WFP survey shows 16% of households in Northern Ghana are food insecure

The World Food Programme (WFP) said more than 680,000 people, representing 16 per cent of all households in the three northern regions, were considered either severely or moderately food insecure.

Presenting a Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability Analysis (CFSVA) Survey conducted in May 2012 which focused on northern Ghana, the WFP indicated that around 140,000 people or 3.3% of households were severely food insecure with the Upper East being the worst affected.

The WFP presented the CFSVA Report in Tamale on Tuesday which brought together participants from the agricultural sector to validate the findings.

It noted that the survey randomly sampled 8,399 households in 38 districts and found out that 28% of the households in the Upper East were food insecure compared 10% in the Northern and 16% in the Upper West regions.

According to the WFP, food insecurity was attributable to poverty which limited the purchasing power of the people adding that climatic events, food prices, the death of a household member and lower education were also responsible for food insecurity.

The survey indicated that literacy rates for those aged 15 and above for the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions were 33%, 41% and 40% respectively compared with a corresponding national rate of 72%.

This, the report indicated, was an improvement in the literacy rate in those areas.

The WFP, therefore, recommended among other things that weather-related shocks should be controlled to stabilize food prices and its production to ensure many households had access to food.

It said smallholder farmers required increased investment to sustain agricultural production and growth.

It also recommended seasonal cash transfers, promotion of food security and nutrition by the Government saying; “it is vital that a Food and Nutrition Security Commission be established at the national and regional levels to co-ordinate activities within this sector”.

Source: GNA