Accra, May, 6, GNA - About two million Ghanaians are at risk of becoming food insecure during lean seasons or at the onset of a shock, natural or man-made disaster.

Another 1.2 million people are food insecure with limited access to sufficient and nutritious food throughout the year, according to a Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability Analysis (CFSVA) report. According to the report launched in Accra on Wednesday, some 500,000 people in the rural areas of the three northern regions were found to be at risk, whilst up to 1.5 million people living in the remaining seven regions face a similar fate.

It said the Upper West Region, where 34 per cent of the population is food insecure, is the most affected area, followed by the Upper East Region with 15 per cent and the Northern Region with 10 per cent. The report attributed poverty, reliance on traditional and often inefficient agricultural practices, limited markets for farm produce, high food prices, lack of education and other hazards such as adverse weather conditions as the main causes of food insecurity in the country. The CFSVA, the first nationwide food security baseline survey in Ghana to provide an in-depth picture of food insecurity, was conducted by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in collaboration with the Ghana Statistical Service and other partners. The report, however, recommended immediate interventions to address current malnutrition and ill-health among children and women, expansion of preventive healthcare interventions, strengthening of existing monitoring measures to detect deterioration in peoples' welfare and food security at an early stage, and the strengthening of community resilience to climate change-related natural disasters. Lisa Biederlack, leader of the research team, said in all, 3,851 households were interviewed in 321 communities.

She said on a national level, the most food-insecure people are the small holder food crop farmers who represent a quarter of the population and have an average daily income per capita below the minimum daily wage of GH¢2.65 and the poverty threshold of GH¢1.48. She stressed the need to address the recommendations captured in the findings to alleviate the sufferings of the people. Mr Ismail Omer, WFP Representative in Ghana, said the survey would guide and inform UN agencies, Non-Governmental Organisations, development organizations and government partners, on appropriate measures to take to support the most vulnerable people. He stressed the need to get to the root causes of the persisting problem of food insecurity, if the Millennium Development Goals are to be achieved.

Mr Emmanuel Akumatey Akuffo, Chief Director, Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare, said the ministry could tap into the database of the information to inform policy making and decision. He said the findings would also assist the ministry to expand the LEAP into other state agencies and to offer information to take immediate action on the programme for improvement when there are setbacks. Mr Akuffo also announced that the LEAP would be extended to 54 additional districts this year and called on development partners to team up with the government to achieve its success. 6 May 09