COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Accompanying the document Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council Implementing EU food and nutrition security policy commitments: Fourth biennial report
Date: 2020-08-26
Institutions: Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development, European Commission
Subjects: development aid, epidemic, food aid, gender equality, infectious disease, malnutrition, nutrition, rural region, sustainable agriculture, sustainable development

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 26.8.2020 SWD(2020) 85 final  COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT   Accompanying the document Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council Implementing EU food and nutrition security policy commitments:       Fourth biennial report         {COM(2020) 285 final}  
 
 
Table of Contents 

1.  ADDITIONAL FIGURES AND EXAMPLES OF INTERVENTION, BY PRIORITY .. 6 

Overview of food and nutrition security assistance compared to total Official Development 

1.1 
Assistance (ODA), in EUR million..................................................................................................... 6 

1.2 

1.3 

1.4 

1.5 

Evaluation of the policy priorities over time........................................................................... 7 

Examples of interventions per priority .................................................................................... 8 

Highlights on the progress made in policy priorities ............................................................ 12 

EU and Member States’ FNS support to partner countries in 2018 ...................................... 15 

2.  CASE STUDIES............................................................................................................... 21 

2.1 

2.2 

EU Joint Programming (JP) in Bolivia ................................................................................. 21 

EU JP in Madagascar ............................................................................................................ 22 

3.  FURTHER DETAILS ON THE THEMATIC FOCUS ................................................... 22 

3.1 

3.2 

Gender ................................................................................................................................... 22 

Rural employment creation ................................................................................................... 24 

4.  METHODOLOGICAL NOTE ......................................................................................... 25 

1 

 
 
 
 
 
Acronyms 

ABC Fund 

Agri-Business Capital Fund  

ACP 

AFD 

AFR100 

AGRA  

AATIF  

CAADP  

CGIAR  

CFS 

COM   

COP 

CSA 

African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States 

Agence Française de Développement 

African Forest Landscape Restoration initiative (AFR100) 

Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa  

African Agriculture Trade and Investment Fund  

Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme 

Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research 

Committee on World Food Security 

Communication 

Conference of the Parties  

Community-Supported Agriculture 

DeSIRA 

Development-Smart Innovation through Research in Agriculture 

EbA 

EC 

ECOWAS 

ERRY  

EU 

EUD 

EUR 

Ecosystem-based Adaptation 

European Commission 

Economic Community of West African States 

Enhancing Rural Resilience in Yemen 

European Union 

European Union Delegation 

Euro 

EUTF for Africa 

European Union Emergency Trust Fund for Africa 

FAO 

FNS 

Food and Agriculture Organisation 

Food and Nutrition Security 

FNS&SA 

Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture 

FMO 

G7 

G20 

GAIN   

GCF 

GEF 

GFAR  

GNAFC 

IDPs 

Dutch Development Bank 

Group of 7 

Group of 20 

Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition 

Green Climate Fund 

Global Environment Facility 

Global Forum on Agricultural Research 

Global Network Against Food Crises  

Internally Displaced Peoples 

2 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
IFAD   

International Fund for Agricultural Development 

IPC 

KfW 

MS 

JES 

JGC 

JP 

LIFT 

Integrated Phase Classification 

German Credit Institute for Reconstruction 

Member State 

Joint European Strategy 

Jobs and Growth Compact 

Joint Programming 

Livelihoods and Food Security Fund  

MCNP  

Maternal and Child Nutrition Programme  

MS-NPAN 

Multi-sectoral National Plan of Action on Nutrition 

MSMs  

NDC 

ODA 

OECD  

Micro-, Small-, and Medium-sized Enterprises 

Nationally Determined Contribution 

Official Development Assistance 

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development 

OECD DAC 

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s 
Development Assistance Committee 

OM4D  

PATAE 

PEM 

PSNP   

RESET 

SCTP   

SDGs   

Organic Market for Development 

Projet d’Appui à la Transition Agroécologique en Afrique de l’Ouest 

Plan Emergence Madagascar 

Producing Safety Nets Programme 

Resilience Building Programme in Ethiopia 

Social Cash Transfer Programme  

Sustainable Development Goals 

SESAMUM 

Sustainable Economic Development of Agriculture in Magway 

SPS 

SUN 

SWD 

SWEEP 

TAP 

TFUE   

UN 

UNCCD 

UNFCCC 

UNICEF 

US 

Social Protection Systems  

Scaling Up Nutrition Movement 

Staff Working Document 

Security, Women’s Empowerment and Environmental Protection 

Tropical Agricultural Platform  

Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union 

United Nations 

United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification 

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 

United Nations Children’s Fund 

United States  

3 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
USD 

VC 

VCA4D 

WFP 

United States Dollar 

Value Chain 

Value Chain Analysis for Development 

World Food Programme 

4 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
This staff working document (SWD) accompanies the fourth biennial report “Implementing 
EU food and nutrition security policy commitments”. 

The  fourth  report  highlights  the  progress  which  the  EU  and  its  Member  States  (MS)  have 
achieved  towards  implementing  their  common  policy  framework  to  assist  developing 
countries  in  addressing  food  security  challenges1.  Since  its  adoption  in  2010,  the  policy 
framework has guided the EU and its Member States in engaging in international cooperation 
and  development  assistance  concerning  food  security.  A  specific  Implementation  Plan  was 
adopted  in  2013,  further  detailing  commitments  in  this  area.  Subsequently,  the  EU  and  its 
Member  States  have  reported  every  second  year  on  progress  made  on  the  2010  policy 
framework and the 2013 implementation plan. A first biennial  report was issued in 2014, a 
second in 2016, and a third in 2018. In line with Article 210(2) Treaty on the Functioning of 
the European Union (TFEU), the fourth report is coordinated by the European Commission, 
with  inputs  from  the  following  MS:  Austria,  Belgium,  Finland,  France,  Germany,  Ireland, 
Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom2. The financial reporting of the report 
(for 
2018 
covers 
and 
methodological/comparability reasons), while experiences captured also include 2019. 

accompanying  SWD 

including 

this 

and 

up 

to 

1  An  EU  policy  framework  to  assist  developing  countries  in  addressing  food  security  challenges, 
COM(2010)127. 
2 During the period under review of this Report, the UK was a member of the European Union.  

5 

 
 
 
                                                      
1.  ADDITIONAL FIGURES AND EXAMPLES OF INTERVENTION, BY PRIORITY  

1.1  Overview of food and nutrition security assistance compared to total Official Development Assistance (ODA), in EUR million3 

Total ODA in all sectors 

Food and nutrition security ODA 

2012 

2014 

2016 

2018 

2012 

2014 

2016 

2018 

Austria 
Belgium 
Finland 
France 
Germany 
Ireland4 
Italy 
Netherlands 
Spain 
United Kingdom 

EU institutions 

Member States non-allocated 

421.587 
1,148.809 
589.001 
7,319.011 
7,510.396 
417.145 

558.353 
3,083.975 
814.804 
6,549.610 
14,001.031 

- 

474.754 
1,029.645 
671.372 
6,260.428 
10,194.420 
395.320 

1,100.027 
3,150.545 
519.810 
8,584.962 
13,832.739 

- 

892.258 
1,331.763 
557.510 
6,715.343 
19,209.131 
386.142 

2,253.088 
3,017.312 
2,562.570 
10,551.963 
16,653.741 

- 

402.643 
1,144.553 
374.172 
7,931.848 
18,532.456 
449.342 

1,904.949 
3,247.971 
878.022 
10,593.946 
16,463.027 

16.652 
158.787 
53.087 
362.426 
613.221 
94.010 

12.879 
143.387 
63.732 
388.151 
760.658 
89.501 

24.413 
158.847 
46.526 
456.246 
887.442 
106.864 

83.896 
107.288 
90.680 
438.456 
317.301 
317.626 
43.327 
55.672 
- 
656.157 
729.433 
595.964 
821.743  1,015.119  1,224.773 

181.399 

- 
  3,365.786  3,658.687  4,200.223 

109.035 

31.772 
138.751 
45.761 
603.158 
1,215.425 
82.460 

193.148 
551.691 
54.160 
662.300 
1,447.908 

- 

5,026.532 

Total ODA for EU and Member States 

42,413.721 

46,214.022 

64,130.819 

61,922.929 

Share of FNS in total ODA, in % 

7.508 

7.681 

6.549 

8.117 

3 OECD DAC official annual US dollar exchange rate is used for 2018 data flows: 1 USD = 0.8473 EUR. Total ODA data comprise two types of flows: ODA grants and ODA loans 
without grant equivalent. Source: https://data.oecd.org/conversion/exchange-rates.htm . 
4 The variation in Ireland’s FNS disbursements in 2018 compared to 2016 is mainly due to the advance FNS disbursements in 2016. 

6 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                      
1.2  Evaluation of the policy priorities over time 

The table shows disbursements, number of programmes and number of countries which received funding per policy priority. 

