AKIPRESS.COM - The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has handed over a unique online instrument to map food security and nutrition situations across the country to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Industries and Melioration (MoAFIM) of the Kyrgyz Republic.

The handover ceremony concludes a two-year partnership to digitize food security data collection, analysis and dissemination for planning food security interventions at district-level.

The online Food Security Atlas (FSA), which provides a comprehensive and real-time analysis of food availability, access, utilization and stability at province and district-level, will support the policy makers at national level and local authorities in the field to determine the food insecure shocks and formulate tailored response actions.

“Working hand-in-hand with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Industries and Melioration in understanding of food security and nutrition situation in the country, we will better identify the needs of the most vulnerable communities and provided targeted and efficient support,” remarked Andrea Bagnoli, WFP Kyrgyz Republic Country Director.

The online FSA collects and analyses a massive amount of real-time data on over 70 food security and nutrition indicators ranging from the levels of agricultural production to micronutrient consumption to climate change impact. Detailed overviews with visual representations of regional disparities in food security situations and area-based maps contribute to developing a full picture of food security in the Kyrgyz Republic.

“Real-time robust analysis of key socio-economic indicators of food security is making the FSA a powerful evidence-based tool to design local action plans as part of the National Food Security and Nutrition Programme for 2019-2023,” remarked Amangeldi Isaev, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Food Industries and Melioration of the Kyrgyz Republic.

More specifically, the online Food Security Atlas, available at https://agroprod.kg/atlas/, displays a dynamic analysis of district-level production especially focusing on the nine main staple foods which are essential for a national balanced food security basket, including wheat, meat, eggs, milk, potatoes, fruits, vegetables, sugar and vegetable oil. The atlas also offers critical gender-specific information on households’ incomes, access to food, markets, expenditures, and employment. Combined with nutrition and food consumption information and climate-related data, the FSA analysis is indispensable for a comprehensive understanding of the food security and nutrition context and challenges, and right policy decisions.