Integrated Phase Classification

The use of the Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) is a landmark in the fight against food insecurity. Widely accepted by the international community, IPC describes the severity of food emergencies. Based on common standards and language, this five-phase scale is intended to help governments and other humanitarian actors quickly understand a crisis (or potential crisis) and take action.

Along with the scale, IPC provides a framework for technical consensus, protocols for classification, tools for communication, and methods of quality assurance. In practice, analysts use various methods of data collection and analysis (e.g., food prices, seasonal calendars, rainfall, rapid food-security assessments, etc.), but with the IPC, they can describe their conclusions using the same, consistent language and standards. This harmonized approach is particularly useful in comparing situations across countries and regions, and over time.