Community vulnerability to food insecurity : a case study of World Food Programme (WFP) Food Aid Programme in the southern lowlands of Lesotho

[摘要] Chronic food insecurity continues to be a major problem for rural poor households inLesotho. This condition is caused by a number of factors including poverty, landlessness, andextreme land degradation, reduced remittances due to retrenchments from South Africanmines, closures of some of textile industries, the effects of HIV/AIDS and a significantdecline in farming practices due to erratic weather patterns and conditions. All these factorshave led to an increase in vulnerability levels. This is magnified by the rapid erosion oftraditional coping mechanisms, a situation that has consequently left communities unable torespond to any form of disaster. The primary aim of this research was to investigate thecommunity vulnerability to food insecurity in the Southern Lowlands and review the WorldFood Programme (WFP) food aid programme in the same area. The research addressed thequestions such as the causes of food insecurity in the Southern Lowlands; and socialprotection initiatives that are being implemented by WFP to address food insecurity. Theresearch revealed that WFP has been distributing food aid to the vulnerable households in theSouthern Lowlands since 2002. These households belong to categories such as householdshosting orphans and vulnerable children, chronically ill persons and physically disabledpersons; female-headed households; elderly-headed households; child-headed households;and expectant and nursing mothers. In addition to these categories, WFP implemented foodfor work activities in which vulnerable households with able-bodied persons worked in toreceive food aid.The research found evidence of chronic livelihood failure in the Southern Lowlands. Thisfailure renders it increasingly difficult for households vulnerable to food insecurity to developand maintain sustainable livelihoods. In particular, the research revealed that, a largeproportion of households (53%) are at risk of food insecurity in the Southern Lowlands; themajority of vulnerable households did not hold any cereal stocks remaining from theimmediate post harvest period; chronic illness, unemployment and erratic weather patterns arecauses of food insecurity in the Southern Lowlands. As means of coping strategies, mosthouseholds adopt various strategies such as switching expenditure patterns; reducing numberof meals per day; kingship support; selling of livestock; and searching for casual labouropportunities. Food aid has improved the livelihoods and quality of life of the beneficiariesespecially the chronically ill people. While some food for work activities such as building oftoilets and water taps have been very helpful, others such as tree planting were not embracedby some of the beneficiaries and finally food aid promotes dependency among its beneficiaries and nursing mothers intentionally starve their children in order to stay in theprogramme. The two significant challenges in the distribution of food aid were found to befood pipeline break and the beneficiary selection criteria.The findings therefore generate the conclusion that although there seems to be animprovement in food access by households benefiting from the food aid programme, there isno evidence that those households will continue to access food in the absence of food aid. Inessence, the absence of social food security foundation, executed in tandem with food aidinterventionist measures, does not realistically augur well for the future. This conclusioncomes from the finding that food for work activities which are more likely to generateincome for the vulnerable households are not sustainable because the discussions furtherrevealed that these activities have been imposed on the beneficiaries, without the coownershipcorollary that partners the communities with food aid agencies such as WFP. It istherefore recommended that development agents should not determine the developmentalprojects/programmes within the communities. The process should be interactive and shouldnot be done in isolation but in mutual social learning and capacity building process as bothparties (development agents and the beneficiaries) learn from each other and manage todevelop a reciprocal relationship and partnership that will eventually reap sustainableoutcome. It is therefore concluded that, the food aid programmes failed to offer sustainablesocial safety nets to the beneficiaries. The research hypothesis that there is no clear exitstrategy in the implementation of the food security interventions and that there are nosustainability and continuity measures that were put into place by WFP remains valid.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University