FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITION MONITORING IN AFRICA - INTRODUCTION AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Periodic monitoring of household food security and nutritional status is fundamental to generate adequate information for food and nutrition planning and policy making. This paper introduces food security and n utrition monitoring as a policy generating mechanism in Africa. A hist orical background to food security and nutrition monitoring provides a perspective for this introduction. A brief introduction to the papers prepared for this special issue is also presented.