Food Price Crisis in the Sahel Region West Africa

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In order to address the impact of food price increases in the Sahel, OFDA is targeting five countries for funding: Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal. Key points related to program funding:• Programs can be short or medium term in length (up to three years).• Programs should address the issues related to food insecurity caused by increasing food prices. • Programs can be regional or country specific as appropriate, as long as partner capacity and assessed need are fully incorporated into the decision. • OFDA will prioritize interventions based on representative and methodologically sound assessment data. • OFDA will prioritize interventions that align with the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Program (CAADP) and that focus on Pillar III . • OFDA will prioritize interventions that link into Development Assistance funded initiatives where possible and practical.OFDA’s primary objective will be dual-fold: 1) to address high levels of food insecurity and malnutrition while 2) reducing the risk of increased food insecurity, malnutrition and further deterioration of livelihoods. OFDA realizes that the most affected households may not be located in the same geographic areas where potential partners are currently operating. Populations that are most vulnerable to market shocks and subsequent rising food prices will be prioritized for all interventions. Specifically, OFDA will aim to 1) improve the purchasing power of food insecure populations; 2) improve access to markets among rural, urban, and pastoral populations; 3) increase productivity of subsistence farmers and pastoralists; 4) reduce current spikes in acute malnutrition; and 5) reduce the risk of increased acute malnutrition.

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