Chapter 6


Box 6.5: FAO's Special Programme on Food Production for Food Security in Low-
 Income Food-Deficit Countries (LIFDCs) Objectives and Strategy

The Director-General of FAO proposed to Governments a Special Programme for increasing food production in
support of food security in LIFDCs. The proposal received strong support and was endorsed by the FAO
Council in June 1994. This Programme is complementary and additional to existing FAO programmes which
contribute to food production and food security and will spearhead FAO action in those countries in most need
of improving their food security situation.
Objective: The Special Programme is both technology and people driven. It has been designed to boost food
production and productivity quickly in LIFDCs in order to generate marketable supplies adequate to feed a
rapidly growing population. The income and employment effects of agriculture-based economic growth,
resulting from the increased demand of producers for farm inputs and consumer goods generally should, in turn,
contribute towards a reduction in the incidence of hunger and malnutrition among vulnerable groups, the
ultimate beneficiaries of the programme. An important and closely related objective, which gives a unique
element to the Special Programme in contrast to traditional programming methods, is to show through an
approach based on participatory field demonstrations and policy dialogue, how: a) barriers to widespread
adoption of available improved production technologies can be clearly identified and agreed by all concerned
partners; b) a sound programme of policy reform, investment and capacity building can be designed for their
removal. The Programme does not take food self sufficiency as its goal, but aims at taking full advantage of
domestic production potential before turning to imports.
Strategy: The fundamental strategy of the Programme is to: (a) increase food production and productivity in
countries where improvement of food security is urgent and in areas where a maximum pay-off can be
expected, including irrigated areas, while conserving the natural resource base; (b) concentrate on technologies
and complementary activities for major food staples; (c) select appropriate technologies with the full
participation of target farmers (men, women, youth) who are the most crucial players in the technology
transfer/adoption process; (d) achieve a rapid introduction of improved technologies by demonstration; (e)
achieve a closer integration of the diverse interventions required within countries and among development
partners in order to facilitate the adoption of improved production technologies and ensure their effectiveness in
increasing food production; and (f) bring together all concerned partners (government, donor agencies, private
sector, farmers, NGOs, etc.) into the overall process of identifying constraints to increased food production and
in planning and implementation of appropriate solutions and strategies (e.g. policy reform capital investment,
enhancement of human, social and institutional capacities).
The Special Programme will encompass technologies aimed at raising production of the major staple food crops
of the area or country considered, either consumed locally or demanded by urban markets, and will also include
vegetables, small animals, milk and fish where these can play an important role in proving people's nutrition
and incomes. The Programme will actively involve people's participation not only in the application of
improved production technologies and in the design, establishment and maintenance of rural infrastructures, but
also in activities for preserving the environment for sustainable development.
Source: FAO, Special Programme..., Framework, Oct. 1994.



Given that long run food security is a matter of achieving economic growth and alleviating
poverty, there are many other approaches to technical assistance with potential positive
implications for food security. This would include all measures in support of policies aimed
at promoting growth with equity.

In essence, the effects of such measures, if appropriate and successfully implemented, are
illustrated in the model of section 6 of Annex 1. Supply based approaches will lead to a right-
downward shift of production/supply curve, while income growth and improved equity
manifests as a right-upward shift of the aggregate demand function. As a result of these shifts