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Digest 8

Topic 3 - How to make the FSIN work for you?

Dear Participants,
Our online stakeholder consultation is now closed. I would like to thank you all very much for taking part in this important exercise, especially those of you who posted comments. The results of this consultation will feed into the FSIN launch meetings that will take place next week, on 11-12 October. In this way, you have contributed to shaping the FSIN and setting up a network that works for you!
The email distribution list (listserv) that we have used for this consultation, we will continue to use to interact with you as FSIN is being rolled out. Below you will find a summary of the contributions that we have received on our last topic: ‘How to make the FSIN work for you?’. The full summary of the whole online consultation will be circulated through this list during next week.
All three contributors confirmed being part of some kind of food and nutrition security information network. Nancy Mutunga is part of the Eastern Africa Food Security and Nutrition Working Group (FSNWG), Gilda Walter belongs to a technical committee in Guatemala, chaired by the National Food Security and Nutrition Secretariat (SESAN), and Getachew Abate Mussa participates in different national level task forces in Ethiopia.
All three interventions refer in some way to the importance of using lessons learnt in some countries, to support food and nutrition security networks in other countries. Mutunga believes that FSIN will be well positioned to support country and regional networks through its global experience with multiple networks. In this way, missteps made by certain networks, can be minimized for other networks. Some more concrete suggestions of how FSIN could support existing networks mentioned are:
- Developing practices or guidelines (especially for food security networks in their formative stages) that are more likely to enhance the efficiency and stability of food security networks (Mutunga) and facilitating the exchange of data collection methods and methodologies for analysis, or the experiences of others (Walter).
- Facilitating the provision of early warning information to food security networks on external events. (Mutunga)
- Providing input on the characteristics of response analysis strategies (or frameworks) that have greater likelihood of eliciting interest and response from governments, donors and development partners. (Mutunga)
- Designing a strategy to help different task forces to link the sectoral issues with food security in general. (Mussa)
- Supporting establishment or strengthening of existing country level Food and Nutrition Information and communication systems (Mussa)
On the question of how FSIN can best facilitate the creation of national and regional networks where they don’t exist yet, participants again stressed the importance of learning from the experiences of others. Mutunga suggests that FSIN could start by identifying the key food security players in a country, facilitate an initial brainstorming session, and organizing exchange visits to functional networks in countries that have similar governance structures or food security characteristics. Walter suggests that FSIN could help by providing ideas on how to create and manage networks according to others’ experiences. This could be done by facilitating direct communication between members of existing networks and those who are interested to create one.
On the question how the FSIN website and other means of communication can best support national and regional level food and nutrition security network, Walter suggests the following points:
- Enabling interactive exchange of information within the members, through chat rooms, direct e-mail communication, blogs and other types of communal communication.
- Publishing documents of standards, methods and tools for food and nutrition security information gathering, analysis and decision-making.
- Providing access to new research related to food and nutrition security and its results.
Thanking you and with best regards,
Thijs Wissink - Facilitator



Contributions received

Nancy Mutunga, from FEWS NET in Kenya argues that the FSIN is well positioned to support country and regional networks by virtue of its global experience with multiple food security networks. She gives a number of concrete suggestions to put that into practice.
Gilda Walter, from FEWS NET in Guatemala emphasizes the opportunity offered by letting country and regional networks learn from each others’ experiences. She also suggests a number of concrete communication means that FSIN could offer to make that happen.
Getachew Abate Mussa, from FEWS NET in Ethiopia responds to all three topics. He describes the situation in Ethiopia, where different task forces. focus on different sectors relevant to food security. And he provides suggestions on how FSIN could assist in improving the situation.
All contributions received are available online<http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/fsin> and in the proceedings<http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/fsin/sites/fsin/files/file/FSIN%20docs/PROCEEDINGS%20FSIN.doc>.










