide a common policy framework for the EU 
and its Member States in the fight against world hunger and malnutrition, thereby contributing 
towards  achieving  MDG  1.  It  is  coherent  with  other  thematic  papers  (on  education,  health, 
gender  and  tax  governance)  and  the  2010  Spring  Development  package,  which  together  set 
out  an  EU  position  for  the  UN  High  Level  Event  on  MDGs  in  September  2010.  This 
Communication  is  complemented  by  a  Communication  on  Humanitarian  Food  Assistance6, 
which focuses on emergency and post-emergency contexts.  

1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 

COM(2010)81 for progress report. 
Article 210  
COM(2010) 2020 
2006/C 46/01. 
Article 11 of the UN Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, (1966/1976).  
COM(2010)126  

EN 

2 

   EN 

 
                                                 
2. 

A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH TO FOOD SECURITY  

The proposed policy framework addresses food security challenges in developing countries in 
both  rural  and  urban  contexts  across  the  internationally  recognised  four  pillars7  by:  1) 
increasing  availability  of  food;  2)  improving  access  to  food;  3)  improving  nutritional 
adequacy of food intake; and 4) enhancing crisis prevention and management. It is based on 
the Rome principles on food security.8 In particular it recognises that food security strategies 
need  be  country-owned  and  country-specific,  elaborating  an  appropriate  balance  between 
support to national production and covering food needs through trade.  

Progress on food security and achieving MDG1 has been uneven geographically and between 
population  groups.  Although  there  are  food  security  challenges  across  the  world,  most 
progress remains to be made in Africa and in countries in fragile situations. According to the 
2009  MDG  Report9,  the  proportion  of  undernourished  population  in  Sub-Saharan  Africa, 
decreased  from  32%  (1990-92)  to 29%  in  2008.  The  comparable  figures  for  Southern  Asia, 
the region with the second highest undernourishment rates, were 24% and 21% respectively.10 
Moreover, the latest figures for fragile countries show a rate of undernourishment of 31.4% 
compared to 14.5% for non fragile countries. While malnutrition is still predominantly a rural 
phenomenon, urbanisation implies that, in the longer run, food insecurity is likely to become 
more pressing in urban areas.  

EU action needs to give priority to those food insecure countries most off-track in reaching 
MDG1,  in  particular  in  Africa,  but  also  South  Asia  and  elsewhere  (e.g.  Bangladesh, 
Cambodia, Haiti, Nepal, Timor Leste)11. Given the nature of related MDGs that are also off-
track, a specific investment in women will be required12.  

Furthermore,  evidence13  shows  that  investments  in  the  smallholder  sector  yield  the  best 
returns  in  terms  of  poverty  reduction  and  growth.  This  new  EU  framework  therefore 
concentrates  on  enhancing  incomes  of  smallholder  farmers  and  the  resilience  of  vulnerable 
communities, supporting the resolve of countries that prioritise agriculture and food security 
in their development efforts. 

2.1. 

Increasing availability of food 

World  population  is  estimated  to  reach  9  billion  by  2050  and,  as  diets  change  and  incomes 
increase, demand for food is likely to grow by 70%14. This requires accelerated agricultural 
production growth, including in countries where  populations grow fastest. In  many  of  those 
countries,  natural  resource  limitations,  exacerbated  by  climate  change,  place  increasing 
demands on the efficient use of those resources. 

7 

8 
9 
10 

11 
12 
13 
14 

Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). 1996. Rome Declaration on World Food Security and World 
Food Summit Plan of Action. 
Declaration of the World Summit on Food Security, 2009. 
UN, the Millennium Development Goals Report 2009. 
In absolute numbers, more than half of the world's undernourished (642 million in 2009) are living in 
Asia and the Pacific; proportionally, figures are considerably higher in Africa where progress has also 
been less pronounced in the last decade.  
UN statistics on progress towards the MDGs, see www.devinfo.info/mdginfo2009/ 
See also SEC(2010) 265 
World Bank – World Development Report 2008.  
FAO 2009. How to feed the world in 2050. 

