THE IMPACT OF RISING FOOD PRICES ON FOOD SECURITY IN THE ANGLOPHONE CAMEROON

ABSTRACT
This work was based on the impact of rising food prices on food security in the Anglophone
Cameroon. A survey research design was used for this study. One of the major findings shows
that rising food prices on food security has a significant effect in the Anglophone Cameroon. Also, surging food prices may have differing impacts among countries and within countries.

Those who will benefit most are farmers in rich and emerging markets which are net exporting
countries.These countries’ terms of trade and balance of payments positions will improve as a

result of the higher prices for their agricultural products. Conversely, poor people who live in the
urban areas in developing countries will be hardest hit as they will have to pay much higher
prices for imported food from their already small incomes.

The aftermath of conflict, basic
safety net systems for conflict-affected rural populations should seek to create economic
opportunities that will contribute to the restoration of livelihoods (food or cash for work) and the
construction of rural infrastructure and community assets (public works). Since conflict
economies are overwhelmingly agricultural economies, agriculture and its associated industries
are essential to gro3wth and to reducing mass poverty and food insecurity. The way forward for
smallholder agricultural development in these countries is articulated in Implementing
Agriculture for Development. One of the major recommendations was that the government
should reduce food prices so as to benefit even the common man especially in Anglophone
Cameroon that is in crisis.

CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to Study

At the World Food Summit in Rome in 1996, there was a commitment by participating
governments to reduce by 50 percent the number of malnourished people in the world by 2015. This coincides with the Millennium Development Goals’ (MDG) hunger target to halve the
incidence of hunger in developing nations within that same timeframe. Some international
organizations instituted several policy guidelines and programmes in their quest to meet the
above targets.

Developing countries however, were expected to formulate their own policies and
put mechanisms in place to compliment international efforts. The recent trend in surging global
food prices has frustrated these efforts and raised serious concerns among policy makers about
food security and poverty alleviation. FAO (2008c) examined these targets and outlined a road
map to achieving same through investment in agriculture and rural development. Secretary
General of the United Nations in addressing the phenomenon of agflation1 emphasized its
potential to negatively affect the MDG of reducing indigence by 50 percent (of 1990 level) by
the year 2015. On British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) World News (2008) head of the World Food
Program recently lamented over the level of world food reserves (lowest in 30 years) and
forecasted continued increase in the cost of basic food items at least over the next two years. Governments of developing nations, such as those in the Caribbean, have been pressured
politically to implement various policy measures to help combat the negative effects of rising
food prices on their populace and more so the less fortunate. Are these measures adequate,

effective or efficiently managed? As international demand grows and food prices continue to
soar, can agricultural production in the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU) provide any
level of food security? This paper seeks to investigate the current state of food security in the
ECCU and identify the role that agriculture must play in achieving the optimal level. It also
examines existing agricultural policies and discusses some necessary interventions to ensure that
agriculture plays its part in food security especially in times of shocks. The remainder of the
paper is outlined as follows: definition, background and rationale, existing policies, challenges to
food security, the state of food security in the region and the way forward. The World Food Programme (WFP) is the largest humanitarian agency tackling hunger
worldwide. It has nearly 14 000 staff, who reach more than 90 million people with food
assistance each year.

WFP supports national and regional efforts to ensure food security for all, including the poorest and most vulnerable children, women and men. It works with a range of
partners, such as governments, United Nations agencies, nongovernmental and international
organizations, civil society and the private sector, to reach its goal. As a UNAIDS Cosponsor, WFP shares the vision of achieving zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero
AIDS-related deaths. Under the UNAIDS Division of Labour, WFP is the convening agency
responsible for integrating food and nutrition within the comprehensive care, treatment and
support package for people living with HIV and/or active tuberculosis (TB). In addition, WFP
co-convenes the area of HIV in humanitarian emergencies with the Office of the United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Nutrition and food security are critical components of care and support for people living with
HIV and TB patients. In line with its 2010 HIV and AIDS Policy and in response to the
UNAIDS 2011–2015 Strategy, WFP’s HIV work has a strong focus on linking food and health

systems through the provision of nutrition and food assistance for better health outcomes, such as
nutritional recovery for malnourished people living with HIV and TB patients, retention in care
programmes and treatment success. WFP provides support at the individual and household
levels—including food, but also cash and vouchers—to enable improved access and adherence to
treatment. Increasingly, WFP is also linking clients with social protection programmes and
livelihood strengthening activities to ensure that health gains can be sustained long term, as
people living with HIV need to stay on treatment for life. WFP is committed to assisting governments to improve national systems. It advocates for the
integration of food and nutrition support within national HIV and TB programmes and protocols, and provides technical support to enhance national capacity for service delivery, linking food and
health systems, and ensuring broad safety nets that protect the livelihoods of vulnerable people, including those living with HIV and/or active TB. WFP has a long-standing partnership with
UNHCR to ensure that food security and related needs are adequately addressed among
displaced, refugee and returnee populations.

