Food Security Information System project fosters strong collaboration among stakeholders in the Kyrgyz Republic

Author: FAO blogger James Ayodele, September 14 2016 - A recent evaluation by the FAO Office of Evaluation has found that the Food Security Information System (FSIS) project has helped reinforce synergies and broadened professional collaborations among different groups of stakeholders in the Kyrgyz Republic. But the project will require a detailed exit strategy to ensure sustainability of its impact.

The evaluation, which was conducted in 2015, reviewed existing technical and financial documents and analysed information received during interviews with national stakeholders and key informants. Key achievements of the project, according to the evaluation report, include improvements in the institutional capacities of the Ministry of Agriculture and Melioration (MoAM), the National Statistical Committee (NSC) and the Agency for Hydrometeorology under the Ministry of Emergency Services (Hydromet), and establishment of a computer-based food and nutrition data system.

The project supported the setting up of data management systems to facilitate storage, analysis, exchange and access to food security data. It supported upgrading of the FSIS from an obsolete data processing system to a computerized system, and integration of the food security and nutrition strategies. The supported institutions can now develop efficient information systems for the different levels of crop forecasts and assessments, including timely, reliable and standardized data flows.

Interviewed staff of the institutions said that they were pleased with the skills they acquired from the trainings, especially data management and the use of statistical and information technology tools. They said it enhanced their understanding of food security information systems, particularly household surveys, data/price collection and direct transfer.

The evaluation found that strong partnerships were established between the Government (MoAM, Ministry of Health, Hydromet and NSC), FAO and other UN agencies (World Food Programme and UNICEF), and other stakeholders (Agrarian University, EU and the World Bank), with vertical linkages between the villages and the central government. Stakeholders said these partnerships provided an enabling environment for efficient project delivery and for the development of food security-related policies and strategies.

The evaluation notes that although the project has significantly transformed data collection and analysis and initiated the dissemination of qualitative outputs to the various ministries, there are gaps in analysis and the application of information for effective decision-making on food security and nutrition. It notes the absence of an exit strategy, particularly for the Hydromet output and the household survey. It concludes that the project has been successful considering the timeframe of only three years, but that it could have achieved more if there was an effective results-based monitoring and evaluation system from inception.

It therefore recommends the development of a modified project work plan, which outlines a clear exit strategy and a results-based monitoring and evaluation framework. This, the report says, would enable the project to source for more funds and maximize institutional uptake and impact of the project outcomes.

• FSIS is a European Union funded project to increase the use of information on food security and improve related policies in the Kyrgyz Republic. It is being implemented by FAO in close cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and Melioration, the Ministry of Economic and Antimonopoly Policy, the National Statistical Committee, and the Agency for Hydro Meteorology.

As with all of the blogs posted on our website, the content above does not imply the endorsement of The CI or its Partners and is from the perspective of the writer alone. We do not check facts and strive to retain the writer's voice, as is detailed in our Editorial Policy.