Luca Alinovi

• PhD
• CEO at Farmshine

In 2014, the Third International Conference on the resilience of social-ecological systems chose the theme "resilience and development: mobilizing for transformation." The conference aimed specifically at fostering an encounter between the experiences and thinking focused on the issue of resilience through a social and ecological system perspective...

One of the main questions that emerge from a review of the 2011 Somalia Famine is why early warning information did not lead to early action in Somalia in 2010 and 2011. Despite the timely alerts and stark predictions released over a period of 11 months, insufficient measures were taken to prevent malnutrition, morbidity, mortality and livelihood s...

Most Somalis depend on natural resources for their livelihoods: land for grazing and crops, water for irrigation, human and livestock, riparian and coastal zones for fisheries, and forests for wood, gums and resins. In a complex context like the Somali one, there are many challenges and opportunities related to land and water resources that can be...

A substantial portion of the world's people have not made adequate progress toward overcoming hunger or achieving sustainable livelihoods. The classic approach to addressing chronic food insecurity has been a strategy of agricultural development, supplemented by humanitarian assistance in the event of a shock or crisis--an approach predicated on as...

The objective of this chapter is twofold: (a) to clarify the meaning of the resilience concept as applied to food insecurity, critically analysing its relationships with other competing and/or complementary concepts and the potential benefits of its use; and (b) to propose a methodology for measuring household resilience to food insecurity, as well...

Functional decision making requires to be properly informed and to be based on solid evidence. However, too often information is developed in isolation and decisions are taken in absence of clear and reliable information. Integration of climate data, economic analysis, nutritional and health data is becoming a basic condition to inform policy maker...

The way a household copes and withstands with economic shocks depends on the available options in terms of capabilities, assets (including both material and social resources) and activities. A livelihood strategy is the way those options are arranged and selected. Comprehending the driving factors of each livelihood strategy is crucial for improvin...

Most of the current literature on food security focuses on the assessment of household vulnerability in food insecure regions. The concept of vulnerability, by definition, is dynamic and forward looking. However, almost all statistical methodologies applied until now have been static and unable to predict future events. The main reasons for this ar...

In many countries, prolonged conflicts result in food emergencies that recur over years or even decades. Initial humanitarian relief efforts are rarely replaced by programmes that offer a longer-term perspective on food security. This book provides examples of opportunities to bridge the gap between emergency relief and longer term developmental ap...

This final chapter highlights the crosscutting issues that emerged from the six chapters based on case studies. It is organized around the issues of: existing limitations and challenges in responding to protracted crises; the critical role of institutions; and the effects on livelihood systems (adaptation and limits of resilience). It then reviews...

This chapter examines the definition of the term, protracted crisis, and how it has evolved over time. It also analyses several humanitarian and developmental frameworks and looks at their usefulness in analysing and responding to protracted food security crises. It thereby provides the background information necessary for a deeper understanding of...

Drawing on case studies from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Somalia and Sudan, this paper focuses on policy, programming and institutional issues related to addressing food insecurity in protracted crises and fragile states, with a focus on areas afflicted by conflicts. The case studies illustrate how dysfunctional institutions are at...

This paper explores linkages between food security and crisis in different contexts, outlining the policy and institutional conditions needed to manage food security during a crisis and to rebuild the resilience of food systems in periods of relative peace. The paper reviews experiences over the past decade of countries in protracted crisis and dra...

Information on land cover and its changes is essential for rational planning of agricultural land use, sustainable management of agricultural land, increase of crop production, and environmental protection. Yet, in most developing countries such information is non-existent or not reliable. This chapter describes how the Food and Agriculture Organiz...