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Team Members: G. Gasque, S. Lee, and J. Murdock*
*Note: The team members contributed equally and are listed in alphabetical order.
Info_FAO.pdfInfographic
Infographic
Please look at the infographic for the topic explored by the team.
Podcast
Podcast
Please listen to the team's podcast with Google Chrome. The transcript can be found here.
Podcast_FAO.mp3Advocacy Letter
Advocacy Letter
Please read the team's letter to the Director-General, Qu Dongyu.
Letter_FAO.pdfBlog Post
Blog Post
Survival of The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
Targeting Issues: Undercoverage
FAO History and Framework
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. It was created in 1945, to address the world's perpetual struggle against hunger and malnutrition.
Their "goal is to achieve food security for all and make sure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives." (FAO 2023)
Figure 1. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) logo.(FAO 2023)
What is Targeting?
Even though food programs are meant to assist all those in need, the FAO narrows down this list even further, prioritizing certain groups and demographics when allocating aid. This is targeting. A more specific definition labels targeting as the process involving allocating goods or services to a group of people or households with particular characteristics (FAO 2001).
An Example of Targeting: Previous FAO Programs
In February 2022, the FAO and the World Food Programme (WFP) introduced a program in an attempt to improve nutrition standards at schools. “School food nutrition guidelines and standards for safeguarding children and adolescents’ right to food” (UN WFP 2023). This project included interventions to ameliorate schools’ food environment and educate students on food education strategies to teach them how to come up with nutritious meals.
Figure 2. Food and Agriculture Organization’s Six Main Focus Groups. Based on information found in the FAO online publication, Inclusivity in agrifood systems. (FAO 2023) Table created by authors.
Who is Included?
With that said, the FAO has undergone this process exhaustively and currently identifies six main groups as being the most vulnerable and disadvantaged when it comes to food insecurity, as seen in Figure 2.
Despite the efforts to include marginalized groups within the population and remain inclusive, this doesn’t prevent the possibility of overlooking demographics who are equally in need. Herein lies the problem of undercoverage.
Targeting Issues leading to Undercoverage in the FAO
As mentioned previously, the FAO tries to build its inclusivity by prioritizing the six groups listed. Though, it is quite evident that this does not include every single vulnerable person in the world. There are others who are excluded, yet desperately need aid.
Figure 3. 2020 Food Insecurity Prevalence in households with children. (USDA 2021)
Who is Excluded?
For example, the FAO makes specific mention of emphasizing the inclusion of women, specifically in underdeveloped regions, in their food targeting programmes. The gender gap in terms of food insecurity has only spiked due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with food insecurity among women being 10% higher than that of men (UN 2020).
Acknowledging and signaling out this discrepancy however doesn’t eliminate nutritional vulnerability amongst men. One must also take into account that the FAO highly prioritizes rural populations in their targeting, completely disregarding
that of urban communities who face just as much, if not more instability. Furthermore, there is disparities between adult and child populations as seen in Figure 3 (USDA 2021). This image highlights the fact that even though many food programmes target children, they do not eliminate food insecurity within the family unit. Adults are also vulnerable.
Undercoverage can also manifest itself based on race and ethnic background, as conveyed in Figure 4 (USDA 2021).
Figure 4. Food Insecurity by Race and Ethnicity Reveals Stark Disparities. (USDA 2021)
Solutions to Undercoverage
The FAO must be more mindful of including all groups in their nutrition programs. The FAO aims to combat discrimination and inequalities in all their programs. They can achieve this goal by continuing to focus on these key groups: “Rural women & girls, rural youth, poor & extreme poor, migrants, indigenous peoples, and people with disabilities.” As well as other marginalized communities. As part of the FAO’s commitment to poverty reduction, the organization will mainstream inclusivity and support member countries in order to address unequal economic, social, and political relations. Here are a few key ways in which they will do this:
1. Transforming agrifood systems to ensure food security and nutrition for the poorest and marginalized.
2. Securing inclusive and equitable land and water tenure to improve the livelihoods of the poorest.
SOURCES
About FAO [online]. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Available from: https://www.fao.org/about/en/
FAO and WFP join forces to boost children's right to food in schools: World Food Programme [online]. UN World Food Programme. Available from: https://www.wfp.org/news/fao-and-wfp-join-forces-boost-childrens-right-food-schools
Inclusivity in agrifood systems [online]. Inclusivity. Available from: https://www.fao.org/inclusivity-in-agrifood-systems/en
Peace, dignity and equality on a healthy planet [online]. United Nations United Nations. Available from: https://www.un.org/en/global-issues/food
Target for Nutrition Improvement [online]. Targeting for nutrition improvement. Available from: https://www.fao.org/3/Y1329E/y1329e01.htm#P3_259
Joseph Llobrera (2022, September 9) Food insecurity at a two-decade low for households with kids, signaling successful relief efforts [online]. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Available from: https://www.cbpp.org/blog/food-insecurity-at-a-two-decade-low-for-households-with-kids-signaling-successful-relief
Marion (2022, March 29) No surprise: Household food insecurity is increasing [online]. Food Politics by Marion Nestle. Available from: https://www.foodpolitics.com/2022/03/no-surprise-household-food-insecurity-is-increasing/
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