Understanding food security and vulnerability has always been challenging. Yet theemergence of relatively new phenomena such as the recent high food and fuel prices, the global financial crisis, and climate change, all highlight the need to betterunderstand the lives and livelihoods of vulnerable populations so that effective policiesand actions can be implemented to save lives and address the root causes of hunger. Over the last four years WFP, along with partners, has completed 27 CFSVAsworldwide. This was in large part made possible due to generous support from theEuropean Commission's Humanitarian Aid department (ECHO), the CitigroupFoundation and the Gates Foundation.
This document, built on this experience, will guide WFP food security analysts, programme officers and partner's staff as they undertake Comprehensive FoodSecurity and Vulnerability Analyses.