World Conference New Delhi - Country remarks Peru

SCALING–UP NUTRITION (SUN) COUNTRY PARTICIPATION MEETING

Feb 10, 2011, 7.30 am-2pm
Taj Palace Hotel, New Delhi, INDIA
Co-hosted by the United States, Ireland and UN

AGENDA: Country-led Success

• How have focused programs led to significant reductions in under-nutrition?
• How can such programs better leverage efforts in the agriculture sector?

9.15 to 10.15 AM Period
COUNTRY REMARKS
PERÚ
Rodolfo Luis Beltran Bravo
Executive Director of AGRO RURAL
Ministry of Agriculture of PERU

Ladies and Gentlemen

First I will like to thank the organizers of this event. Also the organizers of the International Food Policy Research Institute IFPRI 2020 Conference: The Governments of the United States, Ireland and the United Nations.

Food and Nutrition is the first priority for the government of PERU. No country in the world could be economically strong if it is not socially fair and devotes an important part of its annual budget for improving the quality of life of the poorest segments of its population, specially children and expectant mothers.

In the period from 2001 to 2009 Poverty in our country has been reduced from 54.8 to 34.8 percent and Extreme Poverty has been reduced from 24.4 to 11.6 percent. Since 2005 under nutrition has been reduced from 22.9 to 17.9 percent in 2010. It is estimated that at the end of the present governmental period in July 2011 poverty will be reduced to 30 percent. We are satisfied, but not completely, until the last under nourished expectant mother and child of PERU gets the proper attention.

PERU is also on its way to achieve the UN 2015 Millennium Development Goals especially in Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, 3: Promote Gender Equality and Empower women and 7: Ensure Environmental Sustainability 

How have focused programs led to significant reductions in under-nutrition?

Programs integration and Synergy. According to President ALAN GARCIA a strong political decision and articulation has been the force behind this country effort. Since then this objective has guided Ministries and Entities of the Government to unite efforts and leave behind unnecessary bureaucracy, secondary goals and personal motivations. 

This is a Country goal. Back in 2006, all presidential candidates of Peru signed an agreement giving their support to this objective and this compromise is also going to be repeated for the coming elections in April, 2011. Recently at a meeting organized by the Technical Secretariat ST-CIAS of the Office of the Prime Minister, 24 Regional Presidents signed a similar act.

Why is so important for Peru Child Nutrition and Health?

According to the pyramidal composition, 65 % of our population is less than 30 year old and 20% is below 10 years old. According to our Ministry of Women and Social Development this is a war against the Inter-generational transmission of poverty and represents an ethical challenge and a strategic priority for Peru. It is a known fact that severe under nourishment for expectant mothers and during the first 36 months of a child’s life (1000 days of the SUN’s Initiative), causes an irreversible damage to his brain. PERU has dedicated considerable resources for this objective. The total budget increased from S/ 3,923 million in 2006 to S/ 7592 million in 2010. (1USD $ is S/2.7 soles).

Since 2006 our country established initially the “Command Center in the War against Poverty”. At the start of our governmental period we had 82 social programs which were integrated into 26 to reduce costs and reach more efficiency. 26 Programs …. ONE GOAL.

The main articulation center is the Technical Secretariat ST-CIAS of the Office of the Prime Minister and implemented through the CRECER Strategy and JUNTOS program. There are three axes in which entities and Programs of other Ministries articulate

1. DEVELOPMENT OF CAPACITIES, HEALTH, NUTRITION AND CIVIL RIGHTS.
2. ACCESS TO ECONOMIC AND PRODUCTIVE OPPORTUNIIES
3. NETWORK OF SOCIAL PROTECTION,

This strategy allowed our government to focus in the most needed sectors without duplicating efforts. Beneficiaries from JUNTOS have grown, under the CCT Cash Conditioned Transfer methodology, from 50,000 to 600,000 families belonging to the poorest sectors of Peru. The child population attended grew from 503,000 children in 2007 to 1,061,128 in 2011. 

This National Strategy is being implemented with the interaction of other governmental entities such as SIS, CENAN-INS, RENIEC, AGRORURAL, FONCODES and CONSTRUYENDO PERU. A productive alternative is offered to the beneficiaries after a 4 year graduation period. A bi-monthly cash income of S/200 is provided for each family upon compliance of Health, nutrition, education Conditionalities which is mainly supported by the Ministries of Education and Health. A Life Insurance network is also incorporated in order to make the benefit sustainable in case the head of a family dies.

Additionally, the government of PERU has adopted the following measures against chronic malnutrition:

Strategic Performance Budget Program that includes the Articulated Nutritional Plan, PAN that prioritizes the heath and assistance of expectant mothers and children specially up to 3 years old, Integral Health Insurance SIS that prioritizes universal attention to persons in poverty and extreme poverty situation, The Productive Orchard Program CHACRA PRODUCTIVA that introduces technology for rural areas agriculture production, AGRORURAL Program that has integrated 8 Programs of Rural Development , the National Program PRONAMA directed to illiterate segment of the Population, Local Municipal Incentives for under nutrition, and the Universal health Insurance. 

