By Abdul Jabbar Hayel Saeed Anam and Nabil Hayel Saeed Anam
Today, one out of every four people lives in a fragile or conflict-affected state (FCS). In these contexts, local populations often face catastrophic shortages of food, clean water and other basic necessities, affecting millions of lives and livelihoods.
Despite the continued efforts of the public, private and third sectors, over a billion people still suffer from food insecurity, with fragile contexts accounting for 22 of the 23 food insecure “hotspots” defined by the World Food Programme in 2022. International donors are encouraged to look to the life-and-death situations across the world and use funds where it will make the most impact fastest. While these funds are often essential to the survival of communities, we should ensure there is an understanding of the local context and consider whether we are focusing sufficiently on the causes of food insecurity, such as mounting inflation and climate change, rather than the symptoms.
While cumulative spending on food aid since 2005 has reached US$57bn, the same cannot be said for agricultural research, which received less than one sixth of that investment. For climate-fragile countries, many of which also suffer from high levels of food insecurity, these investments will be key for future agricultural production, without which their self-sufficiency will be yet further reduced.
As the world continues to grapple with the economic fallout of the conflict in Ukraine on global commodity markets, it is clear that FCS remain among the most vulnerable to food insecurity. According to the OECD, 22 out of 26 hunger hotspots are in fragile states, and 15 of these hotspots are also conflict affected. In such critical situations, there tends to be a focus on the short-term needs of the population, at the expense of implementing long-term solutions to food security issues.
The situation in Yemen is emblematic of the compounding effects of fragility and conflict on food insecurity. Over half of the population in Yemen is classified as in the crisis or emergency level of food. More than 90% of its food is imported, making households highly vulnerable to price changes in global commodity markets, as seen with global grain prices following the outbreak of conflict in Ukraine. High levels of US dollar inflation and weak local currencies mean that there is limited financial recourse to mitigate volatility in global commodity markets. The severe economic contraction associated with the conflict, resource scarcity and the impacts of climate change, all limit the ability to invest in and successfully support initiatives that promote food security, such as domestic agricultural production.
To resolve these systemic issues that are present across the global food system, a new collaborative approach is needed that seeks to address food insecurity in a holistic manner and places local economic development and long-term resilience-building initiatives at the centre of policymaking. Resilient sustainable growth can be achieved in fragile states by taking action to improve food systems, such as through strengthening local capacity, improving infrastructure for private sector development, and investing in skills and agricultural production.
Building on its long experience in the Yemeni market, HSA Group has authored a white paper on the private sector’s contribution to food security, incorporating insights from public-private initiatives, long-running philanthropic programmes and critical infrastructure development projects that have delivered tangible improvements to food security in the country.
In the paper, we identify three guiding principles for public-private collaboration which seek to inform efforts to address food insecurity in countries that face a new period of unprecedented shortages, hardship and risk of famine:
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Harness the power of partnership
Through local organisations partnering consistently with one another and the international community, the impact of interventions to improve all dimensions of the country’s food security will be maximised. The combination of international resources and expertise with local knowledge and established networks has the potential to create a powerful force for change and build more resilient food systems in Yemen and other FCS that will generate positive socioeconomic outcomes.
For example, in partnering with humanitarian agencies such as the World Food Programme, has milled and fortified flour and other products for distribution across Yemen, contributing to improved utilisation of essential goods through increased nutritional content and impact.
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Adopt a long-term approach
While humanitarian operations remain essential to meet the short-term needs of communities, the uncertainty of annual funding reduces the focus on delivering sustainable and long-term impact. Establishing long-term programmes can both improve food security and accelerate much-needed progress on development goals. Such initiatives must go beyond direct food distribution programmes to include economic empowerment, increasing the purchasing power of communities and the private sector, building capacity and skills in the next generation, developing national infrastructure and investing directly in domestic food production capabilities.
HSA Group has been active in finding solutions for access challenges for hard-to-reach communities by engaging in infrastructure rehabilitation projects through the Hayel Saeed Anam Charity Foundation, ensuring not only that these communities have the mobility they need to access goods elsewhere but also to enable larger goods vehicles to access communities to bring down the cost of replenishing food stocks.
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Enable a shift from aid to trade
Addressing food security crises in FCS should not depend solely on the humanitarian response. Rather, an approach that stimulates the local economy and considers investment in a multi-year model that incentivises innovation and market-based solutions, increases the private sector’s access to finance and international markets and improves the business ecosystem, could contribute to boosting consumers’ purchasing power, which remains a critical determinant of food security in FCS contexts.
The whole of Yemen’s private sector has supported the country’s economy through its continued commercial activity and numerous philanthropic initiatives relating to food security, such as emergency food provision, direct cash transfers and community microfinancing, despite mounting logistical and economic challenges.
These principles are designed to inform international policymakers active on the issue of food security and are particularly relevant to the experiences of FCS, such as Yemen. While no two food crises are alike, the principles here seek to effect a change in the approach to resolving these crises, rather than providing guidance on specific policy interventions, which will differ necessarily according to the circumstances in-country.
While the global situation remains complex, particularly in FCS, there can be no doubt that urgent action remains imperative to address the food security challenges articulated in SDG Zero Hunger that communities in FCS face on a daily basis. That said, such an approach should be balanced by a concerted and collaborative effort to look beyond the short-term and tackle the structural barriers that will otherwise continue to perpetuate the conditions for food insecurity for many people long into the future.
Abdul Jabbar Hayel Saeed Anam and Nabil Hayel Saeed Anam are Chairman and Managing Director of HSA Group respectively. HSA Group is a major FMCG conglomerate and importer of essential foodstuffs based in the Middle East and recently developed a white paper on the private sector’s contribution to food security in Yemen. For more information click here.