Performance criteria 

Number of programmes 

Support received, EUR million 

Number of countries 

Year 
1. Improve smallholders’ resilience and livelihoods 
2. Support effective governance 

2012 
2016 
2014 
1,560  1,822  1,863 
632 
588 
410 

3. Support regional agriculture and food and 
nutrition security 

4. Strengthen social protection mechanisms for 
food and nutrition security 

5. Enhance nutrition 

6. Enhance coordination of humanitarian and 
development actors to increase resilience 

98 

188 

228 

94 

102 

123 

278 

341 

455 

63 

148 

161 

2018 
4,471 
1,160 

333 

124 

935 

423 

2012 
2016 
2014 
2,022  2,137  2,120 
698 
535 
395 

151 

191 

226 

209 

133 

254 

467 

504 

638 

122 

159 

265 

2018 
2,377 
802 

409 

238 

683 

517 

2012  2014  2016 
108 
103 
108 
87 
92 
84 

2018 
126 
97 

40 

63 

18 

40 

64 

37 

44 

71 

37 

48 

92 

70 

Total 
Of which… 
Research programmes 
Gender sensitive programmes 
 Principal objective 
 Significant objective 
Climate change adaptation programmes 
 Principal objective 
 Significant objective 
Climate change mitigation programmes 
 Principal objective 
 Significant objective 

2,503  3,189  3,462 

7,446 

3,366  3,659  4,200 

5,027 

114 

130 

379 

300 

493 
491 
2,404  3,382 
171 
168 
2,233  3,214 
1,826  2,407 
342 
381 
1,484  2,026 
946 
693 
85 
75 
861 
618 

(10%) 
(67%) 
(3%) 
(64%) 
(48%) 
(8%) 
(40%) 
(19%) 
(2%) 
(17%) 

69 
97 
51 
97 
95 
67 
91 
89 
40 
86 

92 
114 
77 
113 
116 
93 
100 
108 
56 
105 

(71%) 
(88%) 
(59%) 
(87%) 
(89%) 
(72%) 
(77%) 
(83%) 
(43%) 
(81%) 

149 

154 

463 
1189 
1,879  4,251 
155 
575 
1,724  3,676 
1344  2,976 
308 
691 
1,036  2,285 
1,315 
598 
192 
82 
1123 
516 

(16%) 
(57%) 
(8%) 
(49%) 
(40%) 
(9%) 
(31%) 
(18%) 
(3%) 
(15%) 

7 

 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
1.3  Examples of interventions per priority 

Recipient 
countries 

Project Title 

Policy priority 1: Improve smallholder resilience and rural livelihoods 
Austria 

Ethiopia 

Belgium 

Malawi 

EU  
Finland 
France 
Germany 

Yemen 
Nepal 
Cuba 
Niger 

Ireland 

Malawi 

Italy 

Ethiopia 

Netherlands  South of Sahara 

Spain 

Ethiopia 

United 
Kingdom 

Tanzania 

Austria 

Georgia 

SWEEP - Water for Food Security, Women’s Empowerment and Environmental Protection 
Reducing food and income insecurity among vulnerable households in Malawi through climate services and integrated risk 
management 
Enhancing Rural Resilience in Yemen (ERRY) 
Rural Village Water Resources Management Project 
Support for the modernisation of the cattle breeding and dairy production sector in Camaguey province 
Smallholder Irrigation Farming to increase agricultural production 
Implementing the promotion of Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) technologies to improve food and nutrition 
security 
Inclusive and sustainable agricultural value chain development. Modernisation of strategic agricultural value chain in the 
Agro-Commodities Procurement Zones of two Integrated Agro-Industrial Parks 
Organic markets for development (OM4D). Development of organic farming in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Sao Tome and 
Principe and Togo 
Food security for agropastoral communities of DoloBay Woreda through the introduction of an innovative fish farming 
system 
Agribusiness window- support to innovative business ideas in agribusiness, agribusiness value chains, and financial 
services 
Promoting sustainable forest management for climate resilient rural development in Georgia by establishing an enabling 
environment and effective interagency coordination for improved forest and watershed management, sustainable rural 
energy solutions, and diversification of rural income opportunities 

Policy priority 2: Support effective governance 

Belgium 

Benin 

EU  

Developing 
countries 

Finland 

Mozambique 

Appui Institutionnel au Ministère de l’agriculture, de l’elevage et de la pêche afin de renforcer les capacités 
institutionnelles, organisationnelles et individuelles des acteurs impliqués dans le développement agricole 
Information for Nutrition Food Security Resilience Decision Making - Worldwide component with FAO. Improve 
availability of regular, timely and early warning information as well as evidence-based analysis regarding the food security, 
nutrition and resilience situation for decision-making 
Support to the Institute of Social and Economic Research. Increasing the research capacity in the country, bringing topics 

8 

 
 
 
Recipient 
countries 

Senegal 
France 
Philippines 
Germany 
Italy 
Jordan 
Netherlands  Benin 

Spain 

Mali 

Project Title 

into public debate and supporting evidence based decision making, including in food and nutrition security 
Technical and financial support to agricultural cooperatives 
Enhancing community resilience and farmers collective capacities to achieve food security and food sovereignty 
Institutional strengthening for innovative rural development strategies in Jordan 
Land administration 
Strengthening the Women’s Cooperative Musow Ka Cesiri through the improvement of the capacities and the 
commercialisation of its food products 
Support to Rwanda natural resources authority to issue registered title to every landholder, and establish systems for 
maintenance of those titles 

United 
Kingdom 
Policy priority 3: Support regional agriculture and food and nutrition security policies 

Rwanda 

France 

West Africa 

Supporting the resilience of agropastoral systems in West Africa. Contribute to the improvement of the living conditions of 
agropastoralists and the sustainable economic development of livestock in the sub-region. 
Enhancing food security and rural development through the African Forest Landscape Restoration initiative (AFR100) 

Germany 
Italy 

Africa, regional 
South of Sahara  Drought mitigation caused by El Nino in Southern Africa 

Netherlands  South of Sahara 

Spain 

Mali 

EU  

West Africa 

Trademark East Africa strategy 2 to support increased intraregional trade in the East African Community and its 
neighbours by reducing barriers to trade and by increasing business competitiveness 
Agriculture Irrigation Sahel 
West African Agroecological Transition Support Project (PATAE/Projet d’Appui à la Transition Agroécologique en 
Afrique de l’Ouest). Implemented together with the French Development Agency (AFD), the project contributes to 
stimulate the development of innovative practices, which optimise the mobilisation of ecological processes in the field of 
agricultural production and food security in West Africa and this, mainly in areas affected by issues of land degradation 
and stressful rain conditions. 
Delivering sustainable intensification of agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa to generate new evidence to help women and 
poor African smallholder farmers develop environmentally and financially sustainable enterprises and boost productivity  

United 
Kingdom 
Policy priority 4: Strengthen social protection mechanisms for food and nutrition security, particularly for vulnerable 

South of Sahara 

EU  

EU  

Nigeria 

Eswatini 

EU Support to Food Security and Resilience aiming to strengthen the resilient livelihoods and socioeconomic development 
of the people through social protection/safety nets and strengthening market system 
Technical Assistance for development of a Social Protection system in Swaziland. Support to the Department of Social 
Welfare (social work, welfare) of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security and the University of Swaziland (BA). 

9 

 
 
 
Recipient 
countries 

Developing 
countries 
Malawi 
Malawi 

Finland 

Germany 
Ireland 

Italy 

Sudan 

Project Title 

Supporting Sustainable and Inclusive Social Protection Systems (EU/SPS-Programme) to eradicate extreme poverty and to 
reduce social and gender inequalities and to guarantee the realisation of the human right to adequate livelihoods for all 
Social Protection of the Ultra Poor IV 
Scale up of Social Cash Transfer Programme (SCTP), including resilience to climatic and socio-economic stress 
Support to the Development of the National Health System of Gedaref, Kassala and Red Sea States and integration with the 
EU 
Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP FASE 3) 
Strengthening social protection systems to strengthen the resilience of poor households in Malawi to withstand current and 
projected weather and climate-related shocks and stresses 

Netherlands  Ethiopia 
United 
Kingdom 
Policy priority 5: Enhance nutrition, in particular for mothers, infants and children 
Austria 

Malawi 

Kenya 

Belgium 

Burundi 

EU  

Pakistan 

Finland 

Cameroon 

France 

South of Sahara 

Tajikistan 
Germany 
Sierra Leone 
Ireland 
Italy 
Afghanistan 
Netherlands  Bangladesh 
Guatemala 
Spain 
United 
Kingdom 

Kenya 

Belgium 

South Africa 

EU  

Sri Lanka 

Siaya Maternal and Child Nutrition Nawiri project 
Programme FBSA Burundi - Croix Rouge - Amélioration de la situation nutritionnelle des populations des communes de 
Cendajuru, Kinyinya et Gisuru 
Capacity-Building and Systems Development in Support to a Sindh Multi-Sectoral Nutrition Policy, Strategy and 
Implementation Framework.  
Nutrition Education promotion of gender equality and empowerment of poor girls and women in Cameroon 
Pasteur institut, Malinea project : improve the management of moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) by acting on intestinal 
infections and exploring the interactions between malnutrition and changes in the intestinal microbiota. 
Improvement of nutrition for women and infants in rural areas of Tajikistan 
Improving the Nutritional Status of Children under five 
Scaling up Community-based Maternal and Child Nutrition Services 
Scaling up of rice fortification 
Improvement of living conditions and reduction of chronic malnutrition in rural families 
Maternal and child nutrition programme (MCNP) to improve the capacity of health system to respond effectively to 
fluctuations in demand for nutrition services resulting from seasonal spikes and recurrent crises 
Climate Change: Promoting Ecosystem Based Adaptation in South Africa. An adaptation strategy providing technical 
assistance to South African EbA planning, implementation and monitoring 
Homes not just Houses: Building Sustainable Future Together aiming to bridge the gap between relief, rehabilitation and 
development for resilient and secure communities in the North and East 

10 

 
 
 
Recipient 
countries 

Germany 

Haiti 

Italy 

Spain 

United 
Kingdom 

West Bank 

Mauritania 

South Sudan 

Project Title 

Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation. Strengthening emergency preparedness and resilience in Haiti supporting the 
government in developing national resilience plans 
From the water to the market: a great challenge for the small farmers and the women producing milk products in the West 
Bank 
Supporting women’s leadership in strategies to mitigate climate change and sustainable productive initiatives 
World Food Programme emergency operation for the South Sudan humanitarian assistance and resilience building 
programme helping approximately three million South Sudanese by providing critical life-saving support and helping 
people to better cope with shocks from conflict, drought and flooding 

11 

 
 
 
1.4  Highlights on the progress made in policy priorities 

This section presents highlights of the progress made in the six policy priorities and reflects 
how the EU and its Member States have stepped up support to increasingly address them in 
an integrated manner.  

