Nicholas Haan, the creator of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) and Advisor to the IPC Global Support Unit, breaks down the IPC Acute Food Insecurity Scale. The Acute Food Insecurity Scale classifies food insecurity found at a specific point in time and of a severity that threatens lives or livelihoods, or both, regardless of the causes, context or duration.
Strategic objectives: Short-term objectives to prevent or decrease acute food insecurity that threatens lives or livelihoods.
Severity categories: The scale is broken down into five phases: No (household classification) / Minimal (area classification) (Phase 1), Stressed (Phase 2), Crisis (Phase 3), Emergency (Phase 4), and Catastrophe (household classification) / Famine (area classification) / Famine Likely (area classification) (Phase 5).
Analytical focus: Identifying areas with a large proportion of households with significant food energy gaps or livelihood change strategies that can endanger lives or livelihoods.
This video aims to increase understanding of the AFI scale and counter miscommunication and misinterpretation.
