Food Security Service Center (FSSC II)

Status: Completed

We implemented the five-year FSSC II project from May 2019 to May 2024 to support the USAID Bureau for Resilience, Environment and Food Security (REFS) to execute the Global Food Security Strategy (GFSS) in a more effective, efficient, and sustainable manner. FSSC II was a rapid-response mechanism that recruited, fielded, and supported food security experts and consultants for technical assignments with USAID REFS in Washington and at Missions in Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), and Sub-Saharan Africa.

FSSC II technical experts provided expertise on program design and management, monitoring and evaluation, agricultural growth, research and capacity building, and other critical areas of food security and resilience to deliver a broad range of integrated, knowledge-driven technical services for each of the following GFSS core objectives:  

  1. Inclusive and sustainable agriculture-led economic growth; 
  2. Strengthened resilience among people and systems; and 
  3. A well-nourished population, especially among women and children. 

Regions

  • Asia-Pacific
  • Latin America and the Caribbean
  • Sub-Saharan Africa
  • USA

Country / Countries

  • Timor Leste
  • Haiti
  • Burkina Faso
  • Democratic Republic of Congo
  • Ethiopia
  • Kenya
  • Mozambique
  • Niger
  • Nigeria
  • Senegal
  • South Sudan
  • Uganda
  • Zimbabwe

Select Results

  • Built a database of more than 400 world-class food security professionals with expertise in all aspects of food security and resilience, from agriculture, gender and youth integration, nutrition and wash, resilience and clime change adaptation, and a variety of cross-cutting areas such as monitoring and evaluation, communications, program design, policy analysis, and capacity building.  
  • Delivered 174 technical assistance assignments, representing approximately 17,459 person-days of professional assistance, applied to food programming initiatives across 15 countries in Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and LAC as well as USAID/Washington.   
  • Completed technical assistance assignments contributed to all three objectives, nine intermediate results and ten cross-cutting intermediate results of the GFSS framework. 

Areas of Expertise

Food Security and Agriculture

FSSC II provided Feed the Future with quality experts to end hunger and malnutrition by drawing on the expertise of those working in the fields of agricultural, trade, investment, development, program design, and policy analysis. These experts, together with USAID staff, designed transformational activities, strengthened inclusive food systems, identified lessons learned, and developed tools and approaches to support the Global Food Security Strategy. 

International Trade

FSSC II assignments strengthened and expanded access to markets and trade by providing oversight of private sector activities, designing activities to leverage free trade agreements, and conducting analytical work on SMEs and market competitiveness. 

Private Sector Development

FSSC II experts evaluated enterprise driven solutions, innovative financing opportunities and developed a private sector engagement learning series to include standing up the PSE Community of Practice.  

Women Entrepreneurs

In support of USAID REFS’s commitment to increase gender equality and female empowerment, FSSC II consultants supported multiple gender analyses and provided detailed evidence related to food security, nutrition, resilience and WASH to inform the Global Food Security Strategy Refresh.  

Institutional Support Contracts

By capitalizing on a custom database of experts, implementing a one team approach, and establishing the ability to rapidly respond to USAID/REFS with high-quality services and flexibility, FSSC II worked hand in hand with USAID/REFS to address food insecurity and strengthened resilience among people and systems, thereby contributing to achieving the goals set forth in the Feed the Future initiative and the Global Food Security Act enacted in 2016. 

  • Project Status: Completed
  • Location: Timor Leste, Haiti, Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, South Sudan, Uganda, Zimbabwe, USA