Highlights
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WFP is providing food and logistical assistance to the populations affected by Hurricane Matthew in eastern Cuba.
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WFP supports the strengthening of drought-related early warning systems at provincial level and the inclusion of vulnerability indicators for food security and nutrition in drought risk assessments.
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WFP continues strengthening the bean value-chain stakeholders through trainings, technical support and equipment.
Operational Updates
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WFP continues assisting the populations affected by hurricane Matthew in eastern Cuba through distribution of rice and beans. WFP is also strengthening food storage capacities in the two hardest-hit municipalities with mobile storage units and lightning.
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WFP is supporting the Government in strengthening its food-based social safety nets. This includes the promotion of studies to assess trends in the population’s dietary habits. Data collection for the National Food Consumption Survey is underway in all targeted provinces.
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As part of the process to strengthen the bean value-chain in six provinces, WFP facilitated a workshop in Pinar del Rio province involving nearly 40 stakeholders. It validated the findings of the bean value chain assessment conducted in November 2016. WFP also produced and printed 1,000 manuals on sustainable bean production, which will be distributed next month to farmers and cooperatives in all target provinces. In addition, WFP organized a field mission to present its training programme for 2017 to key value chain stakeholders in four eastern provinces (Granma, Guantanamo, Holguin and Las Tunas). The programme entails strategic thematic areas such as production technologies, management skills and cooperativism, institutional framework and gender.
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As part of the EU-funded drought resilience activities, WFP hosted a workshop in Havana with all government counterparts at the national level, focusing on communication tools for decision making. This process will be replicated at the local level in February. WFP is also following up on the drought early warning system pilot phase, which is being implemented in 20 target municipalities from November 2016 to April 2017, under the supervision of national institutions. The objective is to strengthen provincial drought early-warning systems in eastern Cuba, and to include food security and nutrition vulnerability indicators in drought risk assessments.
Challenges
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WFP urgently needs 0.4 m for its response to Hurricane Matthew.
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The Cuban Institute of Hydraulic Resources recently stressed that drought continues to represent a challenge to public water supply and agricultural production in the whole country, particularly in the eastern region.
Mid-Term Evaluation of the Cuba Country Programme:
- The Country Office is preparing for a visit by the independent team that is conducting a mid-term evaluation of the Cuba Country Programme. A debriefing will be organized at the end of the mission to share the preliminary findings with WFP and its government counterparts.