WFP and Government of Samoa hold first ever technical workshop in Samoa to bolster market monitoring for food security
APIA: The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in
partnership with Samoa’s Ministry of Agriculture and
Fisheries and the University of South Pacific conducted
a two-day workshop on critical market assessments that
will enable data driven decision-making for disaster
response policies in Samoa.
As the Pacific is gripped by frequent climate shocks and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, amidst growing global food insecurity, understanding the function of local markets and how price fluctuations can affect people’s access to food will help to implement effective social protection policies.
The workshop, attended by local government officers,
civil society organisations, managers of municipal
markets and UN agencies, aimed to establish a Price
Monitoring System that will analyse trends and price
fluctuations of critical food and non-food items as well
as the Market Functionality Index and the Minimum
Expenditure Basket.
“During these difficult times with prolonged effects
from global crisis, it is vital that relevant monitoring
and assessment tools are utilised to determine the level
of food and nutrition security in Samoa. The
availability of reliable and timely data is encouraged
to support evidence-based decision making and policy
formulation, “ said Mr Tilofano David Hunter, CEO of the
Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries of Samoa.
“The Government of Samoa through the Ministry of
Agriculture and Fisheries wishes to acknowledge the
continued support of the UN World Food Programme in the
development of the Agriculture and Fisheries sector”, he
added.
“Local markets are the most fundamental reflection of
the food security conditions of any country. Through
these critical market assessments and analyses we can
develop social protection policies that reflect the
needs of the most vulnerable people as accurately as
possible, especially after a disaster,“ said Alpha Bah,
Country Director of WFP’s Pacific Multi-Country
Office.
“Data-driven decision-making is at the heart of WFP’s
research and monitoring programmes in the Pacific and we
are grateful to have joined forces with the Government
of Samoa and the University of South Pacific to
safeguard household food security and design effective
disaster response measures in Samoa,” concluded Mr
Bah.
WFP also handed over 20 tablets to the Ministry of
Agriculture and Fisheries to strengthen their capacity
in digital data collection that will streamline the
Ministry’s data management channels.
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The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.
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