ReSAKSS Issue Brief number 12

ReSAKSS Working Paper number 17 and Issue Brief number 12 examine the food price trends in the Eastern and Southern African (ESA) region from 2006 to mid-2009. The two reports present evidence on the regional food situation while exploring the nexus between high domestic food prices and global food prices.

The analysis highlights the regional and national dimensions of increases in food prices and how they are related to regional food security. Although domestic food prices in ESA are not totally unrelated to world prices, these studies show that national and regional factors are very important in driving domestic food prices. While global food prices have exhibited declining trends since June 2008, several ESA countries have experienced increasing prices in 2008 and early 2009. The price surges appear to be further fuelled by some of the policy responses that countries have employed in their attempts to address the food price crisis. This information serves to remind policymakers that easing global food prices do not present any immediate relief to the food crisis facing their individual countries. The reports conclude with practical short-, medium- and long-term options for governments and other stakeholders for addressing the food price crisis.