The Food and Nutrition National Center (CENAN, CENTRO NACIONAL DE ALIMENTACIÓN Y NUTRICION), is the regulatory technical line center of the National Institute of Health and is responsible to promote, plan, implement and evaluate research and development of appropriate technologies in the areas of nutrition, human nutrition , sanitary control of food, beverages and others.

Our Ministry of Economy of Finances provides the necessary resources for the social programs of Peru and assures that Performance Budgeting is observed. All programs are periodically audited by the National Comptrollers Office.

International Cooperation

The World Bank WB has had an important participation in Nutrition in Peru through technical assistance and Programmatic Loans such as REACT, along with the World Food Organization, Inter American Development Bank and the European Union. Also other International Cooperation Agencies such as JAICA from Japan, GTZ from Germany, IFAD international Fund for Agricultural Development IFDA, and the World Food Program (WFP) of the United Nations, have supported this important area through the years and many successful projects have been adopted as public policies. 

Factors

In our concept the following factors are decisive for programs involved in poverty reduction:

a) Strong Political decision,

b) Establishment of health and nutrition as a national strategy goal,

c) multi sectorial approach based on rationalization and efficiency of social programs,

d) monitoring and Performance Budgeting,

e) Awarding resources through contests,

f) Cash Conditioned Transfers CCT, co participation, co financing of beneficiaries. Always SOMETHING FOR SOMETHING

g) Use of modern technology and TICs . 

How can such programs better leverage efforts in the agriculture sector?

We coincide with the WFO that poverty will be overcome, additionally to rural development, with urban and sub urban agriculture. The Ministry of Agriculture through AGRORURAL is encouraging hydroponic and family orchards in sub urban marginal areas. In March 2011 it will conclude its 230 Million program that last year has placed PERU in the 9th place of the UNEP Billion Tree Campaign honor roll. In coordination with the Ministry of Education a campaign is being done with Teachers and students from high schools and colleges.

Agriculture in Peru is native and had an independent development from the Old World

Domestication of Agriculture and animals started 6,000 years BF. These included Andean Agricultural Systems and native practices, tools and labor organization. The Andean region is one of the world five main centers of agricultural products and has 45 commercial native species.

PERU has a variety of native crops for health an nutrition : Roots : Maca, Yacon Arrachaca; Grains: Quinua, Tarwi , Kiwicha; STEM(TUBERS): potatoe, Oca , Oleo and Mashua. Nutritional Herbs such as Oregano, Albahaca and Cilantro. Also a variety of medicinal and Aromatic herbs. All of them are product on a long and sustainable domestication process in which value has been added through Mother Nature in organic scenarios. Good practices and habits prioritizing native agriculture products are very important and sustainable.

During the INCA Civilization, Andean crops were decisive for Food Safety. The INCAS had at all times a minimum of 3 Years food stock. Terrace Agriculture was developed between 500 and 1500 AD as an strategy not only for agriculture expansion, but also for Hydric Resources efficiency , soil conservation, vertical and horizontal transportation and food conservation. These ANDENES come now in our aid not only for Food Safety but also as an effective strategy for global warming and Climate Change. Recently the Inter American Bank IAB approved the start of the PE-T1165 Terraces Recuperation in the Andes aimed to incorporate 1 million hectares of Andean Andenes or Terraces for agriculture expansion and mitigation of global warming. 

Recently our Ministry of Agriculture is developing the NATIONAL PROGRAM FOR INNOVATION, PASTURES, GENETIC IMPROVEMENT & ANDEAN CROPS or “ANDEAN VALUE CHAIN” to increase productivity of cultivated pastures, quality and quantity of sheep cattle, native crops and market access.

“The Lost Crops of the INCAS” is a masterpiece book that back in 1989 defined the potential of all species that were domesticated and developed in the INCA’S Tawantinsuyo. Today these are not lost anymore and come to our aid in the XXIst Century for health, nutrition and food safety of our countries.

LEVERAGING AGRICULTURE FOR IMPROVING NUTRITION AND HEALTH
10, 12 February, New Delhi - India

ARQ. RODOLFO BELTRAN BRAVO
Executive Director of AGRORURAL
Ministry of Agriculture of PERU
DR. WILFREDO SALINAS CASTRO
General Director of the National Center of Food and Nutrition-
National Institute of Health
Ministry of Health of PERU
MISS CLAUDIA BENAVIDES
Health Sector Analyst
General Direction of Public Budget
Ministry of Economy and Finances of PERU