Integrated Food Security Phase Classification
scale to measure food insecurity that spans from 1 (best) to 5 (worst)
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), also known as IPC scale, is a tool for improving food security analysis and decision-making. It is a standardised scale that integrates food security, nutrition and livelihood information into a statement about the nature and severity of a crisis and implications for strategic response.
The IPC was originally developed in 2004 for use in Somalia by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's Food Security Analysis Unit (FSAU). Several national governments and international agencies, including CARE International, European Commission Joint Research Centre (EC JRC), Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), USAID/FEWS NET, Oxfam GB, Save the Children UK/US, and United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), have been working together to adapt it to other food security contexts.
Famine Review Committee
The work of the IPC's Famine Review Committee is funded by development aid programs from the EU, the UK, Canada, and Germany. The Famine Review Committee is composed of international experts who are not affiliated with national governments or local political interests. Its mandate is to conduct analyses based solely on technical and scientific criteria.
IPC scale
The following IPC reference tables list the general profiles of the elements for each phase or level respectively for the three IPC unintegrated classification scales, which together constitute the IPC "big picture" classification scale:
Acute Food Insecurity
Chronic Food Insecurity
Acute Malnutrition
Notable applications
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has been used in several countries to assess and respond to food insecurity, each presenting unique challenges and responses.
Ethiopia
In Ethiopia, the 2021 IPC analysis highlighted a severe food insecurity crisis, with over 5.5 million people in Tigray, Amhara, and Afar facing high levels of acute food insecurity due to conflict, displacement, and disrupted markets. As of May 2021, approximately 3.1 million were in Crisis (IPC Phase 3), 2.1 million were in Emergency (IPC Phase 4) and 353,000 were experiencing Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5).
The public source identifies “Integrated Food Security Phase Classification” as scale to measure food insecurity that spans from 1 (best) to 5 (worst). This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Integrated, Food and Security.
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