Prioritizing Food Security Solutions

A Toolkit to Facilitate the Process

Food insecurity is a global issue with significant effects on human health. However, while great strides have been made in addressing hunger and improving health, continued progress is still necessary and depends on efforts at all levels. To make the best progress locally, communities must identify the most impactful way to use available resources.

This is how the Food Security Solutions (FSS) Prioritization Process can help. The four-step FSS Prioritization Process identifies the best solutions to improve food security in the community, given the resources available.

This four-step process will help identify the best food security solutions for your community. Worksheets developed specifically for this process are used to facilitate each step. To get started, download the Toolkit. Below, for each of the four steps, a summary and the worksheets are posted.

Step 1: Identify Unmet Needs

In this data-driven step, identify unmet needs, or gaps, between what the current food security challenges are and how the community is addressing these needs. Download a PDF summary of step one. The worksheets with instructions that support this step are:

1.1 Community Assessment

1.2 Program Inventory

1.3 Gap Analysis

These worksheets can be downloaded as an interactive Excel file with formulas enabled or as printer-friendly PDF file.

This is a list of potential sources for relevant and publicly-available data that can be used to complete the Community Assessment Worksheet. If the Advisory Panel determines that additional local level data should be collected, this is a list of some publicly available resources to support data collection.”

Read the key insights the Village of Northbrook has to share from their experience completing this step. To see how the FSS Prioritization Process can be used in the global space, read the case story about the work in Mumbai, India.

Step 2: Suggest Solutions and Screen

In this creative step, suggest solutions to address the community’s most pressing needs identified in step 1. This list is then systematically narrowed so that only the most feasible options move forward. Download a PDF summary of step two. The worksheets with instructions that support this step are:

2.1 Suggest Solutions

2.2 Screen Suggested Solutions

These worksheets can be downloaded as an interactive Excel file with formulas enabled or as printer-friendly PDF file.

Once unmet community needs are identified, the next step is for the advisory panel to brainstorm and suggest solutions. The completed Program Inventory Worksheet can offer inspiration.

Also, the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) is a U.S. organization with resources related to federal nutrition programs and the Alliance to End Hunger maintains a searchable resource library where you can find program ideas that have been implemented in other local communities.

Read the key insights the Village of Northbrook has to share from their experience completing this step. To see how this step can be adapted to can be adapted to handle more complex situations, read the case story of Humana’s work with the Greater Knoxville Health Advisory Board (GKHAB).

Step 3: Estimate Values

In this scoring step, each solution resulting from step 2 is assessed for cost, benefit and confidence in those estimates and assigned a representative value. Download a PDF summary of step three. The worksheets with instructions that support this step are:

3.1 Financial Estimates (Costs and Contributions)

3.2 Impact Score (Benefits)

3.3 Uncertainty Score

These worksheets can be downloaded as an interactive Excel file with formulas enabled or as printer-friendly PDF file.

When completing the Financial Estimates Worksheet, this resource estimates the value of volunteer time at both a national and state level.

Read the key insights the Village of Northbrook has to share from their experience completing this step. To see how just part of the process can be used to make and communicate a strategic decision, read the case story of the Davenport-Dunbar Home Pantry program.

Step 4: Prioritize Food Security Solutions

In this final, consensus-driven step, use the information from step 3 to rank or prioritize the suggested solutions. Download a PDF summary of step four. The worksheets with instructions that support this step are:

4.1 Prioritize Food Security Solutions

These worksheets can be downloaded as an interactive Excel file with formulas enabled or as printer-friendly PDF file.

Read the key insights the Village of Northbrook has to share from their experience completing this step.