EN 

3 

   EN 

 
                                                 
Most  of  the  poor  and  hungry  in  the  world  live  in  rural  areas,  where  agriculture  -  including 
crops,  livestock,  fisheries  and  forestry  -  forms  the  main  economic  activity.  Small-scale 
farming  is  dominant:  about  85%  of  farmers  in  developing  countries  produce  on  less  than  2 
hectares of land. Mixed crop/livestock smallholding systems produce about half of the world's 
food.15  Therefore,  sustainable  small-scale  food  production  should  be  the  focus  of  EU 
assistance  to  increase  availability  of  food  in  developing  countries.  It  has  multiple  effects  of 
enhancing incomes and resilience for rural producers, making food available for consumers, 
and maintaining or enhancing environmental quality. When supporting small-scale agriculture 
that  are  sustainable  and 
EU  assistance  should  prioritise 
ecologically  efficient,  respecting  the  diverse  functions  of  agriculture.  This  means  inter  alia 
optimising  agri-inputs,  integrated  pest  management,  improved  soil  and  water  management 
and stress resistant crop varieties16. For this approach to be successful, production needs to be 
seen  in  a  value  chain  context,  with  adequate  access  to  financing,  processing  and  markets, 
where small and medium enterprises and rural micro-finance can play a key role. Under the 
right  conditions,  public-private  partnerships  can  play  an  important  role  in  boosting 
agricultural productivity.  The  EU  and  its  Member  States  should  also  support  initiatives  that 
reduce  post-harvest  losses,  enhance  storage  capacity  and  address  food  safety  and  animal 
health concerns.  

intensification  approaches 

Secure  access  to  land  and  secure  land  tenure  and  use  rights  are  prerequisites  for  higher 
productivity of small holder farmers. Effective national land policies and laws are essential, 
requiring  governments  to  take  priority  action  on  land.  Where  countries  develop  policies  on 
agriculture,  land,  and  biofuels  the  EU  and  its  Member  States  should  advocate  that  these 
policies address concerns over availability and access to food and stimulate the integration of 
smallholder farmers in production chains. 

Moreover,  internationally  recognised  principles  should  guide  investors,  host  countries  and 
other  stakeholders  towards  investments  in  agriculture  that  respect  human  rights,  livelihoods 
and  resources.  The  EU  and  its  Member  States  should  support  the  development  of 
internationally  agreed  principles  for  responsible  investments  in  agricultural  land,  building 
upon existing Land Policy  Guidelines.17 In Africa,  implementation of the 2009  Land  Policy 
Guidelines18  will  be  supported.  Governments  in  partner  countries,  farmer  organisations  and 
other stakeholders will be encouraged to make informed choices that ensure sustainability of 
foreign investments so as to maximise the social, economic and environmental benefits for the 
country. 

Increasing  food  availability  implies  more  demand-driven  research  and  innovation  in  the 
public domain, giving sufficient attention to traditional knowledge and diversified food crops 
(including  local  varieties),  and  making  sure  that  innovations  are  accessible  to  farmers  and 
suited to their needs. The EU and its Member States should support research and innovation 
which  have  clear  benefits  for  smallholder  farmers,  including  strengthening  adaptation  to 
climate change and improving tolerance to stresses, drought and floods, while maintaining a 
wide biodiversity of crops and varieties and access to them. Support should take account of 
the expressed needs and concerns of beneficiary countries, based on the availability for them 

15 
16 
17 

18 

Science 12 February 2010: pp 822-825. 
International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development, 2009. 
Including  '  EU  Guidelines  for  support  to  land  policy  design  and  land  policy  reform  processes  in 
developing countries' of 2004. 
AU/ADB/ECA, Framework and Guidelines on Land Policy in Africa, supported by the AU Summit of 
July 2009. 