“Improve smallholders’ resilience and livelihoods” remains the most significant part of the 
EU and its Member States’ development cooperation portfolio. This support is increasingly 
addressing  the  underlying  dynamics  of  the  socio-economic,  environmental,  and  security 
factors  of  sustainable,  resilient  and  healthy  food  systems.  The  development  of  such  food 
systems should strenghen sustainable rural development. 

“Enhancing the resilience of the most vulnerable to food crises” also remains significant in 
the development cooperation of the EU and its Member States. The EU continues to support 
the Global Report on Food Crises which 2020 edition showed that, for the third consecutive 
year, over 100 million people suffer from acute hunger and malnutrition.5 In order to address 
the immediate needs and the underlying dynamics of the socio-economic, environmental, and 
security  trends  generating  food  crises,  the  EU  is  supporting  the  transformation  of  food 
systems to prevent food crises, mitigate their impact and boost recovery. 

The  Global  Network  Against  Food  Crises  (GNAFC)  plays  a  critical  role  in  agri-food 
transformation  with  a  focus  on  three  priorities  addressed  across  the  humanitarian-
development-peace  nexus:  the  Network  generates  consensus-based  information  on  food 
crises6;  leverage  strategic  investments  to  prepare,  prevent  and  respond  to  food  crises;  and 
foster  political  uptake  and  coordination  across  sectors.  During  a  High  Level  Event  held  in 
April  2019  Food  &  Agriculture  in  times  of  crisis:  working  better  together  for  long-term 
solutions,  the  EU,  the  Netherlands,  France,  Germany,  Italy,  and  Finland  and  their  partners 
reiterated their support to the GNAFC action at national, regional, and global level. 

The  EU,  France,  and  Germany  reiterated  their  support  to  the  Committee  on  World  Food 
Security. The EU and its Member States have significantly increased responsible investments 
in agriculture and agri-businesses. Blending assistance has increased markedly in 2018 with 
the AGRIFI Facility set up with the Dutch Development Bank (FMO); a contribution to the 
African Agriculture Trade and Investment Fund (AATIF) via Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau 
(KfW); the Agri-Business Capital  (ABC)  Fund  managed by  IFAD and  established with  the 
Luxembourg  Ministry  of  Foreign  Affairs  and  the  international  NGO  AGRA;  and  the 
HURUMA  Fund  focussing  on  micro-loans  with  the  Spanish  agency  for  international 
cooperation and a Spanish development finance institution (COFIDES). The EU continues to 
support  land  governance  interventions  in  about  40  countries  and  the  development  of  value 
chains with a particular focus on their economic, social and environmental impact. The EU 
contributes to the development of fisheries and aquaculture value chains to boost economic 
returns  and  social  equity,  and  reduce  negative  impacts  on  the  marine  environment.  The 
FISH4ACP innovative programme develops sustainable fisheries and aquaculture in Africa, 
the Caribbean and the Pacific paying special attention to small-scale fisheries because of their 
potential to deliver economic and social benefits, particularly for women. 

The  EU  and  its  Member  States  cooperate  in  the  Development-Smart  Innovation  through 
Research in  Agriculture  (DeSIRA)  Initiative. Within  this framework, the EU stepped up its 

5 More than 135 million people across 55 countries experience acute hunger requiring urgent food, nutrition and 
livelihoods assistance. Global Report on Food Crises 2020.  
6 The EU, Germany, Belgium, and the United Kingdom enhance, for example, early warning and food security 
information systems. 

12 

 
                                                      
support  to  the  overall  governance  and  architecture  for  agricultural  research  and  innovation 
(e.g.  funding  the  Tropical  Agricultural  Platform  (TAP),  Global  Forum  on  Agricultural 
Research  (GFAR),  the  CAADP  research  and  extension  organisations  and  the  CGIAR). 
DESIRA  has  also  enhanced  country  research  capacities  for  innovation  within  national 
agriculture  knowledge  and  innovation  systems  with  projects  addressing  agro-ecology  and 
climate-relevant practices; agroforestry; livestock; or the water–energy–food–forest nexus. A 
number of interventions are specifically implemented in partnership with EU Member States 
including  Italy  (Burkina  Faso,  Egypt,  Ethiopia,  Kenya,  Niger  and  Sudan),  the  Netherlands 
(Mali, Benin, Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Kenya), and France (Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Lao 
PDR, and Myanmar, and ECOWAS), which also provided financial support. 

To support the implementation of social protection programmes in situations of shocks and 
protracted crises, the EU produced a Guidance Package including guiding principles, lessons 
learned  and  promising  practices.  EU  support  to  social  protection  mechanisms  remained 
significant  in  2018:  EUR  237  million.  In  Yemen  the  EU,  Germany,  UK,  and  the 
Netherlands significantly support the Social Fund for Development interventions enhancing 
livelihoods and empowering smallholders. During the emergency period 2016–18, the Fund 
directly benefited more than 62,000 thousand people (47% women). In Niger, the EU and its 
Member States continue to support the capacity of The Dispositif National de Prévention et 
de  Gestion  des  Crises  Alimentaires,  progressively  integrating  social  protection  schemes  to 
tackle chronic malnutrition and support production and capital reconstitution. 

The  EU,  France,  Germany,  Ireland,  the  Netherlands,  and  the  United  Kingdom  support 
the 
the  Scaling  Up  Nutrition  (SUN)  Movement.  The  fourth  progress  report  on 
implementation of the Commission’s Action Plan on Nutrition published in 2019 highlights 
the need to further escalate nutrition-relevant actions at country level, by mobilising the full 
potential  of  sectoral  interventions  necessary  to  address  the  range  of  causal  factors  of 
malnutrition  in  orderto  achieve  the  global  stunting  reduction  target  by  2025.  The  2020 
resource-tracking exercise confirmed that by 2019, the Commission’s EUR 3.5 billion global 
pledge for nutrition has already been achieved – one year ahead of schedule. Moreover, the 
EU  is  increasing  its  efforts  to  analyse  how  its  support  is  contributing  towards  changes  in 
stunting.  The  EU  remains  committed  to  strengthen  global  governance  and  accountability 
mechanisms  (SUN networks and the 2019 and 2020 Global  Nutrition Reports) and support 
the  implementation  of  country  partners’  policies  and  action  plans  for  nutrition  through  a 
Capacity for Nutrition programme implemented in partnership with Germany.  

The EU partners have increasingly embarked on nutrition JP: in Lao PDR the EU, France, 
UK,  Ireland,  Germany,  and  Switzerland  support  the  Government’s  National  Nutrition 
Strategy  and  Plan  of  Action.  The  Mid-Term  Review  of  this  programming  highlighted  the 
good  progress  made  in  terms  of  division  of  labour,  policy  dialogue,  and  strengthening  the 
Provincial  Nutrition  Committees  with  a  priority  given  to  the  provinces  with  the  worst 
nutrition  indicators.  The  Review  also  suggested  further  efforts  to  be  made  to  use  more 
effectively  the  local  coordination  mechanisms,  mainstream  nutrition  programming  across 
sectors, and expand joint implementation.  

Through the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa (EUTF for Africa) in  Burkina Faso, the 
EU  was  able  to  support  nearly  950,000  beneficiaries  by  improving  access  to  basic  social 
services  (health,  nutrition,  water  and  sanitation);  strengthening  livelihoods  (small-scale 
agriculture  and  livestock,  income  generating  activities,  cash  transfers);  and  improving  the 
capacity of actors at the local level. It sets out a good example of partnering effectively with 
decentralised  government  services  and  civil  society 
local  governance 
accountability and civil society participation. In a context where local authorities are affected 

improve 

to 

13 

 
by  lack  of  resources  to  effectively  implement  decentralisation,  positive  experiences  were 
demonstrated in terms of better and more responsible water management, public works and 
resource  management.  Improving  the  relationship  of  trust  between  local  authorities  and 
citizens  has  made  it  possible  to  improve  the  payment  of  local  taxes  (in  seven  communes, 
these increased by 20%), making it possible to initiate other local actions.  

