Ahmed delivery fe zn
1 like278 views
The document discusses two strategies for integrating biofortified crops into public food distribution systems (PFDS): a push strategy focused on seed supply and crop production, and a pull strategy focused on creating demand. PFDS can stimulate demand for biofortified crops by procuring and distributing them through food subsidies, safety nets, and disaster relief programs. This ensures adequate supplies reach vulnerable groups and incentives encourage farmers to grow biofortified varieties. With policymaker support, PFDS have potential to significantly improve nutrition and food security by targeting the poor with biofortified staples.
Ahmed delivery fe zn
- 1. Getting Biofortification Into the Public Food Distribution System Akhter Ahmed International Food Policy Research Institute First Global Conference on Biofortification Washington, D.C. November 9-11, 2010
- 2. Two Delivery Strategies for Biofortification The push strategy supply oriented focuses on seed supply and production of biofortified crops The pull strategy demand oriented focuses on creating demand for biofortified crops Public food distribution system (PFDS) can stimulate demand for biofortified crops An ideal delivery mechanism
- 3. What Does a PFDS Seek to Achieve? Make food available to poor households Distribute food during emergency situations, such as natural disasters Provide incentive prices to food producers to encourage domestic production Stabilize market prices of food to prevent excessive price rises
- 4. How Does PFDS Work? Food Procurement Food Storage Food Distribution Food subsidy Safety nets Disaster relief
- 5. Food Procurement Government procures staple food grains from farmers Provides price support for increased crop production, farmer income Use the supply oriented push strategy for pushing biofortified crops into the farming system, particularly in the major procurement zones of PFDS Ensure adequate supply of biofortified seed in the market and motivate the farmers to adopt the production of biofortified crops
- 6. Food Storage and Stock Management Adequate and modern storage capacity is needed for maintaining the quantity and quality of stock of grains in PFDS Since grain reserves are costly to maintain, determining the optimum level of grain reserves for PFDS storage is very important Stock rotation is an important element of PFDS efficiency PFDS stocks of food grains must be rotated to accommodate new stocks and to prevent losses resulting from quality deterioration Rotation needs outlets, such as food-based safety nets
- 7. Food Distribution PFDS usually operates through distribution outlets that broadly fall into two groups: Monetized (sale) channels food is sold at subsidized prices through a network fair price or ration shops Nonmonetized (free distribution) channels disaster relief operations food-based safety net programs
- 8. Distribution Through Safety Nets Food-based safety nets makes food available to poor households that would not otherwise have access to adequate food Often combined with some welfare-related programs: Midday Meal program in India distributes prepared hot meals to children in school Food-for-education program in Bangladesh distributed free food grains to low-income families if their children attended primary school Both school feeding and food-for-education programs provide immediate sustenance for the hungry, while empowering future generations by educating today’s children
- 9. Distribution Through Safety Nets Vulnerable Group Development Program in Bangladesh Participants receive a monthly free ration of rice or wheat in exchange for attending training for income generation; basic literacy, numeracy, nutrition, and awareness raising training; and making savings deposits Food-for-work programs Food is used as wage payment to workers. They play a dual role, providing employment to the poor, and creating public assets such as rural roads.
- 10. Way Forward PFDS can create an institutional demand for biofortification. Will work especially well if high volumes of biofortified crops are procured through PFDS the system targets the poor. As PFDS outlets, well- targeted food-based safety nets will improve food security of the poor and reduce their micronutrient deficiency or hidden hunger For enhancing the integration of biofortification into PFDS, it is important that policymakers are made aware of the benefits of biofortification