Contribution by Nancy Mutunga
Do you already belong to a food and nutrition security information network at country/regional levels? Which one(s)?
Yes. The Eastern Africa Food Security and Nutrition Working Group (FSNWG). How do you think FSIN can best support existing food and nutrition security information networks at country and regional level? The FSIN is well positioned to support country and regional networks by virtue of its global experience with multiple food security networks. In this regard, the FSIN can support country and regional networks by developing practices or guidelines (especially for food security networks in their formative stages) that are more likely to enhance the efficiency and stability of food security networks. In this case, missteps that have characterized other networks can be minimized. Most country and regional food security networks are generally ‘inward looking’ and in many instances oblivious to occurrence of global food security phenomenon that often impact other countries or regions. The FSIN can facilitate provision of ‘early warning’ information to food security networks on external events that may not appear significant at the time but could end up being key food security drivers in unexpected areas. The FSIN has correctly observed that while information systems are, in general, fairly efficient in articulating the nature, extent and magnitude of a food security crisis, there is a deficit of timely decision making for early response. The FSIN could, from its experience with different networks, provide input to country or regional networks regarding the characteristics of response analysis strategies (or frameworks) that have greater likelihood of eliciting interest and response from governments, donors and development partners.
Where they don’t exist yet, how can FSIN best facilitate the creation of national and regional level networks?
From experience, the timing for the creation of national networks is rather important. Governments are usually more receptive to forming and participating in transparent multi-sectoral and multi-organizational food security networks in the face of a crisis that is bigger than the capacity of national governments to mitigate. This does not suggest that FSIN waits until a crisis is imminent. However, the FSIN’s entry point can focus on identification of key food security players, initially senior food security technicians in key government ministries, FAO, WFP, FEWS NET and NGO representatives etc... The goal would be to facilitate an initial brainstorming session. Most potential network partners also benefit greatly from familiarization or exchange visits to functional networks in countries that have similar governance structures or food security characteristics. The FSIN can facilitate such exchanges with networks that most closely resemble the FSIN vision.


Contribution by Gilda Walter
1. Do you already belong to a food and nutrition security information network at country/regional levels? Which one(s)?
Yes, as FEWS NET, I belong to a technical committee in Guatemala, chaired by the National Food Security and Nutrition Secretariat (SESAN), to compile data related to food security, analyze it and make a 3-month projection on future food security conditions. In this committee participate government institutions as well as international organizations and NGOs.
2. How do you think FSIN can best support existing food and nutrition security information networks at country and regional level?
By facilitating the exchange of data collection methods and methodologies for analysis,or the experiences of others, so that the existing networks can learn from other initiatives.
3. Where they don’t exist yet, how can FSIN best facilitate the creation of national and regional level networks?
By providing ideas on how to create and manage them according to others' experiences. By enabling direct communication with the members of existing networks and those who are interested in create one. The knowledge and guide of those who have walk the path could be very welcome and useful. Also, the diversity of circumstances, since each experience will be different, could be very enlightening.
4. How can the FSIN website, and other communication means, support national and regional level networks? How should it coordinate with existing global initiatives?
·         Enabling interactive exchange of information within the members, through chat rooms, direct e-mail communication, blogs and other types of communal communication.
·         Publishing documents of standards, methods and tools for food and nutrition security information gathering, analysis and decision-making.
·         Providing access to new research related to food and nutrition security and its results.


Contribution by Getachew Abate Mussa
Topic1:
I fully support the FSIN initiatives as it is designed to improve the system for timely and appropriate food security information for action in support of decision making process. Since the quality of food security information depend on the level of technical as well as institutional capacity, a strong focus on capacity development has to be the first priority of the initiative The food security issue is multidisciplinary. It can not be done by one agency unless coordinated system is in place at national level to bring together all sectoral issue pertinent to food security. Therefore, I am always ready and interested to work with other stakeholders. In Ethiopia, different agencies are working in different parts of the country on food security issues. The majority participate in different sectoral task forces where food security information is shared widely on ad hock base. However, the food security information network is not yet fully integrated. Therefore, FSIN can promote to establish food security information network at sub national levels (regional/Zonal/District) and linking with national food security coordination system.
Topic2:
In the case of Ethiopia, different agencies are collecting different food security information as per the agencies interest. The main sources of information are those government office at district level . The data collection and management issues at district level is challenging. lack of skilled manpower, lack of equipments, and poor communication system affect the timeliness, consistency, relevance of the information provided. More over lack of data backup system at different administrative level, it is not easy to do time series food security data analysis. Therefore, to address these problems, I would like to suggest the following specific activities to - Intensive training on food security data collection and management for all level - improve accountability and institution capacity of the Government Offices of different administrative level to have a sustainable food security information network - improved information communication systems of all level for timely information exchange - develop sector specif standards and methodologies to be used as the integral part of national/local food security analysis. The current national level methodology being used in Ethiopia is more food aid focused.
Topic3:
I am participating at national level task forces including Disaster Risk Management Technical Working Group (DRMTWG), Disaster Risk Management Agriculture Task Force (DRM-ATF), and Multi-Agency Nutrition Task Force (MANTF)are some to mentioned Since Sectoral Task Forces are active in Ethiopia which are dealing with issues specific to their sector, it would be good if FSIN design a strategy to help each task forces in the country to link the sectoral issues with food security in general The lesson I learn from East Africa Emergency Coordination in 2010, the web based information network is so important to inform division makers timely. Likewise it would be good if FSIN support to establish or strengthen the existing country level Food and Nutrition Information and communication systems



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