In Myanmar, the Livelihoods and Food Security Fund (LIFT) multi-donor initiative funded 
by  the  EU,  the  UK,  Australia,  Switzerland,  the  USA,  Canada  and  Ireland  contributed  to 
improve  nutrition,  income  diversification  and  skills  development.  The  programme  supports 
innovative  maternal  and  child  cash  transfers  (incorporating  social  and  behaviour  change 
communication  interventions).  These  inputs  showed  significant  positive  results  thereby 
reinforcing  the  government’s  policy  and  budgetary  commitments.  Endorsed  in  November 
2018 a Multi-sectoral National Plan of Action on Nutrition (MS-NPAN) engages key actors 
and stakeholders to develop sub-national planning with convergence across interventions and 
services.  A  transformative  approach  to  enhanced  gender  equality  is  also  central  to  LIFT’s 
strategy,  whether  via  interventions  fostering  equitable  access  to  and  control  over  land  and 
natural  resources  or support to  vocational  training and livelihood opportunities for  youth  in 
camps  established  for  internally  displaced  people  (IDPs).  In  2018,  LIFT  had  reached  11.6 
million people and 2.6 million families while 247 out of 330 townships have benefited from 
the programme’s support. 

14 

 
 
1.5  EU and Member States’ FNS support to partner countries in 2018 

(Disbursements in EUR million) 

Countries and regions 

Austria 

Belgium 

EU 

Finland 

France 

Germany 

Ireland 

Italy 

Netherlands 

Spain 

United 
Kingdom 

Total 

Number 
of donors 

Average 
per donor 

Afghanistan 

Africa, regional 
Albania 
Algeria 
America, regional 
Angola 
Argentina 

Armenia 
Asia, regional 
Azerbaijan 
Bangladesh 
Belarus 
Belize 

Benin 
Bhutan 
Bilateral, unspecified 
Bolivia 
Bosnia and Herzegovina 
Botswana 

Brazil 
Burkina Faso 
Burundi 
Cabo Verde 
Cambodia 
Cameroon 

0.013 

0.587 

0.106 

0.231 

0.015 
0.063 

0.168 
2.456 
0.001 

53.442 

30.628 

13.400 

0.820 

1.163 
0.132 

0.409 

2.252 

4.466 
0.072 
16.510 

2.192 
1.451 
2.565 
21.725 
0.589 
4.129 

12.804 
4.411 

9.305 

0.306 

0.019 
0.014 
0.020 
0.005 
0.031 
0.138 

18.999 
0.761 

0.007 

0.141 

1.457 

1.964 

0.552 

0.220 

9.073 

23.655 

51.338 
1.093 

0.156 
1.710 
0.578 

0.690 
7.266 

8.537 
0.019 

8.045 
0.009 
254.283 
7.898 
0.164 

4.706 

7.305 

0.031 

0.806 

0.463 
4.309 
11.423 

3.091 
43.300 
21.182 

0.409 
0.966 

8.093 
32.939 

0.067 
0.161 

0.046 
0.086 

2.217 
10.802 
0.500 

12.803 
19.026 
8.397 

0.703 

9.016 
1.949 

10.348 
21.344 

15 

4.075 

104.169 

1.419 

3.621 
1.096 
0.351 
0.496 
0.049 
0.042 

0.015 
0.045 

7.319 

7.009 

18.507 

0.700 
0.004 

32.008 

1.762 

6.190 

0.304 

9.255 

0.010 

0.329 

134.572 

2.679 
3.373 

0.401 
0.115 
0.525 
0.148 

18.048 

0.644 

2.394 

0.282 

3.588 
0.141 

0.756 
6.257 
0.160 
0.261 
0.024 
0.120 

127.015 
2.334 
7.088 
1.429 
18.303 
0.770 

22.475 
11.240 
2.580 
56.928 
0.608 
4.129 

42.016 
4.652 
400.608 
27.723 
0.368 
0.644 

22.293 
86.334 
61.099 
0.409 
28.218 
57.405 

8 

9 
4 
4 
5 
5 
4 

5 
4 
2 
9 
2 
1 

8 
3 
4 
8 
3 
1 

8 
8 
10 
2 
7 
6 

13.021 

14.113 
0.584 
1.772 
0.286 
3.661 
0.193 

4.495 
2.810 
1.290 
6.325 
0.304 
4.129 

5.252 
1.551 
100.152 
3.465 
0.123 
0.644 

2.787 
10.792 
6.110 
0.204 
4.031 
9.567 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Countries and regions 

Austria 

Belgium 

EU 

Finland 

France 

Germany 

Ireland 

Italy 

Netherlands 

Spain 

United 
Kingdom 

Total 

Number 
of donors 

Average 
per donor 

Caribbean & Central 
America, regional 
Central African Republic 
Central Asia, regional 

Chad 
China (People’s Republic 
of) 
Colombia 
Comoros 
Congo, Rep. 
Costa Rica 
Côte d’Ivoire 
Cuba 
Democratic People’s 
Republic of Korea 
Democratic Republic of the 
Congo 
Developing countries, 
unspecified 
Djibouti 
Dominica 
Dominican Republic 

Ecuador 
Egypt 
El Salvador 
Eritrea 
Eswatini 
Ethiopia 

Europe, regional 
Far East Asia, regional 

0.700 

0.012 

0.062 

5.700 

2.481 
0.359 

0.001 

3.253 

6.931 

5.250 
1.099 

0.532 

0.140 

53.474 

0.315 

0.485 

6.007 

23.918 

0.655 

0.052 

20.153 

10.544 
0.157 
1.129 

25.678 
2.054 

0.731 

1.263 
0.959 
0.213 
1.028 
0.798 
3.058 

4.935 

0.463 
4.733 
0.606 

0.120 

0.080 
0.500 

0.038 

0.159 

0.454 

0.235 
0.015 
0.175 
0.703 

4.106 

0.321 

0.350 

0.175 

0.210 

0.060 

0.393 

0.057 

0.146 

13.144 

11.653 
2.658 

84.390 

6.704 

27.868 

0.346 

1.885 

1.573 

0.002 

0.101 
1.479 

0.199 

21.061 
1.116 
1.579 
1.706 
31.485 
8.631 

5.223 

4 

7 
4 

8 

6 

8 
2 
4 
4 
5 
6 

6 

3.286 

1.665 
0.665 

10.549 

4.645 

2.633 
0.558 
0.395 
0.426 
6.297 
1.438 

0.870 

0.028 

21.768 

16.452 

0.004 

2.456 

33.896 

1.110 

1.493 

0.935 

1.430 

79.574 

10 

7.957 

0.748 

6.562 

104.331 

8.295 

261.231 

5.920 

90.043 

269.809 

2.286 

0.173 

0.747 

0.090 
5.024 

0.719 

6.154 
2.071 
2.818 

5.481 
8.052 
0.625 
1.600 
34.176 
34.208 

1.618 
0.527 

0.488 

0.125 

0.216 

0.000 
7.655 

0.151 
0.071 
0.153 

0.541 
1.781 

0.176 

1.049 
24.102 
1.472 
2.243 
4.984 
34.817 

0.160 
0.637 

16 

0.020 

0.020 

1.392 
0.059 
0.773 

0.135 
5.623 

0.235 
1.434 
18.119 

0.052 

2.795 

1.436 

0.243 

0.235 
3.918 

8.815 
77.702 

29.716 

746.940 

6.787 
2.071 
3.066 

13.154 
32.743 
5.378 
4.078 
50.411 
219.283 

1.777 
1.164 

8 

4 
1 
4 

6 
6 
7 
3 
9 
11 

2 
2 

93.368 

1.697 
2.071 
0.767 

2.192 
5.457 
0.768 
1.359 
5.601 
19.935 

0.889 
0.582 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Countries and regions 

Austria 

Belgium 

EU 

Finland 

France 

Germany 

Ireland 

Italy 

Netherlands 

Spain 

United 
Kingdom 

Total 

Number 
of donors 

Average 
per donor 

Fiji 
Gambia 
Georgia 
Ghana 
Grenada 
Guatemala 
Guinea 

Guinea-Bissau 
Guyana 
Haiti 
Honduras 
India 
Indonesia 

Iran 
Iraq 
Jamaica 
Jordan 
Kazakhstan 
Kenya 

Kiribati 
Kosovo 
Kyrgyzstan 
Lao People’s Democratic 
Republic 
Lebanon 
Lesotho 
Liberia 
Madagascar 

