With its history of political unrest and armed conflict combined with periodic droughts, widespread poverty, and low levels of food production per capita, South Sudan faces a particularly daunting food security situation. At present, Africa’s newest country relies on private sector cereal imports from Uganda for 30-50 percent of its total cereal supply.

The Ecosystem Based Adaptation for Food Security Conference took place last month in Kenya. In this event, more than 1200 attendees representing governments, the private sector, the academy, and other civil society institutions, held meetings aimed to contribute to the development of Ecosystem Based Adaptation (EBA) approaches as a first step towards building resilient food systems, improving food security, and adapting to climate change in Africa.

In the past, discussions about food security have typically focused on the quantity of food that people eat rather than the quality .  However, micronutrient deficiencies are becoming increasingly recognized as a serious threat to the health and economic development of low-income populations. As a result, nutrition is garnering more and more attention in the development community.