The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) is a set of standardized tools that aims at providing a "common currency" for classifying the severity and magnitude of food insecurity.
In South Sudan, FAO’s Agriculture and Food Information System project provides technical support and leadership to the IPC process, which is led by government and has been institutionalized within the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Bureau of Statistics with oversight by the Food Security Council, which is under the Office of the President and Cabinet Affairs. To the government of South Sudan, the IPC is a reliable tool for early warning and decision-making. Furthermore, IPC products are used regularly for response analysis and coordination by the humanitarian agencies operating in South Sudan, for example to target food aid (by WFP) and distribution of seeds and agricultural tools (by FAO).
In South Sudan, one of the key IPC products is a map that visually shows the food insecurity phase classifications at county level. The IPC Trend Maps are an effective visual tool for comparing the food insecurity situation trends for each county, and the country at large. Comparisons should be done seasonally because each season is characterized by factors that impact differently on the monitored indicators and these are then analyzed to determine the levels of food insecurity at household level in the target counties.
The current series of IPC maps runs from December 2008 to March 2016.