0.035 

2.436 

0.409 

0.035 

0.148 

0.105 

1.431 

1.340 

0.884 
4.400 

1.607 
0.376 

1.052 

0.166 

6.181 
10.258 
27.162 
15.864 
0.015 
6.046 
3.701 

11.225 
0.280 
20.696 
19.976 
0.975 
1.199 

15.168 
3.536 

31.794 

0.114 

0.051 
0.043 

0.015 
0.084 
0.484 

0.002 
5.789 
8.000 

0.699 

0.242 

4.913 

0.028 
1.108 

0.004 
1.450 

1.251 

1.162 

6.541 

0.021 

4.959 

0.445 

0.109 
0.070 
0.401 
11.097 

4.300 
0.234 

0.049 

5.916 
2.885 
29.968 
9.760 

0.003 
9.349 

18.560 
1.462 
22.223 

0.197 
2.922 

5.708 

0.084 

2.716 

13.099 

6.140 
3.741 
1.382 
14.384 

0.520 

2.375 

8.543 

25.539 
0.264 
0.441 
9.022 

0.569 

17 

0.087 

9.730 

2.955 

6.533 

0.413 

0.225 
1.899 
0.309 

2.243 

23.856 
0.720 

0.209 

0.248 
0.099 
0.079 

2.000 
0.019 
0.026 

0.023 
0.006 

0.143 

0.065 
0.025 
1.155 
0.032 

0.062 

0.584 

1.945 

5.535 

6.100 

0.017 

27.560 

0.048 

9.065 

7.264 

0.096 

0.032 

6.326 
12.417 
35.808 
49.012 
0.015 
18.456 
9.084 

12.072 
0.280 
33.471 
25.492 
57.022 
16.194 

0.069 
10.799 
15.335 
23.931 
1.462 
102.982 

0.114 
1.696 
8.327 

21.608 

50.383 
4.005 
2.392 
32.597 

3 
5 
5 
7 
1 
8 
6 

5 
1 
8 
7 
9 
8 

3 
2 
2 
4 
1 
10 

1 
4 
3 

4 

5 
2 
3 
6 

2.109 
2.483 
7.162 
7.002 
0.015 
2.307 
1.514 

2.414 
0.280 
4.184 
3.642 
6.336 
2.024 

0.023 
5.400 
7.667 
5.983 
1.462 
10.298 

0.114 
0.424 
2.776 

5.402 

10.077 
2.003 
0.797 
5.433 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Countries and regions 

Austria 

Belgium 

EU 

Finland 

France 

Germany 

Ireland 

Italy 

Netherlands 

Spain 

United 
Kingdom 

Total 

Number 
of donors 

Average 
per donor 

Malawi 
Malaysia 
Maldives 
Mali 
Mauritania 
Mauritius 
Mexico 

Middle East, regional 
Moldova 
Mongolia 
Morocco 
Mozambique 
Myanmar 

Namibia 
Nauru 
Nepal 
Nicaragua 
Niger 
Nigeria 

North Macedonia 
North of Sahara, regional 
Oceania, regional 
Pakistan 
Panama 
Papua New Guinea 

Paraguay 
Peru 
Philippines 

5.711 

24.362 

0.179 

0.003 
0.264 

24.548 
0.348 

12.633 

0.156 

0.014 

22.788 
0.061 

0.028 

5.417 

2.000 
0.356 

1.470 
0.010 

0.340 
0.215 
0.002 

1.000 

0.012 

0.100 
0.015 

3.613 
4.252 

1.284 
4.468 

6.594 
1.367 

22.710 
11.963 
1.235 
0.014 

5.261 
2.402 
16.826 
17.031 
18.564 

1.445 

5.388 
2.971 
56.664 
31.622 

2.420 
18.996 
35.899 

10.261 

1.244 
2.064 
1.033 

0.594 
1.433 
2.300 

0.011 

0.011 
0.012 
11.894 
1.224 

0.039 
0.142 
0.061 
2.635 
0.034 

0.001 
0.944 

0.029 
0.019 

0.030 
0.610 
0.395 

0.098 

0.285 

1.090 
0.527 

0.026 
0.440 
0.990 
0.030 

0.427 

0.016 
0.011 

0.094 

1.279 
1.001 

0.290 

4.416 
0.071 

20.642 
1.427 
0.003 
0.748 

0.012 
12.069 
9.041 
0.861 

19.593 
7.860 
35.506 

49.897 
5.685 

3.127 

3.455 
0.008 
0.911 
4.436 
4.891 
6.787 

8.908 

6.298 
4.126 
42.997 
2.310 

1.071 

1.362 

1.717 
0.153 
0.461 

2.518 
4.600 
4.502 

18 

0.354 
0.160 

8.230 

2.695 
2.582 

0.509 

1.362 

0.423 
3.548 

2.841 
1.156 

0.009 
1.787 
1.056 

7.474 
31.420 

1.305 

0.532 

39.069 

44.580 

2.945 
0.125 

0.034 

2.425 

90.395 
0.673 
0.594 
111.146 
24.055 
1.238 
5.771 

5.741 
5.625 
3.336 
37.380 
64.810 
61.550 

10.643 
0.039 
17.925 
30.547 
116.672 
109.102 

0.001 
6.797 
18.996 
82.653 
0.172 
10.734 

3.891 
17.198 
10.051 

9 
3 
1 
9 
6 
2 
6 

3 
3 
4 
6 
11 
9 

3 
1 
8 
9 
8 
7 

1 
5 
1 
5 
2 
3 

4 
8 
9 

10.044 
0.224 
0.594 
12.350 
4.009 
0.619 
0.962 

1.914 
1.875 
0.834 
6.230 
5.892 
6.839 

3.548 
0.039 
2.241 
3.394 
14.584 
15.586 

0.001 
1.359 
18.996 
16.531 
0.086 
3.578 

0.973 
2.150 
1.117 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Countries and regions 

Austria 

Belgium 

EU 

Finland 

France 

Germany 

Ireland 

Italy 

Netherlands 

Spain 

United 
Kingdom 

Total 

Number 
of donors 

Average 
per donor 

0.000 

0.286 

0.548 

1.021 

0.512 

33.589 

0.129 

12.766 

Rwanda 
Saint Lucia 
Saint Vincent and the 
Grenadines 
Samoa 
Sao Tome and Principe 
Senegal 
Serbia 
Sierra Leone 
Solomon Islands 

Somalia 
South & Central Asia, 
regional 
South Africa 
South America, regional 
South Asia 
South Asia, regional 
South of Sahara, regional 
South Sudan 

Sri Lanka 
States Ex-Yugoslavia 
unspecified 
Sudan 
Suriname 
Syrian Arab Republic 
Tajikistan 
Tanzania 
Thailand 

Timor-Leste 

0.080 

1.470 

0.544 
0.076 

5.113 

35.178 
2.212 

3.075 

3.000 
0.805 
2.900 

5.808 

0.001 

0.739 

0.761 

1.211 
0.163 

0.001 

0.468 

6.594 

0.349 

1.171 
1.784 
1.275 
1.580 
66.808 
11.558 

13.501 

11.796 
1.612 
29.434 
6.739 
12.877 
1.296 

9.636 

0.204 
23.899 
0.005 

1.706 
8.138 
1.238 
0.105 

1.527 
0.052 
0.159 

4.951 

0.020 
3.677 

3.000 

23.590 

0.426 

21.779 

0.190 

3.587 

1.073 

0.011 
18.138 

0.433 

2.482 
2.623 

2.210 
98.615 
27.768 

0.326 

0.042 

0.095 
1.886 

0.363 

1.423 

0.025 
79.431 
19.669 

0.018 

0.009 
0.126 
1.789 

0.958 

0.060 

0.436 

14.475 

1.157 

2.055 

0.048 

11.253 

1.035 

4.194 

1.436 

0.001 
0.295 
0.001 

0.300 

0.059 
1.630 

0.005 

7.732 
10.147 
0.818 

0.007 

19 

44.727 
1.241 

2.551 

19.134 

0.438 
0.302 

1.304 
18.443 
28.275 

85.579 
2.212 

3.075 

3.000 
1.029 
42.365 
8.271 
14.708 
0.105 

68.707 

0.349 

5.945 
5.090 
1.275 
5.139 
285.485 
91.108 

14.787 

0.060 

41.220 
1.612 
30.769 
14.472 
80.796 
4.986 

9.648 

11 
1 

1 

1 
3 
8 
4 
5 
1 

6 

1 

7 
5 
1 
6 
11 
7 

4 

1 

7 
1 
3 
3 
9 
5 

3 

7.780 
2.212 

3.075 

3.000 
0.343 
5.296 
2.068 
2.942 
0.105 

11.451 

0.349 

0.849 
1.018 
1.275 
0.857 
25.953 
13.015 

3.697 

0.060 

5.889 
1.612 
10.256 
4.824 
8.977 
0.997 

3.216 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Countries and regions 

Austria 

Belgium 

EU 

Finland 

France 

Germany 

Ireland 

Italy 

Netherlands 

Spain 

United 
Kingdom 

Total 

Number 
of donors 

Average 
per donor 

Togo 
Tunisia 
Turkey 
Turkmenistan 
Tuvalu 
Uganda 
Ukraine 

Uzbekistan 
Vanuatu 
Venezuela 
Viet Nam 
Wallis and Futuna 
West Bank and Gaza Strip 

