The food security situation of returned households to their homes in Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA) agencies has improved significantly since 2014.
It was told in a launching ceremony of the report “Food Security and Livelihoods Assessment of Returned Households Residing in FATA” here Monday by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), under the auspices of FATA Secretariat.
Speaking on the occasion, FATA Secretariat Additional Chief Secretary Dr Fida Muhammad Wazir said, “I thank the UN World Food Programme and other collaborating organizations for the commission and support to this significant study.” In 2008, large-scale law and order operations in the tribal region resulted in millions of people being uprooted from their homes.
He said that since 2014, there has been a positive improvement in security and with the government’s continued efforts, some 250,000 displaced families have returned, while some 50,000 families were still living away from their homes.
Such a large-scale return affected markets, the provision of basic services, livelihoods and food security. This changing scenario required an up-to-date and sound understanding of the situation to guide humanitarian organizations to design more appropriate and effective responses both for immediate humanitarian needs as well as for medium to longer term recovery, he added.
He said the study indicated a consistent and significant drop in the total food insecurity rate in FATA between 2014 and 2017.
This study was conducted from February to March 2017 and was a joint initiative by the UN World Food Programme, the Food Security Cluster, the FATA Bureau of Statistics and the Rehabilitation & Reconstruction Unit under the leadership of the FATA Secretariat.
“I congratulate the FATA Secretariat not only for the crucial coordination role they played, but also for their active engagement throughout this study,” said the WFP Country Director Finbarr Curran, “This report is evidence of the positive impact of the critical humanitarian and recovery support to displaced and returning families in the region that was provided under the leadership and vision of the FATA Secretariat”.
WFP supported displaced and returning families in FATA through a variety of models including general food distribution, and by support for livelihoods, education and nutrition. In 2016 alone, WFP provided over $ 117 million of assistance to displaced and returning families.
This report was follow-up to the 2014 “Returning Home” assessment, and provides updated evidence regarding the food security, livelihoods and market situation in all seven FATA agencies, Bajaur, Khyber, Kurram, Mohmand, Orakzai, North Waziristan and South Waziristan.
It finds that while in 2014, 44 per cent of the population was defined as food insecure – in 2017 only 24 per cent were in the same situation, where they did not have access to or cannot afford food sufficient for their daily dietary and nutritional needs.
And while in 2014 five per cent of people were considered severely food insecure – having a severely inadequate diet in terms of quality and quantity – now only one per cent of the population is in such a serious situation. The percentage of people who were moderately food insecure dropped from 39 per cent to 23 per cent over the three year period.
The improvement was particularly dramatic among female-headed households, with those defined as severely food-insecure decreasing from 19 per cent to 0 per cent and moderately food insecure households decreasing from 55 per cent to 15 per cent.
The reasons for the improvement were various like families faced fewer shocks ranging from natural disasters to illness among people and livestock, they had access to better housing, improved water and sanitation and increased security. Some factors were a result of appropriate and timely food and cash assistance provided by various UN agencies and partners to improve food security. Women and female-headed households were strongly encouraged to participate in assistance programmes.