EN 

4 

   EN 

 
                                                 
of  unbiased  information  on  benefits  and  risks  of  any  new  technologies,  as  well  as  sound 
national  regulatory  frameworks  and  the  capacity  to  enforce  them.  Intellectual  property 
regimes that maximise the access of poor farmers to new technologies and inputs should also 
be supported. Moreover, synergies between climate change adaptation and mitigation should 
be  explored  together  with  the  development  of  incentive  structures,  for  instance  by  linking 
agriculture to the carbon markets.  

International trade can substantially contribute to food availability by increasing the amount 
and by broadening the variety of food on the market. Food availability can also be enhanced 
by regional integration of agricultural and food markets, facilitating trade flows from surplus 
to  deficit  areas.  The  EU  and  its  Member  States  should  support  standardisation  and 
harmonisation  of  policies,  rules  and  regulations,  towards  regionally  integrated  agricultural 
policies.  Moreover,  the  EU  and  its  Member  States  acknowledge  that  given  food  security 
concerns,  whether  at  a  national  or  regional  level,  developing  countries  can  make  use  of 
existing  trade  policy  space,  including  through  border  measures.  The  objective  should  be  to 
aim at a sustainable agri-food chain. 

2.2. 

Improving access to food  

Access to food should be enhanced primarily by improving employment and income-earning 
opportunities in both rural and urban areas, including through diversification and trade, thus 
making food more affordable for a larger number of people. This should be complemented by 
social transfer mechanisms. The EU and its Member States should assist partner countries in 
establishing  and  operating  social  mechanisms  in  support  of  vulnerable  population  groups, 
especially  women.  Experiences  on  successful  mechanisms  will  be  shared  and  operational 
systems  will  be  supported.  Due  attention  will  be  given  to  exit  strategies  from  safety  nets. 
Mechanisms will need to be effective, affordable and flexible, allowing for quick expansion in 
times of crisis. They should usually involve an important nutritional dimension, particularly 
assisting those for whom appropriate nutrition will have positive effects on the achievements 
of MDGs 4 (reducing child mortality) and 5 (improving maternal health).  

In  rural  areas,  employment  could  be  created  through  agro-processing,  mainly  in  small  and 
medium sized enterprises and facilitated by improved access to financial services. In addition, 
rural safety nets19 could be developed for those vulnerable households that are able to provide 
labour.  Productive  safety  nets  will  have  the  dual  benefit  of  improving  rural  production 
conditions and enhancing direct access to food. 

In  general,  access  to  food  can  be  improved  by  applying  the  "Right-to-Food"  approach,  as 
outlined  in  the  Voluntary  Guidelines  to  support  the  progressive  realisation  of  the  Right  to 
Food in the context of national food security20. The EU and its Member States should support 
its  further  application  in  developing  countries,  including  "right-to-food"  based  political  and 
legal  frameworks.  This  means  supporting  strategies  which  tackle  the  root  causes  of  hunger, 
and  empowerment  of  marginalised  groups  in  the  design,  implementation  and  monitoring  of 
national programmes, as well as establishing and strengthening redress mechanisms. 

19 
20 

Including 'productive' ones that use labour for rural infrastructure construction or maintenance.  
adopted in 2004 by the FAO Council  

EN 

5 

   EN 

 
                                                 
2.3. 

Improving nutritional adequacy of food intake 

Malnutrition is estimated to be responsible for 3.5 million mother and child deaths per year21 
and  for  one-third  of  the  disease  burden  amongst  children  under  five.  Vitamin  and  mineral 
deficiencies22  affect  up  to  two  billion  people  worldwide.  The  most  harmful  effects  of 
malnutrition  occur  during  pregnancy  and  during  the  first  two  years  of  life;  its  impact  on 
physical  and  cognitive  development  is  often  irreversible.  Priority  needs  to  be  given  to 
interventions  targeting  pregnant  and  lactating  women  as  well  as  children  under  five  (with 
stronger emphasis on those under the age of two).23  