Yemen 
Zambia 

Total 

0.465 

2.895 
2.300 

2.577 

10.466 

2.116 

1.551 
3.783 

0.747 

18.979 
3.640 

19.647 
3.006 
1.900 
0.143 

6.568 

38.444 
5.461 

0.052 

0.817 

0.370 

0.077 

2.340 

1.603 
6.304 
52.489 

4.404 
13.847 
1.644 

0.600 
0.104 

0.204 
0.003 
2.761 
0.405 
4.184 

2.300 

15.948 
2.342 

0.395 

0.023 
2.550 

1.891 

4.983 
5.482 

3.254 

4.427 

2.754 

0.108 
12.240 
0.015 

0.017 
1.153 
0.012 

0.004 
0.062 

3.589 

0.009 
0.314 

0.074 

10.845 

13.889 

0.002 

16.483 

0.000 

3.900 

1.873 

1.533 

8.506 

8.207 
36.226 
64.993 
0.747 
0.017 
76.596 
8.398 

20.043 
3.210 
1.930 
22.312 
0.405 
24.198 

45.737 
24.857 

6 
5 
4 
1 
1 
11 
5 

2 
2 
5 
8 
1 
8 

4 
6 

1.368 
7.245 
16.248 
0.747 
0.017 
6.963 
1.680 

10.021 
1.605 
0.386 
2.789 
0.405 
3.025 

11.434 
4.143 

31.772 

138.751 

1447.908 

45.761 

603.158 

1215.425 

82.460 

193.148 

551.691  54.160 

662.300 

5026.532 

11 

456.957 

20 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2.  CASE STUDIES 

2.1  EU Joint Programming (JP) in Bolivia 

In  May  2018,  the  then  European  Commissioner  for  International  Cooperation  and 
Development,  Neven  Mimica,  and  Bolivia’s  Ministers  of  Planning  and  of  Foreign  Affairs 
launched  the  2017-2020  Joint  European  Strategy  (JES)  for  Bolivia7  with  an  indicative 
funding  of  EUR  530  million.  One  of  the  largest  recipients  of  EU  bilateral  development 
assistance in Latin America and the Caribbean, Bolivia has been among the first countries to 
embark  on  JP  with  a  JES  adopted  by  the  Government,  the  EU,  Germany,  Denmark, 
Belgium,  France,  Spain,  Italy,  Sweden,  the  United  Kingdom  and  Switzerland.  The 
development  of  the  Strategy  has  built  on  a  roadmap,  a  joint  analysis  and  a  Common 
European  Strategy  in  place  since  2014.  The  partners  used  the  flexibility  allowed  in  the 
process to build trust and ownership. They also invited Switzerland to join the process. The 
JES is aligned with Bolivia’s 2025 Patriotic Agenda and the 2016-2020 Economic and Social 
Development Plan, which in turn, are aligned with both the SDGs and COP21 objectives.  

the  2016-2020  Plan  for 

The Strategy has not led to a reduction of the number of donors per sectors or the number of 
sectors  covered  per  donor:  it  encompasses  eight  priority  sectors  and  5  crosscutting 
approaches. In the food security and rural development sector, the EU and its Member States 
(Germany,  Denmark,  and  Italy)  fund  a  programme  package  worth  EUR  66  million  to 
support 
the  Agricultural  and  Rural  Sector  with  Integral 
Development8.  The  EU  supports  the  fight  against  illicit  drugs  by  promoting  alternative 
economic  and  employment  opportunities  to  coca  growers  with  a  Sector  Reform  Contract 
worth EUR 27 million, while the Danish cooperation strengthens the institutional capacities 
of the Ministry of Rural Development and Land (EUR 20 million). Having a limited number 
of  Member  States  willing  to  embark  on  sectoral  JP  proved  to  be  an  enabling  factor  in  a 
context  where  collaboration  with  the  government  is  good  and  European  visibility  was  (and 
still  is)  high.  Moreover,  those  Member  States  that  were  in  the  process  of  phasing  out 
(Belgium  and  Sweden)  took  advantage  of  the  JES  exercise  to  further  ensure  the 
sustainability of their programmes with the on-going interventions.  

JP has created greater awareness around the programmes/projects managed by the EU+ group 
and in several sectors such as environment and climate change, it has fostered collaboration 
and  coordination.  In  the  food  security  and  rural  development  sector  maintaining  the 
momentum to keep the JP process going proved to be challenging and further efforts should 
contribute  to  move  from  joint  strategising  to  joint  implementation.  Maintaining  regular 
dialogue  and joint  activities are key incentives to bring Member States together via a more 
sustained  coordination  approach  and  more  guidance  regarding  joint  implementation 
opportunities and joint reporting expectations. The next programming exercise offers a good 
opportunity for the EU+ partners for the alignment of bilateral strategies and their linkages to 
the SDGs and the Paris Agreement objectives. As the European Consensus on Development 
(2017)  makes  results  frameworks  core  elements  of  the  joint  response  to  inform  policy 
dialogue and enhance mutual accountability, the next JES should use SDGs indicators as key 
JP performance indicators (if measurable at country level) and an emphasis should be put on 
the availability of means of verification - at sector level - when selecting key indicators. 

2.2  EU JP in Madagascar 

In  2017,  the  European  Union  and  the  most  active  EU  Member  States  in  the  country 

7 https://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/bolivia/45328/estrategia-europea-conjunta-2017-2020_sl  
8 https://www.ruralytierras.gob.bo/leyes/plansectorial.pdf  

21 

 
                                                      
(Germany and France) embarked on a joint JP process organised around the SDG themes of 
People,  Planet,  Prosperity,  and  Peace.  A  joint  analysis  was  validated  in  July  2018  which 
included  three  key  avenues  for  cooperation:  (i)  support  to  good  governance  and  effective 
institutions;  (ii)  the  sustainable  use  of  natural  resources;  and  (iii)  support  to  the  emerging 
industrialisation, in particular through the quality and adequacy of education including labour 
skills. Following the presidential elections -marking the first political alternation of power in 
the  country- 
the  2019-2023  Plan  Emergence 
Madagascar  (PEM)  which  should  provide  the  strategic  framework  for  the  next  steps  of  JP 
planned in 2020.  

the  Malagasy  Government  prepared 

The  main  challenge  in  this  process  relates  to  the  alignment  of  the  EU  partners  to  the 
government policy framework and more specifically the delayed adoption of the PEM. From 
a  sectoral  perspective,  the  transition  has  enabled  the  establishment  of  a  structured  policy 
dialogue  that  takes  place  within  the  framework  of  coordination  platforms  and  includes  the 
government  and  the  development  partners.  The  EU  partners  implement  rather  similar 
interventions  spread across  the country, including the support to  food and cash crops along 
value  chains,  institutional  capacity  building,  the  improvement  of  nutrition,  and  the 
sustainable management of natural resources alongside adaptation to climate change. In these 
areas, a range of joint initiatives translates a culture of collaboration and partnership.  

France and Germany have been  actively involved in  the Food and Nutrition  Security  and 
Sustainable  Agriculture  sector  for  an  extended  period,  and  with  the  EU  Delegation,  have 
increasingly jointly implemented programmes and projects across sectors. The wide array of 
the  synchronisation  and 
collaborative  efforts  by 
complementarity  of  their  interventions  –  including  in  terms  of  support  to  the  civil  society. 
This  ‘working  better  together’  culture  has  clearly  eased  the  development  of  JP.  JP  is 
facilitated  by  the  presence  of  a  limited  number  of  Member  States,  geographical 
complementarity, good communication flows between the EU partners; and since 2019, the 
establishment of a Dialogue and Cooperation Group boosting multi-sectoral coordination.  

the  EU  partners  has 

improved 

The  challenge  now  is  to  consolidate  the  progress  made  in  a  context  where  there  is  limited 
ownership  of  the  national  development  plan.  The  EU  partners  are  adopting  a  pragmatic 
approach  and  move  a  sectoral  JP  exercise  forward  around  the  fight  against  environmental 
degradation and climate change, taking into account that agriculture and livestock activities 
are the most important factors causing deforestation and land degradation in Madagascar. In 
order  to  achieve  a  greater  impact,  the  JP  is  expected  to  promote  a  more  integrated, 
coordinated, and focused approach based on an increased division of labour. The EU partners 
could  seize  this  opportunity  to  incorporate  the  objectives  of  Agenda  2030,  the  Paris 
Agreement  and  the  EU  Green  Deal  into  this  second  phase  of  the  JP  and  enhance  policy 
dialogue,  alongside  data  collection  and  analysis.  In  this  manner  bilateral  strategies  can  be 
progressively replaced by a joint EU programme. 

3.  FURTHER DETAILS ON THE THEMATIC FOCUS 

3.1  Gender 

The 2nd EU Gender Action Plan (GAPII) underlines the link between gender inequalities and 
disparities  and  food  and  nutrition  security  and  sustainable  agriculture,  and  supports 
transformative  change  for  equal  access  to  land  and  assets,  and  control  over  resources. 
Reflecting  this  commitment  to  a  gender  transformative  approach,  the  EU  interventions 
incuding gender-responsive activities in FNS have risen from 37% in 2014 to 57% in 2018. 
EU  interventions  increase  women’s  access  to  productive  resources  and  employment 

22 

 
 
opportunities,  stimulate  behaviour  changes  such  as  strengthened  joint  decision-making  in 
rural households, and provide women with platforms to voice their rights.  

In Malawi, the EU strengthens land governance systems for smallholder farmers by training 
local officials on women’s land rights and developing a Women’s Land Rights Forum whose 
members  have  enhanced  women’s  leadership  skills.  In  Lao  PDR,  the  EU  funds  the 
“Sustainable  Change  Achieved  through  Linking  Nutrition  and  Governance”  programme 
supporting video clips  on national  television that examine the role of men during women’s 
pregnancy and in childcare activities.  

In  Kenya,  Mozambique,  Malawi  and  Senegal,  the  LANDac  programme  funded  by  the 
Netherlands  supports  successful  initiatives  promoting  and  extending  women’s  access  to 
agricultural  land.  The programme focuses on women’s voice  and vision,  actively involving 
them in data collection and increasing their role in land governance related discussions.  

