A Refresher Course for Local Nutrition Early Warning System-Food and Nutrition Security (LNEWS-FNS) Household Data Collectors for the areas in Region 9 was held on January 9-10, 2019 at Hotel Guillermo in Pagadian City. The activity aims to strengthen capacities of data collectors in gathering primary data on household food security in selected sentinel sites.
The LNEWS-FNS a system that provides relevant and timely information relative to factors that influence food security of the locality has enhanced utilization of data in program planning in the four municipalities in Zamboanga Peninsula. Established in Polanco and Jose Dalman in Zamboanga del Norte, Diplahan in Zamboanga Sibuagay and Kumalarang, Zamboanga del Sur these municipalities are now regularly using the results of the LNEWS-FNS in their Local Development Plans.
In the four years that the Local Government Units had adopted the LNEWS-FNS, Polanco and Diplahan being more matured among the four areas, the LGUs are now equipped with timely information on food and nutrition related data to enhance the barangay and LGU formulation of Local Nutrition Action Plan as well as other programs of the Local Development Plans in particular those that ensure food security of the population. The results likewise helped the LGUs and barangays in identifying and prioritizing projects for areas that are prone to flooding such as the strengthening of river banks, inclusion of areas with malnutrition prevalence in opening road access where there are none. The Municipal Interagency Committee of the KALAHI uses the LNEWS-FNS results in program planning while the Local Agriculture Offices have aligned agri-technology training that will help communities in determining food crops to be planted based on results of climate monitoring to counter the effects of draught. Appreciating the results of the LNEW-FNS, the implementation of existing policies on Household and Community Food Production Projects as well as other related policies supportive of food and nutrition have been strengthened and allocated with budget.
The commitment of the Core Group to relentlessly manage the LNEWS-FNS has brought about better understanding of the correlation of the different factors such as food production, supply and prices; climate; road access among others to nutrition. Being functional, the Core Group has been able to utilize the results to assess the underlying causes of malnutrition and to advocate to the Local Chief Executive and Legislative Council to prioritize the implementation of a quality nutrition program.
The management of the LNEWS-FNS however just like other program is at times affected by the changes in leadership and administration of the LGUs. Staff and volunteer workers are invariably changed thus resulting to knowledge gap on the system. Hence the conduct of the refresher course was very much appreciated as the new BNS and other data collectors are again proficiently involved in the system. (Nimfa D. Ekong)
