Surveillance on and management of food crises
Motivation
One of the overall aims of the FOODSECURE project is
to give guidance to stakeholders and policy makers on FNS. This workpackage
addresses specifically policies for the monitoring of food and nutrition
insecurity linked to price volatility and price surges. In order to do so in an
effective way short term as well as long term impacts of crises and of their policy
remedies have to be taken into account.
Research set
up and objectives
The research conducted in this workpackage strives to
improve the surveillance on food and nutrition insecurity linked to price
volatility and surges. Such improved surveillance can guide short term policy interventions
in a more effective way. It will include analyzing and setting up institutional
and policy options to protect FNS in cases of crises and calamities.
Research
approach
The researchers will rely on a three-step approach to
deliver policy advice on the navigation of food price crises. First, they will
develop a framework to assess the costs and benefits of available policy
actions against food prices volatility and surges. Second, they will gather
data on the type of policy options implemented by national governments in times
of food price spikes. The data will be structured into a typology of countries
based on their responses to food prices spikes. Finally, the cost-benefit
framework will be implemented on historical policy interventions. Various
systems of stocks and reserves will be specifically assessed in that context.
Outcome
A conceptual framework to guide future assessments of
the short and long terms impacts of food price crises and their policy
remedies. This framework will be complemented with a typology of countries, so
future policy actions and the implementation of the cost-benefit framework can
be facilitated. The conceptual framework and the country typology will form the
basic evidence for a cost-benefit analysis of policy interventions in volatile
food markets at the national level.
Contact
Center for Development Research, ZEF,
Joachim von Braun, jvonbraun@uni-bonn.de
and Nicolas Gerber, ngerber@uni-bonn.de