About the IPC

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) is an innovative tool for improving food security analysis and decision-making.

It is a standardised scale that integrates food security, nutrition and livelihood information into a clear statement about the nature and severity of a crisis and implications for strategic response.

Find out more:

> Overview of the IPC

> What Is New About the IPC Approach?
> IPC Technical Manual and Updates
> IPC Reference Table
> IPC Briefing Note

IPC Technical Development

The IPC was originally developed in Somalia under the FAO Food Security Analysis Unit (FSAU). This successful experience led to the development of a standardized IPC approach that is now being used in several countries.

From February to March 2007, FAO hosted an IPC Online Forum in which over 150 experts from 40 agencies reviewed technical and institutional aspects of the IPC. This was followed by an international review meeting where seven agencies and international NGOs (Care International, EC JRC, FAO, FEWS NET, Oxfam GB, Save the Children UK and US, and WFP) agreed on a common approach for further developing the IPC. The resulting proposed multi-agency strategy gained full support from donors at a subsequent special donor partnership meeting.

The IPC will continue to be refined and improved based on experiences in applying it at the country level.

See also:
> Technical Updates to IPC manual (coming soon)

IPC Technical Development Strategy

The current IPC model will be developed based on experiences in applying it in different countries. The aim is to refine the tools and processes to support a standardized classification system, which can be applied in different country contexts.

Technical development will also be supported by an online community forum, international seminars and a series of lesson learning exercises for distilling best practices.