180th BIFAD Public Meeting on Agriculture and Food Security in Fragile and Conflict-Affected Contexts

At USAID’s request, the Board for International Food and Agricultural Development (BIFAD) examined issues around agriculture and food security in fragile and conflict-affected contexts, including issues around displacement and its effects on food systems, during a public meeting on October 15, 2019. 

Today, addressing food insecurity means operating amidst conflict and fragility. Last year, every country in a protracted food crisis was also engaged in violent conflict (FAO 2018). There is an urgent need to understand the unique challenges of improving the agricultural sector and food security in conflict-affected and fragile contexts or where there is a large displaced population in order to strengthen investments in evidence-based, tailored food and agriculture programming. This BIFAD public meeting began to address this need by bringing stakeholders and sector experts together for a timely discussion on the subject. 

The event specifically addressed the following questions: What is the state of knowledge on the relationship between conflict, fragility and food systems? What are the implications of this relationship for food security? How can food security and agricultural investments be most effective in preventing conflict or accelerating recovery in post-conflict settings? What are the unique needs of affected populations?

This document includes BIFAD’s findings, conclusions, and recommendations based on the meeting presentations and deliberations.