Food Security Crisis in Chad: Issues and measures to address it.

Chad is currently experiencing a case of severe food insecurity. The bulk of Chad’s population presently suffers from starvation; this is because of a high rate of poverty. The country currently has a poverty rate of 87%, a very high rate which means that a large part of the population cannot afford very good food or eat a properly balanced diet. Many Chadians struggle to achieve their daily dietary demands because the country consists mostly of the desert, it is landlocked and is prone to droughts. This situation makes Chad one of the main focuses of aid by international societies like the UN, IMF and World Bank Group.

Food security is of the Sustainable Development Goals curated by the UN for developing nations, The United Nations World Food Programme has taken much interest in the country where 43% of children under 5 are stunted, 3.7 million people are food insecure and 2.2 million people are malnourished, according to their reports. The conflicts in regions of the country also worsen the already bad situation.

Chad can despite all the negatives and roadblocks, make great progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals thanks to its abundant space, important natural resources, and young population. However, structural development challenges, such as a high prevalence of food insecurity and malnutrition, gender inequalities, vulnerability to climate and weather-related crises, and displacements resulting from conflicts and insecurity in neighbouring countries, thwart the government’s development efforts and place additional strain on already vulnerable households and communities. The country’s efforts to address the persisting challenges of hunger and malnutrition were emphasized in Chad’s 2017 zero hunger strategic review. Integrated initiatives and investments across all sectors will be required to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

The government’s key development targets are enshrined in “Vision 2030: The Chad We Want,” a strategy framework that will be implemented through successive development plans, starting with 2017–2021. The national development plan for 2017–2021 has as its main goal the improvement of Chadians’ quality of life through the development of human and social capital, social protection, and economic empowerment.

Photo: Edmond Dingamhoudou, World Bank

The country’s strategic plan outlines WFP’s repositioning in Chad to help the country reach zero hunger by 2030, with a focus on initiatives at the humanitarian-development-peace nexus to provide long-term hunger relief. WFP will continue to meet its promises and expectations in emergency response and recovery, to save lives by providing effective food and nutrition assistance to crisis-affected people. This strategy also lays out a framework for the World Food Programme to alter lives and contribute to the long-term resilience and livelihoods of vulnerable displaced and host populations, as well as individuals who are chronically food insecure. The plan includes:

Crisis-affected people in targeted areas are able to meet their basic food and nutrition needs during and in the aftermath of crises.
Food-insecure people in targeted areas have access to adequate and nutritious food all year.
Vulnerable people in targeted areas have improved nutritional status all year.
Food insecure populations and communities in targeted areas have more resilient livelihoods and sustainable food systems all year.
National institutions have strengthened capacities to manage food security, nutrition and social protection policies and programmes, including programmes that support social cohesion and stability all year.
Humanitarian and development partners in Chad have access to common services enabling them to reach and operate in targeted areas all year.

It is aimed that with this plan more and more people will be reached and given aid, that structures would be set to ensure that by 2030 these same people would not need aid in other to survive. That is the Sustainable goal.