Joint Thematic Evaluation of FAO and WFP Support to Information Systems for Food Security

After a decade-long series of droughts and famines, the 1974 World Food Conference  concluded that the existing monitoring and information systems were inadequate. In response new Information Systems for Food Security (ISFS) were developed by different agencies, including FAO’s Global Information and Early Warning System (GIEWS). After repeated needs for emergency food aid during the 80s and 90s the 1996 World Food Summit encouraged FAO to lead a United Nations (UN) inter-agency process to develop more effective information systems to track food insecurity and vulnerability. As a follow-up, the initiative for Food Insecurity and Vulnerability Information and Mapping Systems (FIVIMS) was established. Thirteen years later food insecurity remains a major concern, subject to increasingly complex threats such as climate change, accelerated urbanisation, pandemics and global food price volatility. All this has created unprecedented challenges for but continued need for stronger ISFSs.

While specific projects and programmes have been assessed over the years, the area of information systems for food security as a major strategic theme has not been evaluated before. Thus, in the course of 2008, at the request of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Programme Committee and with the agreement of the World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Board, the two organizations launched an independent Joint Evaluation of FAO and WFP Support to ISFS.