The Central Statistical Office and the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives play a critical role in the collection, processing and dissemination of early warning information for food security,
Methods for Collection of Food Security information
Food security information is mostly generated from primary sources through field surveys. Surveys are carried using objective and scientific methods of statistical sampling with CSO playing the leading role. Some information is also generated from secondary sources based on previous surveys and special studies.
The six major food security related surveys undertaken by Government include Crop Forecasting Survey (CFS); Post Harvest Survey (PHS); Living Conditions Monitoring Survey (LCMS); Vulnerability Assessments; Household Budget Surveys; Food, Health and Nutrition Information Survey (FHANIS) etc.
Objectives of Providing Food Security information
The main purpose of providing credible and reliable information is to facilitate informed decision making on the part of all stakeholders involved in the promotion of food security. The information is used to profile characteristics of households and characteristics of communities that are food insecure or likely to be food insecure during a given time period. The information is further used to design different types of appropriate interventions to food insecurity and in targeting beneficiaries.