Italy has been engaged in gender equality and women empowerment, strenghtening women 
access  to  value  chains  in  Mozambique,  scaling  up  Community-based  Maternal  and  Child 
Nutrition  Services  in  Afghanistan,  or  enhancing  the  skills  and  networking  capacity  of 
shepherds and farmers in West Bank vulnerable communities  

The  EU  developed  thematic  briefs  underlining  the  principles  of  social  change  and  gender 
transformation  in  policy  dialogue  and  programming.  The  briefs  detail  how  to  incorporate  a 
gender-responsive  approach  in  land  governance,  nutrition,  and  value  chains  development. 
The  brief  “Closing  the  gender  gap  through  agri-food  value  chain  development” 
complements  for  example  the  EU’s  Value  Chain  Analysis  for  Development  (VCA4D) 
methodology,  which  provides  a  detailed  assessment  of  a  value  chains’  operation  and  its 
impact on the social dimensions of sustainable development  – gender equality being one of 
the  six  domains  of  the  social  analysis.  In  Cambodia  the  VCA4D  tool  highlighted  women 
participation  in  aquaculture  activities  in  the  semi-intensive  and  small-cage  production 
systems and their under-representation in decision-making processes in the fisheries policy. 

Together  with  the  Food  and  Agriculture  Organization  of  the  United  Nations  (FAO),  the 
World  Food  Programme  (WFP),  and  the  International  Fund  for  Agricultural  Development 
(IFAD),  the  EU  will  support  the  activities  of  the  three  agencies  to  embed  gender 
transformative  approaches  in  policy  dialogue,  programmes,  institutional  culture  and  the 
working  modalities  of  the  Rome-Based  Agencies  (RBAs),  while  contributing  to  deliver  on 
SDG2.  The  aim  is  to  contribute  to  the  achievement  of  food  security  and  nutrition  and 
sustainable  agricultural  development  by  addressing  the  root  causes  of  gender  inequalities 
principally  in  –  but  not  limited  to  –  rural  areas  and  triggering  transformative  change 
processes  that  lead  to  the  empowerment  of  women  in  their  households,  communities,  and 
society for the improved well-being of all persons. 

The EU has also stepped up its engagement in advocating a transformative gender approach 
in its policy dialogue. The EU, jointly with Germany and Finland organised for example a 
side  event  on  women’s  land  rights  and  women’s  empowerment  at  the  Commission  on  the 
Status  of  Women  held  in  New  York  in  2018.  With  the  partner  countries,  the  EU  has 
contributed to the drafting of national strategies emphasising gender equality in Nepal and in 
Kenya, joint gender analysis with EU Member States as a step to forge partnerships across 
sectors  in  Madagascar,  or  stepped  up  the  coordination  between  EU  partners  in  delivering 
gender-sensitive messaging on violence against women in Colombia.  

Funded by the EU Trust Fund and the Netherlands and Austrian Development Cooperation 
(EUR 48.3  million),  the  Resilience  Building  Programme  in  Ethiopia  (RESET  II)  builds 
people  and  community’s  resilience  in  the  most  vulnerable  areas  of  the  country.  The 

23 

 
programme has contributed to successfully mainstream  gender in its strategy, approach and 
tools.  Half  of  the  1.9 million  people  reached  by  the  programme  were  women  whose 
vulnerability  has  been  reduced  and  capacity  strengthened.  In  the  Wolaita  cluster,  the  EU 
focused on extremely poor women (with 0.125 ha and some labour), members of women’s 
economic  groups.  By  increasing  their  skills,  connecting  them  to  formal  systems  such  as 
savings and loans groups, and providing livestock and drought-resistant/nutritious seeds/roots 
free of charge, the programme contributed to shift women’s status from dependency to self-
reliance. 

3.2  Rural employment creation 

In September 2018, the Commission published a Communication on a new Africa – Europe 
Alliance for Sustainable Investment and Jobs9, aiming to enhance job creation and sustainable 
and  inclusive  development.  In  this  context,  Jobs  and  Growth  Compacts  (JGC)  are  being 
developed,  steering  joint  efforts  around  value  chains  with  the  highest  potential  for  job 
creation. In July 2019, the EUD Uganda prepared a strategic JGC serving the programming 
exercise and as a means to foster convergence towards the EU key priorities identified with 
EU  Member  States,  financial  institutions  and  other  actors  as  well  as  through  structured 
dialogue  with  the  government  and  the  private  sector.  In  June  2019,  under  the  French 
Presidency, the G7 adopted a Framework on decent job creation for rural youth in the Sahel. 
Developed  by  the  G7  Working  Group  of  Food  Security,  this  Framework  was  jointly 
welcomed by the G7 and G5-Sahel ministers and by the G7 Summit, as part of the Biarritz 
Sahel Partnership Action Plan. Acknowledging that the creation of decent jobs for rural youth 
in  the  Sahel  should  help  meet  the  twin  challenges  of  food  insecurity  and  poverty  while 
providing new economic opportunities for young Sahelians. 

In the framework of the Alliance, the EU supports a range of actions to boost investment and 
job creation, including through the AgriFI initiative that provides blended finance to increase 
investment  in  smallholder  agriculture  and  micro,  small  and  medium  enterprises  (MSMEs). 
The  EU  supports  the  development  of  agricultural  value  chains  taking  advantage  of  the 
opportunities offered by local, regional and global markets. This is based on the assessment 
of the economic, social and environmental aspects of value chains in development, using the 
VCA4D  Facility.  In  partnership  with  Agrinatura10,  the  EU  applied  this  tool  in  value  chain 
programmes to identify if and how growth generated by those value chains’ activities impact 
job  creation.  This  has,  for  instance,  been  the  case  in  Zambia  (egg  and  aquaculture), 
Honduras (coffee), Sierra Leone (palm oil), Tanzania (coffee), Guinea Bissau (mango and 
lime), Burundi (banana), and Benin (pineapple).11  

France,  Italy  and  Germany  promoted  agricultural  entrepreneurship  for  young  people  in 
agricultural  value  chains  to  increase  income  and  employment  prospects  in  a  wide  range  of 
countries.  For  example  in  Sierra  Leone,  Germany  supports  the  “Employment  Promotion 
Programme  (EPP  III)”  boosting  job  creation  in  cocoa,  coffee,  rice  and  vegetables  value 
chains.  The  programme  works  with  MSMEs  and  youth  to  improve  skills  –  with  strong 
mentorship  and  coaching  elements  as  a  means  of  increasing  self-  and  wage  employment. 
Between 2016 and 2019, the EPP III supported  1,200 businesses and trained 36,000  youth, 
creating  more  than  9,000  new  jobs  and  self-employment  opportunities.  By  2019,  the 

9 COM(2018) 643 final.  
10 AGRINATURA is a grouping of 27 European universities and research organisations.  
11  Value  chain  analysis  studies  from  2016  to  2020 :  https://europa.eu/capacity4dev/value-chain-analysis-for-
development-vca4d-  

24 

 
                                                      
programme  positively  affected  more  than  250,000  people.  In  Somalia,  Italy  is  promoting 
innovative agricultural technologies for economic growth. 

The EU significantly contributed to job creation through the EU Emergency Trust Fund for 
Africa  (EUTF).  In  the  Sahel  and  Lake  Chad  region  more  than  27,500  jobs  were  created, 
129,000  people  developed  income-generating  activities  and  more  than  50,000  people 
benefited from professional training and or/skills development between 2018 and 2019. With 
the aim to increase the economic participation among young people -thereby contributing to 
the  EUTF’s  stabilisation  efforts  in  the  region-  approximately  700,000  youths  have  been 
supported  by  the  EUTF  through  job  creation  initiatives,  support  to  find  a  work  placement, 
skills  development,  and/or  professional  training.  For  example,  in  Cameroon  high-intensity 
labour  programmes  contributed  to  create  6,200  jobs,  while  in  Senegal,  the  programme 
‘Développer  l’emploi  au  Sénégal’  supported  existing  or  new  MSMEs  and  provided 
professional training and/or skills development to 18,700 people. 

4.  METHODOLOGICAL NOTE  

This section briefly outlines data sources, definitions and classifications used to produce the 
figures presented in this report. 

Purpose 

The  fourth  EU  report  provides  a  consolidated  assessment  of  EU  and  Member  States’ 
achievements  on  the  six  food  and  nutrition  security  policy  priorities  set  out  in  the 
Implementation Plan. It provides information on how their collective performance delivered 
on these policy priorities, and on the level of coherence, complementarity and coordination, 
based on a quantitative assessment of total food and nutrition security interventions, as well 
as a qualitative assessment of how well the EU and its Member States are working together at 
national, regional and global levels. 

Data 

In this report, data is  limited to  EU  institutions  and ten  Member States: Austria,  Belgium, 
Finland,  France,  Germany,  Ireland,  Italy,  Netherlands,  Spain  and  United  Kingdom12. 
The total ODA flows of these donors amounted to 91.2% of the total ODA flows of the EU 
in  2018.  The  OECD/DAC  reported 
Institutions  and 
disbursements data is used as a source. FNS disbursements flows in this report concern only 
development  initiatives  and  disbursements  recorded  under  DAC  humanitarian  sector  codes 
are not included. 

twenty-eight  member  states 

Core  contributions  at  multilateral  level  to  a  range  of  UN  agencies,  funds  and  programmes 
were not taken into account, when it was difficult to allocate a proportion of this funding to 
food and nutrition security. Only those contributions to these agencies that specifically target 
food and nutrition security as stated below (points A, B and C) are considered. 

