2017 THE STATE OF FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITION IN EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by FAO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. ISBN 978-92-5-130046-6 © FAO, 2017 FAO encourages the use, reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product. 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FAO information products are available on the FAO website (www.fao.org/publications) and can be purchased through [email protected]. cover PHOTOGRAPH ©FAO/Robert Atanasovski ROSOMAN, THE FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA Preparing ajvar, a traditional vegetable preserve. 2017 THE STATE OF FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITION IN EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Budapest, 2017 CONTENTS FOREWORD iv Policy developments to improve nutrition and food ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS vi utilization in 2015-2017 25 INTRODUCTION 1 Policy developments affecting food stability in 2015-2017 26 PART 1 AssEssMENT OF THE FOOD SECURITY Conclusions 27 AND NUTRITION SITUATION IN EUROPE PART 3 AND CENTRAL AsIA 3 ENSURING FOOD SECURITY THROUGH Food insecurity and hunger in the ECA region 4 BEttER MANAGEMENT OF SCARCE AND FRAGILE NATURAL RESOURCES The triple burden of malnutrition 8 IN THE CONTEXT OF CLIMATE CHANGE 29 Micronutrient deficiencies 12 Conclusions 56 Conclusions 13 ANNEX 58 PART 2 Overview of Sustainable Development Goals NATIONAL AND REGIONAL POLICY DRIVERS and the corresponding targets with a particular TO HELP ACHIEVE SDG 2 TARGEts 15 relevance to meeting SDG 2 in the ECA region Policy developments to achieve availability of food GLOSSARY 62 in 2015-2017 18 REFERENCES 63 Policy developments improving access to food in 2015-2017 21 | ii | THE STATE OF FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITION IN THE WORLD 2017 TABLES AND FIGURES TABLES Figures 11. Coverage and adequacy of social protection and labour 1. Prevalence of undernourishment 1. Prevalence of severe food programmes for populations in the ECA countries between insecurity in the adult population, in the poorest quintile 22 2005-07 and 2014-16 6 computed using the FIES, 2014- 2016 7 12. Agriculture, value added 2. Selected micronutrient to GDP in the ECA region deficiencies for countries 2. Comparison of the prevalence (Y: 2015, %) 33 in the ECA region 12 of undernourishment and pre- valence of severe food insecurity 13. Agricultural employment 3. Main current national food based on FIES 7 as part of total employment security policy documents in and by sex in the ECA countries, the selected ECA countries 17 3. Prevalence of stunting among 2015 and 2021, % 34 children under age five in selected 4. Population and urbanization ECA countries, % 9 14. Population living on projections for the ECA region 32 degraded land, % of total 4. Prevalence of wasting and 5. Agricultural labour force population (Y: 2010) 37 overweight among children under projections in 2005-07, 2030 the age of five, 2016 10 15. Mean soil erosion rates at and 2050 34 NUTS 3 level for arable lands 5. Prevalence of obesity and obe- 6. Agricultural land (tonnes per ha per year), 2010, sity growth rates in adults, 2014 11 in the ECA region, 2014 35 EU-28 39 6. Prevalence of anaemia among 7. Costs of land degradation 16. Hot spots of land women of reproductive age, % 13 in Central Asia through land degradation in Central Asia 39 use and cover change 40 7. GDP per capita average 17. Overview of total renewable growth rate 19 8. Overview of total renewable water resources per capita 3 water resources per capita 8. Percentage change in state (m per year) in ECA region 43 3 (m per year) in EU-28 and EFTA budgetary allocations for agricul- 18. Water withdrawal for agri- countries in 2016 42 tural programmes between 2014 cultural use in the ECA countries and 2015 (in USD equivalent) 19 9. Projections of water (percent of total withdrawal) 43 stress levels for agriculture 9. Dynamics of state support 19. Food losses across ECA in the ECA region 44 for agriculture in selected ECA sub-regions, percent, Y: 2013 53 countries, million USD 20 10. The number of natural disasters, total people affected and economic 10. Public spending on social loss in the ECA region (1990-2017) 48 assistance programmes, % of GDP 20 11. Natural hazard risk in the Europe and Central Asia region, except EU-28 and EFTA countries 49 | iii | FOREWORD With the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for severe food insecurity in ECA countries, Sustainable Development and its ambitious based on food insecurity experience scale goals for a more sustainable and equitable (FIES) surveys. The prevalence of severe food world, countries and their international insecurity is a new, experienced-based, metric partners committed themselves to regular that helps determine the severity with which monitoring and reporting on progress. people may have experienced food insecurity in terms of food access. It complements the To this end, a comprehensive framework of Prevalence of Undernourishment (PoU) targets and indicators was developed for the indicator, traditionally used by FAO to analyse 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). the extent of hunger. FAO was designated as the custodian UN agency for 21 SDG indicators. Of these, nine The heavier emphasis on nutrition in the 2030 relate to Goal no. 2: End hunger, achieve food Agenda constitutes a major opportunity for security and improved nutrition and promote the ECA region to address malnutrition and sustainable agriculture, by 2030. related issues, stepping up efforts in line with the Rome Declaration on Nutrition and the The State of Food Security and Nutrition in Europe Framework for Action of the Second Inter- and Central Asia for 2017 offers an initial review of national Conference on Nutrition (2014). the current situation vis-à-vis SDG 2 in countries of the Europe and Central Asia (ECA) region.1 Interlinkages between these developmental More specifically, it focuses on the countries’ challenges and actions taken to address them status in relation to SDG Target 2.1: to ensure are examined in The State of Food Security and access to food for all, and Target 2.2: to end all Nutrition in Europe and Central Asia, providing forms of malnutrition. an in-depth situation analysis of SDG Targets 2.1 and 2.2, the state of micronutrient defi- This year, for the first time, The State of Food ciencies in the ECA region, and an initial Security and Nutrition in Europe and Central analysis of results on the prevalence of severe Asia presents results on the prevalence of food insecurity based on the FIES surveys. Furthermore, the publication provides an overview of policy initiatives that govern- 1 The following sub-regions of the ECA region and their corresponding countries are included in the report: Caucasus (3) - Armenia, Azerbaijan, ments are currently undertaking – as well as Georgia; Central Asia (5) - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, policies already in place – to achieve SDG 2 Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan; European CIS (4) - Belarus, Republic of targets for all dimensions of food security. Moldova, the Russian Federation and Ukraine; Southeastern Europe (SEE) (7) - Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo (under UNSCR It also draws attention to the interlinkages 1244), Montenegro, Serbia, The former Yugoslav Republic of between SDG 2 and other SDGs. Macedonia, and Turkey; EU countries (28) - Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, The theme of special focus this year is the the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, state of the ECA region’s natural resources, Sweden and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; the current impacts of climate change and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries (4) – Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. processes and related trends, and the risks | iv | THE STATE OF FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITION IN THE WORLD 2017 posed by different combinations of these action plans to combat climate change and factors. The State of Food Security and Nutrition adapt to its effects, in response to the Paris in Europe and Central Asia examines intrinsic Climate Agreement adopted in 2015. linkages between progress on food security and nutrition, and progress on other SDGs. As the countries of Europe and Central Asia fully embark upon the 2030 Agenda and The relevance of assessing food losses and embrace the Sustainable Development Goals waste is stressed, along with initial measures at national level, they are building on improve- to reduce losses and waste. Reductions in food ments in food and nutrition security achieved in losses and waste are a recognized means of recent decades. The complexity of the SDGs and minimizing environmental and economic the many interlinkages among them call for costs, reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) continued and coordinated efforts.