The  EU  and  its  Member  States  should  support  the  formulation  of  nutrition  policies  and 
strategies,  nutrition-training,  education,  and  the  setting  up  of  coordination  mechanisms 
between  agriculture,  health,  education,  and  social  protection  sectors.  Future  agriculture 
programmes  should  include  a  nutritional  dimension.  This  could  mean  strengthening 
diversification  of  smallholder  agriculture,  promoting  production  of  micronutrient-rich  food, 
especially  local  varieties  and  species,  monitoring  of  nutrition  related  outcomes,  and/or 
supporting agricultural research conducted from a nutrition perspective. 

Political  leadership  and  multi-sectoral  coordination  at  country  level,  leading  to  integrated 
multi-sectoral action, are crucial in integrating nutrition into a country's food security strategy 
and  programmes.  The  EU  and  its  Member  States  should  promote  links  with  national  health 
strategies that include nutrition-related basic services and monitoring of nutrition status in the 
population.  

2.4 

Improving crisis prevention and management  

Rural  producers  and  communities  need  to  be  resilient  against  the  effects  of  food-related 
crises. While short term responses to crises often require mobilisation of ad hoc humanitarian 
instruments, other mechanisms and capacities need to be built and maintained to reduce the 
risks of crises occurring and to manage their effects. Close linkage between humanitarian and 
development actors and instruments is essential and should be promoted using Linking Relief 
Rehabilitation and Development (LRRD) principles.  

The  EU  and  its  Member  States  should  step  up  efforts  in  supporting  regional  integration  in 
developing  countries,  as  closer  regional  integration  forms  another  means  of  preventing 
economic, political and food security crises, and of mitigating their effects. 

National or regional early warning systems capable of predicting imminent disasters need to 
be strengthened or developed where they  do not exist, and better linked  to  decision  making 
and  response  organisations.  Linking  weather  data  with  nutritional  information,  crops  and 
animal  disease  outbreaks  and  market  prices,  the  systems  need  to  draw  their  data  from  all 
levels,  including  community-level.  The  EU  and  its  Member  States  should  support  decision-
linked monitoring and information systems, including through the work of the Commission.24  

Policies  to  address  the  challenge  of  price  volatility  can  either  tackle  volatility  itself,  or  its 
impacts. To mitigate volatility, the stock-to-use ratio of food products needs to be improved 

21 
22 
23 
24 

Lancet 2008; 371: pp 243–60.  
iodine, iron, zinc, vitamin A, B and other vitamins etc 
COM(2010)xxx 'The EU role in Global Health'  
See joint work on IPC (Integrated food security Phase Classification), see http://www.ipcinfo.org/ 

EN 

6 

   EN 

 
                                                 
by  creating  conditions  for  production  increases  and  for  adequate  stock  levels  to  be  kept, 
mainly  by  private  traders.  Moreover,  export  restrictions  of  basic  food  products  should  be 
discouraged.  The  EU  and  its  Member  States  should  contribute  to  improved  food  market 
functioning  at  global,  regional  and  national  levels.  This  will  include  responding  through 
market  transparency  (information  on  production,  reserves,  prices,  etc.),  promoting  storage, 
and  local/national  food  reserves  where  appropriate  and  feasible.  The  impacts  of  price 
volatility  can  be  mitigated  by  using  a  range  of  measures,  including  the  establishment  of 
scalable safety nets, food security information systems, use of (weather, index) insurance, and 
an enhanced capacity to use price risk management instruments. 

3. 

MAXIMISING 
INVESTMENTS 

THE 

EFFECTIVENESS  OF 

FOOD 

SECURITY 

Three sets of conditions for maximising the effectiveness of food security investments require 
a focus by the EU and its Member States.  

3.1. 