Identification of the food and nutrition security interventions 

In order to ensure the greatest possible consistency, a common approach is applied by the EU 
and its Member States. Programmes/projects meeting the following conditions are supposed 
to contribute to food and nutrition security: 

12 During the period under review of this Report, the UK was a member of the European Union. 

25 

 
 
                                                      
A.  which  have  a  particular  focus  on  FNS  (by  being  specifically  designed  to  improve 

FNS, or by having specific FNS objectives or activities), and/or  

B.  which  cearly  fall  within  one  or  more  of  the  four  pillars  of  food  security  –  food 

availability, access to food, utilisation of food and stability, and/or  

C.  which clearly fall within the definition of ‘FNS’: “Food and nutrition security exists 
when all people at all times have physical, social and economic access to food, which 
is  consumed  in  sufficient  quantity  and  quality  to  meet  their  dietary  needs  and  food 
preferences,  and  is  supported  by  an  environment  of  adequate  sanitation,  health 
services and care, allowing for a healthy and active life.” 

Number of food and nutrition security programmes 

The diversity of implementation modalities across the EU institutions and EU Member States 
makes it difficult to use a standard definition of “programme”. The lack of comparable data 
for  it,  resulted  in  taking  the  number  of  disbursements  recorded  in  the  OECD  DAC  CRS 
database as a proxy for the number of programmes. Although, this overestimates the number 
of  programmes  in  absolute  terms  in  a  given  time,  it  is  a  reliable  method  to  observe  an 
evolution over time, which is the main purpose of the report. In addition, the data for 2018 
cover all disbursement amounts in the database, which were limited to disbursements above 
EUR 100,000 in the previous reports. 

Classification of the identified food and nutrition security interventions 

a)  Gender and climate sensitiveness and research 

OECD DAC CRS policy markers are referenced to identify whether a project targets gender 
equality and environmental objectives. Research related disbursements have been captured by 
specific DAC sector codes (agricultural  research, fishery research etc ), as well as by some 
implementation  partners  with  a  research  mission  (e.g.  CGIAR  Fund  and  member 
organisations and other). 

b)  Geographical classification 

The geographical classification is made in two ways. First, by geographical area of recipients 
adjusted  to  this  exercise  but  closely  aligned  to  OECD  DAC  classification.  Neighbourhood 
region  includes  the  EU  Neighbourhood  policy  partner  countries  and  a  few  other  European 
countries. Another classification refers to  the policy intervention level: whether a project  is 
designed with impacts at country, regional or global level. At country level, the OECD DAC 
list of ODA recipients and country names conventions is used. 

c)  Policy priority classification 

FNS  disbursements  are  regrouped  in  the  six  sub-groups  according  to  one  of  the  six  FNS 
policy priorities set out in the Implementation Plan. 

A project is classified only under one priority. Due to financial breakdown difficulties and to 
avoid  double-counting,  for  multi-sectorial  projects,  only  one  priority,  i.e.  the  one  which 
seems the most important, is assigned and allocated the full project budget amount. 

The description of the six policy priorities is provided below, with some examples of typical 
activities. 

26 

 
Policy priority 1: Improve smallholder resilience and rural livelihoods 

Interventions 

1.  Support  policies  and  programmes  which  focus  on  sustainable  agricultural  intensification 
and diversification for smallholder farmers, particularly women, including through enhanced 
public private partnerships. 

2.  Support  policies  and  programmes  in  partner  countries  which  aim  to  increase  access  for 
smallholder  farmers,  in  particular  women  farmers,  to  land  and  water  resources,  improved 
farm inputs, credit, and extension services, and which aim to reduce post-harvest losses and 
improve storage facilities. 

3. Assist partner countries in addressing climate change and its effects on food and nutrition 
insecurity  and  agricultural  development  through  adaptation,  mitigation  and  resilience-
building measures. 

4. Support pro-poor, demand-led research for development and technology transfer, extension 
and  innovation,  and  ensure  that  this  research  is  accessible  to,  and  used  by,  smallholder 
farmers and in particular, women. 

5. Support programmes in rural areas which aim to build resilience and generate income and 
off-farm employment, including by assisting smallholder and women farmers, to add value to 
their produce and to develop viable agribusinesses, to improve the links between smallholder 
farmers and markets and to enhance the efficiency of agricultural value chains. 

Policy priority 2: Support effective governance 

Interventions 

1. Support the progressive realisation of the right to safe, sufficient and nutritious food for all 
in  partner  countries,  and  the  implementation  of  the  Voluntary  Guidelines  to  support  the 
progressive realisation of the right to adequate food in the context of national food security. 

2. Support national, regional and international initiatives for good governance and security of 
land  tenure  and  use  rights,  including  the  implementation  of  the  Voluntary  Guidelines  and 
responsible governance of tenure of land, fisheries and forests in the context of national food 
security, and facilitate responsible agricultural investments and investments in land. 

3. Support initiatives to strengthen and enhance the functioning of civil society organisations 
in partner countries and farmers’ organisations, particularly those which actively target poor 
smallholder  and  women  farmers  as  members,  contributing  to  their  empowerment  to 
participate in decision-making and implementation and evaluation of programmes. 

4.  Support  programmes  which  focus  on  empowering  women,  strengthening  their  decision-
making  role  at  household  level,  including  in  relation  to  decisions  about  food  production, 
consumption and the use of household assets, and which seek to ensure that women’s voices 
are heard and integrated into decision making at national and local levels. 

5. Increase support to continental, regional and national CAADP programmes and plans. 

6. Strengthen global governance for food and nutrition security and take a strong leadership 
and  advocacy  role  internationally  to  ensure  that  food  and  nutrition  security  is  prioritised  in 
global and regional development fora. 

7.  Promote  coherence  between  relevant  internal  policies  and  the  objectives  of  external 
development assistance polices. 

27 

 
 
Policy priority 3: Support regional agriculture and food and nutrition security policies 

Interventions 

1.  Support  the  development  and  implementation  of  regional  level  agricultural  policies  and 
strategies  to  step  up  integration  of  regional  food  markets  and  disease  control  programmes, 
including food safety against foodborne illness. 

2.  Reinforce  regional  information  systems  in  support  of  agriculture  and  food  and  nutrition 
security policies, including those for early warning systems and transparency in markets. 

Policy priority 4: Strengthen social protection mechanisms for food and nutrition security, 
particularly for vulnerable population groups 

Interventions 

1.  Support  countries  to  develop  nationally  owned  and  led  comprehensive  social  protection 
systems which are flexible, adapted to local contexts, and target both labour and non-labour 
constrained vulnerable population groups, and funded increasingly from domestic resources. 

2. Support existing social protection programmes to expand their coverage and linkages with 
other sectors and enhance predictability, reliability, sustainability, scalability, resilience and 
the crisis response capacity of the interventions. 

Policy priority 5: Enhance nutrition, in particular for mothers, infants and children 

Interventions 

1. Increase advocacy with partner country governments to raise the profile of nutrition within 
their respective national strategies and programmes, and to align their resources accordingly. 

2.  Increase  financial  and  technical  support  to  partner  countries  to  scale  up  and  effectively 
address under-nutrition and improve national governance on nutrition, with a particular focus 
on those countries which have signed up to the SUN Movement. 

3. Increase financial support for scaling up proven direct nutrition interventions, in particular 
those which combat maternal, infant and child under-nutrition and the irreversible effects of 
chronic  under-nutrition  in  early  childhood,  targeting  the  1,000  day  window  of  opportunity 
from pregnancy to the age of 2. 

4. Support to continental, regional and national nutrition research programmes and plans. 

5.  Support  partner  countries  to  integrate  nutrition  into  national  sectoral  polices  including 
agriculture,  food  safety,  health  and  HIV/AIDS,  education,  gender,  environment,  social 
protection,  and  water,  sanitation  and  hygiene,  and  increase  awareness  raising  and  financial 
support for scaling up proven nutrition sensitive interventions in partner countries. 

6.  Incorporate  nutrition  specific  objectives  and  indicators  into  the  design  and  evaluation  of 
EU supported agriculture and food security policies and programmes. 

28 

 
 
 
 
 
Policy  priority  6:  Enhance  coordination  between  development  and  humanitarian  actors  to 
build resilience and promote sustainable food and nutrition security 

Interventions 

1. Support integration of resilience-building into partner countries’ policies and planning, in 
particular  into  national  development,  poverty  reduction  and  food  and  nutrition  security 
strategies and encourage ownership of resilience priorities at national and local levels. 

2. Support programmes and activities which strengthen the capacity of partner countries and 
local communities and assist them to anticipate, prevent and prepare for food security crises 
and to enhance crisis response, recognising the differential impacts and capacities of women, 
men and vulnerable groups. 

3.  Build  capacity  to  improve  risk  monitoring,  including  climate  risk,  and  vulnerability 
assessments in partner countries and regions prone to food crises. 

4.  Provide  specific  support  to  food  insecure  countries  in  transition  and  fragility  to  build 
resilience  according  to  the  Fragile  States  principles  and  the  New  Deal  for  engagement  in 
fragile states. 

5. Promote principles of aid effectiveness as outlined in the Busan conclusions. 

6. Ensure that humanitarian and development funding mechanisms are flexible, predictable, 
and sufficient to support resilience in food insecure partner countries. 

29