They also support HIV and TB prevention and care, as well as food and nutrition assistance activities in humanitarian emergencies. Food assistance is
critical for nutritional recovery, and acts as an enabler to maintain access to health facilities and
continuity of treatment. WFP and UNHCR also co-lead the Inter-Agency Task Team (IATT) on
HIV in Emergencies, which aims to improve HIV preparedness and responses during
emergencies. WFP leads the IATT on Food, Nutrition and HIV, which focuses on evidence- building and research, partnerships and resource mobilization for the integration of food and
nutrition in the HIV response. In collaboration with IATT members, WFP is improving the
understanding of the linkages between nutrition, food security, HIV and TB, as well as the
critical role of food and nutrition in adherence to treatment and care. WFP and IATT members’

research explores the behavioural and biological linkages between nutrition, food security and
antiretroviral therapy, as well as linking food and health systems. A lower-middle-income country with over 26 million people, Cameroon ranks 153 out of 189
ountries in the 2020 Human Development Index. While the country experienced consistent
economic growth averaging 4.3 percent per year for a decade up to 2019, poverty levels have
remained steady. Over 55 percent of Cameroonians live in poverty which affects several aspects
of their lives – from health to education, living conditions and work among others. 37.7
percent of people are severely impoverished. The incidence of poverty is particularly high in
rural parts of the northernmost and eastern regions, where structural underdevelopment and
recurring climatic shocks, including floods and prolonged dry spells, limit people’s ability to
thrive.

WFP provides unconditional life-saving food assistance to populations affected by shocks such
as violent conflict and the effects of climate change and pandemics, including refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnees and vulnerable host communities in Adamawa, East, Far North, North, North West and South West regions. WFP’s support ensures safe access
to adequate and nutritious food during and after crises, while supporting recovery from and
building resilience to shocks. From the foregoing, the following research questions were raised:
 What is the impact of rising food prices on food security in the Anglophone Cameroon?
 What are the challenges faced by WFP in ensuring food security in Anglophone
Cameroon?

 What are the measures to strengthening food security by WFP in fragile and conflict- affected countries?
1.5 Conceptual Review
Food Security
A wide range of definitions for food security is available based on the context in which it is
being referred to. The Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act (1990) cited in the
USAID (1992) defines food security as “access by all people at all times to sufficient food and
nutrition for a healthy and productive life.” To put that definition in the context of the Caribbean, four facets can be identified as imperative to achieving food security namely, access to food, availability of food, utilization and stability. Access to food considers whether persons have
enough resources to get the amount and quality of food necessary for a balanced diet – the right
types of food to promote optimal growth and development of the body. In the Caribbean, economic and social factors such as unemployment or underemployment and poverty may hinder
individuals’ access to adequate food. The quantity of food available to the populace at any given
time is also crucial to food security. Food supply must be enough to allow persons access when
necessary. The right kinds of food can be made available through a combination of local, regional and international production. Several factors may hinder the availability of food. Among
these are lack of policies towards food security, inefficient use of agricultural land, labour and
technology, high prices for food or inputs and natural or man-made disasters. Food utilization
refers to the effective and efficient use of food. Skills and expertise must be used to ensure that
food is properly stored, prepared and processed. Knowing the nutritional values of various kinds
6
of food and the appropriate consumption needs of different groups and individuals serve to
ensure that food is appropriately utilized. Due to factors like climate change and evolving
farming techniques, many useful nutrients may be lost from the soil rendering food unstable. It is
therefore important to implement measures to ensure that food maintains its characteristics for a
considerable length of time.

The region needs a stable supply of food, which can be effectively
utilized in order to guarantee access and good nutrition for its entire population. Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to
sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets dietary needs and food preferences for an active
and healthy life (FAO 2006). It includes the following dimensions:  availability: the availability
of sufficient quantities of appropriate quality;  access: access by individuals to adequate
resources for acquiring appropriate foods for a nutritious diet on a regular basis;  utilization:
utilization of food through adequate diet, clean water, sanitation and health care to reach a
nutritional well-being where all physiological needs are met;  stability: a population, household
or individual must have access to food at all times and should not risk losing access as a
consequence of sudden shocks or cyclical events.

Problems with any of these dimensions can
lead to food insecurity, while the latter has often been associated with outbreaks of social unrest
or more severe forms of conflict. On the other hand, situations of conflict have in many instances
been a primary cause of interference with one or more of the dimensions of food insecurity. A
vicious circle of conflict and food insecurity makes alleviation of poverty in rural areas of the
most vulnerable countries especially intractable. The root cause of conflict is often to be found in
competition over the factors of food production, primarily land and water, exacerbated by other
troubling trends. Having more people to feed, with less land and water, more variable climate, and greater food price volatility increases stress on livelihoods and food systems. Yet countries

under the greatest stress in this sense are often the least able to respond. Unpacking the links
between food insecurity and conflict helps identify entry points for dealing with both; it is
critical to breaking the vicious circle, especially in rural areas that tend to be poorer and more
dependent on agriculture for both food and livelihoods. Food aid is the typical instrument needed
to limit the immediate food insecurity impacts of conflict. Besides the clear humanitarian
outcome in its own right, it can help provide a better context for resolving other issues of social
discontent. Done right, food aid can also assist in better transition to longer-term agricultural
productivity growth that will be essential to finding more stable solutions to root causes of
conflict in many rural areas

The concept of food security emanates from the world food conference (WFC), Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO), which came out in 1974. The FAO in 1996 defined and
redefined in 2001 food security as the “when all people, at all times, have physical, social and
economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food, which meets their dietary needs and food
preferences for an active and healthy life” by Sood and Harjeet 2021. Food security is a concept
conceptualized by the FAO/UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund)
and the Food Authority of the US alienated food security into four pillars which resembles as; (1)

It involves the availability of food for people to meet their dietary needs, (2) Food access is a
basic human need that should be maintained in such a way that people should have enough
resources to buy nutritious food, (3) When food is available, it is time to utilize it with proper
hygiene and storage techniques will help in improving the efficiency of food processing and (4)
Food stability, means households get constant food supply throughout the year.

1.5.2 knowledge Gap
Much of the work exploited by the researcher, review on the role of WFP in most African
countries but very little has been said on it role in Cameroon as far as the Anglophone conflict is
concern so this work will be the first of its kind to fill the missing gap that exist in literature in
this context of study
1.6 Theoretical Framework