National and regional agriculture and food security policies and strategies 

In  order  to  achieve  tangible  results,  assistance  programmes  need  to  support  national  and 
regional policies and reforms on agriculture and food security, and related areas such as land, 
water and biofuels, taking full account of climate change challenges. These in turn need to be 
an  integral  part  of  overall  poverty  reduction  strategies.  Food  security  objectives  and  targets 
should  also  be  better  integrated  into  partner  countries'  other  sector  policies  in  such  areas  as 
transport,  infrastructure,  fisheries,  health  and  education.  It  is  essential  that  farmer 
organisations,  civil  society,  private  sector,  vulnerable  groups  and  other  stakeholders  be 
involved  in  the  development  and  review  of  these  policies.  In  this  respect,  EU  development 
assistance  should  be  used  to  support  policy  development  capacity  and  inter-sectoral 
coordination mechanisms. 

In Africa, the above principles have been enshrined in the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture 
Development  Programme  (CAADP),  supported  by  the  EU  and  its  Member  States  since 
200725. EU support to CAADP should be intensified. In Asia, regional cooperation initiatives 
on nutrition should be reinforced.  

3.2. 

Harmonising EU interventions 

The  EU  approach  to  food  security  in  developing  countries  needs  to  be  anchored  in  the 
principles of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, the Accra Agenda for Action, as well 
as in the EU Code of Conduct on Division of Labour. The EU and its Member States should 
identify  regions  and  countries  where  tasks  will  be  divided  based  on  comparative  advantage 
and coordinate actions under the guidance of a lead donor.  

Both the EU and its Member States have several policy frameworks and financing instruments 
to  assist  partner  countries  in  coping  with  food  insecurity.  Greater  harmonisation  of  policies 
and greater complementarity of instruments, as well as coordination with private investments, 
should lead to more effective action.  

25 

COM(2007)440  

EN 

7 

   EN 

 
                                                 
Policy  Coherence  for  Development26  (PCD)  on  food  security  will  be  promoted  through  a 
range  of  policy  instruments,  including  agriculture,  trade,  fisheries,  climate  change, 
environment  and  research.  Reform  of  the  Common  Agricultural  Policy  has  enhanced 
coherence,  and  future  reforms  will  continue  to  take  global  food  security  objectives  into 
account.  Future  reform  of  the  Common  Fisheries  Policy  will  further  increase  coherence 
between  Europe's  fishing  policies  and  practices  and  development  objectives.  Finally,  a 
balanced, comprehensive and ambitious conclusion of the Doha Development Agenda would 
strengthen the international trading system, with beneficial effects on food security.  

3.3. 

Improving the coherence of the international governance system 

The  EU  and  its  Member  States  should  enhance  the  coherence  of  international  food  security 
governance and support the rapid reform of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) as 
the central body on food security. The reformed CFS should aim to obtain an oversight role in 
other specific domains with implications for food security, including food aid and nutrition.  

There  is  a  need  to  further  rationalise  the  priorities  of  the  three  Rome-based  UN  agencies 
(FAO, WFP, IFAD) and improve their cooperation to create synergies. The reform of the UN 
system  and  the  ongoing  review  of  the  role  and  priorities  of  FAO  offer  opportunities  to 
improve  quality  and  effectiveness.  The  EU  should  continue  its  close  collaboration  with  the 
UN  Secretary  General  on  food  security  issues  and  strengthen  its  dialogue  with  the  Rome-
based  agencies,  supporting  closer  coordination  between  them  and,  where  necessary,  the  re-
focusing  of  their  mandates  and  activities  on  their  comparative  advantages;  FAO  mainly  on 
knowledge  and  policy  advice,  IFAD  on  long-term  sustainable  investment  and  WFP  on 
situations of emergency and fragility. 

4. 

