This policy brief synthesises findings from two rapid assessments on food and nutrition security within the context of climate and conflict, in Somalia, Mali and South Sudan. As part of the project ‘Multisectoral Humanitarian Response to the deteriorating nutrition situation focusing on severely affected crisis contexts in sub-Saharan Africa’, Action Against Hunger (AAH) commissioned two rapid assessments to help inform the project’s activities and mobilise more support for climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction (DRR) and anticipatory humanitarian action in these areas.
The first assessment focuses on how people’s nutritional status and livelihoods are being impacted by fragility, conflict and climate shocks; as well as household and community coping mechanisms, existing interventions, and the gaps that remain.
The second assessment explores how existing interventions by AAH and other humanitarian, development, peacebuilding and climate change adaptation actors are anticipating and mitigating layered impacts of conflicts, climate and non-climate stressors.
Both assessments interrogate how effective existing policies and programmes are at strengthening community food security resilience; where there are gaps or unintended consequences; and how these policies and programmes should be modified to avoid maladaptation over the short to long term.