The Thai Food Insecurity and Valnerability Information Mapping System

During the Summit, FAO presented the Anti-Hunger Programme, which called for US$24 billion in additional public investment by developed and developing countries. These funds would be used for on-farm improvements such as irrigation, better seeds, conservation of the natural-resource base for food production, improvements in research and extension, upgrading of rural infrastructure, improved market access and special provision for people in particular.

Initially, one important step is identifying food insecure and vulnerable groups, their locations, and the degree and causes of hunger and malnutrition, among others, for the design of appropriate policies, effective interventions and action programs, and for the monitoring and evaluation of programs/projects/activities.

To foster greater effort in this area, the WFS Plan of Action calls for the development of the Food Insecurity and Vulnerability Mapping Systems (FIVIMS) at both the national and global level. Thus, through the initiative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, this user-friendly information system has been established in Thailand.

About FIVIMS

Food Insecurity and Vulnerability Information and Mapping Systems (FIVIMS) are any systems that assemble, analyse and disseminate information on who the food insecure are, where they are located, and why they are food insecure, nutritionally vulnerable or at risk. The World Food Summit Plan of Action (WFS, Rome, November 1996) recommended that such systems be established at the global, national and subnational levels in efforts to achieve Summit goals of reducing undernutition and achieving food security for all.

The idea behind FIVIMS is that improved information can be actively used to produce better results in efforts to reduce the number of undernourished and achieve food security for all. The acronym FIVIMS refers to the overall framework and the concepts and ideas associated with it, and not to any one particular system or network of systems.

FIVIMS is a framework within which a wide range of activities may be carried out at both national and international levels in support of improved information to achieve World Food Summit goals.

At the national level, FIVIMS is implemented through a network of information systems that gather and analyze data relevant for measuring and monitoring food insecurity and vulnerability. This network is collectively referred to as a national FIVIMS.

At the international level, FIVIMS is implemented through a diverse programme of activities that aim to support national FIVIMS and establish a common database and information exchange network, referred to as global FIVIMS

Coordination of the FIVIMS Programme

The Inter-Agency Working Group on Food Insecurity and Vulnerability Mapping Systems (IAWG-FIVIMS) was set up as the mechanism to oversee the development of FIVIMS. Participation in the IAWG has now increased to 28 organizational members, of which 14 belong to the UN System. IAWG-FIVIMS has its permanent Secretariat at FAO.

At national level the development of FIVIMS is promoted by members of the IAWG through the UN Resident Co-ordinator System as well as the Thematic Groups of the United Nations System Network on Rural Development and Food Security. Thematic groups in 16 countries have identified the development of national FIVIMS as a priority in their work plan for this year.

National FIVIMS Focal Points : Member countries of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) have been requested to designate national focal points for FIVIMS. The main functions of these focal points are to establish a collaborative mechanism involving all operating systems that produce or use information and statistics relevant to FIVIMS.

FIVIMS will make a major contribution to the common UN country planning process through the Common Country Assessment (CCA) and the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) exercises.

Core Functions of FIVIMS

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