PRIORITIES 

Ten years on from the adoption of the MDGs, the EU needs to step up cooperation on food 
security. Within this policy framework, the EU's priority should be to support food security in 
fragile  countries.  This  is  a  particular  priority  in  Africa,  where  nearly  80%  of  malnourished 
people live in fragile countries, and in parts of South Asia. To be effective, assistance needs to 
be  adapted  to  the  country  context  and  combine  policy  and  strategy  development  with 
empowerment  of  the  most  vulnerable.  While  all  four  pillars  should  be  addressed,  the  EU 
should  prioritise  four  broad  and  related  dimensions:  smallholder  agricultural  development, 
governance,  regional  integration,  and  assistance  mechanisms  for  vulnerable  populations.  In 
these areas, the EU and its Member States should: 

4.1. 

Improve smallholder resilience and rural livelihoods  

•  Focus  on  ecologically  efficient  agricultural  intensification  for  smallholder 
farmers,  and  in  particular  women,  by  providing  support  for  effective  and 
sustainable  national  policies,  strategies  and  legal  frameworks,  and  for  equitable 
and sustainable access to resources, including land, water, (micro) credit and other 
agricultural inputs. 

•  Increase  substantially  support 

for 
development, extension and innovation, aiming to reach 50% by 2015. Research 
in  the  public  domain  should  rely  on  traditional  knowledge  and  on  new 

to  demand-led  agricultural 

research 

26 

PCD Work programme 2010-2013', April 2010  

EN 

8 

   EN 

 
                                                 
technologies.  It  should  not  promote  technologies  that  are  not  sustainable  or  that 
are incompatible with national capacities to regulate and manage risks. 

•  Actively support greater participation of civil society and farmer organisations in 
policy  making  and  research  programmes  and  increase  their  involvement  in  the 
implementation  and  evaluation  of  government  programmes.  In  this  context 
linkages  between  EU  farmer  organisations  and  those  from  developing  countries 
should be promoted. 

•  Along  with  partners,  improve  the  regulatory  and  institutional  conditions  for 
responsible  private  investments  in  all  stages  of  the  agricultural  value  chain  and 
stimulate public-private investments. Progress will be monitored and discussed in 
the framework of Governance Action Plans. 

4.2. 

Support effective governance 

•  Substantially increase support to CAADP applying effective division of labour in 

all agriculture-based Sub-Saharan African countries by 2015.  

•  Launch  a  joint  initiative  with  the  AU  to  accelerate  the  implementation  of  the 
African Land Policy Guidelines. This should include a roadmap to implement the 
principles and best practices for sustainable large scale investments in farm land. 
•  Support  national  and  international  initiatives  for  the  definition  of  principles  and 
codes  of  conduct  governing  sustainable  large  scale  domestic  and  foreign 
investments in farm land, focusing on the protection of land rights, secure access 
to  land  and  other  natural  resources  for  smallholder  farmers  and  pastoral 
communities and on sustainable management of these resources.  

•  At the world level, support the reform of the Committee on World Food Security 
(CFS)  to  become  the  pivotal  institution  to  coordinate  global  food  security 
initiatives.  

•  Support closer coordination between the Rome-based UN agencies. 

4.3. 

Support regional agriculture and food security policies 

•  Support  the  development  and  implementation  of  regional  level  agricultural 
policies  and  strategies,  including  on  livestock  management  and  food  safety,  to 
step  up  integration  of  regional  food  and  agricultural  markets.  Enhance  policy 
dialogue with regional organisations on agriculture, food security and nutrition. 
•  Reinforce the regional and national information systems in support of agriculture, 

food security and nutrition policies, and those for early warning purposes. 

4.4. 

Strengthen assistance mechanisms for vulnerable population groups 

•  Support  countries  to  establish  and  operate  targeted  and  flexible  social  transfer 
policies  adapted  to  local  contexts.  Where  feasible,  social  assistance  should 
provide  opportunities  for  recipients  to  graduate  into  an  income  earning  situation 
securing sustainable access to food.  

•  Promote  better  integration  of  nutrition  in  development  policies,  including  in 

education and health and related capacity building. 

•  Provide  specific  support  to  countries  in  transition  and  fragility  using  LRRD 

principles. 

EN 

9 

   EN