GENERAL CONTEXT

As a result of actions taken to contain the spread of COVID-19, the health emergency in Tunisia has exacerbated the economic and social situation, jeopardizing the ongoing economic transition that began with the 2011 revolution. Economic activity has largely stopped for two months, with a negative impact on the already fragile economy. The expected impact of COVID-19 on the Tunisian economy is likely to be profoundly destabilizing at both the macroeconomic and microeconomic levels. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecasts an economic recession (-7%) in 2021.

As a result of the measures implemented to contain the contagion, more people are expected to fall below the poverty line or find themselves in a situation of food insecurity. Current rates of poverty (15%) and prevalence of undernutrition (4.3%) are expected to increase considerably. Poverty is a predominantly rural phenomenon, with a poverty rate of 26% in rural areas.

This project is part of the National COVID-Response Plan19 and responds to the direct request of the Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries to participate in its elaboration and implementation in cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Bank. As part of the national response, the World Food Programme (WFP) is a member of the Action Committee and has been tasked with contributing to the analyses of the COVID 19 impact on food security and supporting other sectoral studies (social protection, employment and health) to inform MARHP of appropriate short-term measures that may mitigate the negative impact of the crisis, in particular on the most vulnerable rural population.

Currently, there is no permanent monitoring system in place in Tunisia that regularly reports on the food security dimension and vulnerability. The pandemic has revealed gaps in the government’s ability to respond quickly to shocks affecting the value chain, particularly in the informal agriculture sector, and to meet the food needs of the most affected population due to a lack of an early warning system in place.

The technical support of WFP in this framework has made it possible to include the dimension of food security as a measurable criterion of the vulnerability of the population. The system can be integrated into the periodic evaluations of the National Statistical Institute (NSI) on the vulnerability of the population in relation to food security indicators. This system will serve as a tool to support strategic policy decisions to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 2 “Eliminate hunger, ensure food security, improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture”.

As a result, implement a food safety monitoring system, such as the “Food Security Monitoring System” developed by the World Food Programme is therefore of crucial importance for Tunisia, which considers food security as a dimension of its global security and sovereignty.

As ONAGRI is already very interested in the development of such a system, it approached the Tunis Office of the WFP to study the avenues and jointly advance in the implementation of a «Food Security Monitoring System» for Tunisia with the support of the ecosystem collecting key statistics and indicators for monitoring food security at country level.

The implementation of the FSMS will be composed of different phases. The first phase was conducted with the development of a pilot component targeting three governorates: Kairouan, Sidi Bouzid and Kasserine.

Objectives of the Platform

1. Support and strengthen the capacity of the Tunisian government in the monitoring, evaluation and reporting of food insecurity and nutrition of the population to better develop a policy of the system of early response to the shock;
2. Ensure the collection of regular, consistent and reliable data on food security and nutrition in order to monitor the situation of food security and nutrition in Tunisia at the household level.

1. Update the food security situation of the Tunisian population in general and particularly in the study areas of the governorates of Kairouan, Sidi Bouzid and Kasserine in the framework of this pilot project;
2. Prepare an early warning system for study areas and
3. Support the national food security policy through the FSMS foundation in Tunisia.