FOOD SECURITY SERVICE CENTER II QUARTERLY REPORT April 2021 – June 2021

Agency for International Development's (USAID) Bureau for Resilience and Food Security (RFS) in implementing the Global Food Security Strategy (GFSS). FSSC II is led by the International Development Group (IDG) and draws on the expertise of 11 federal agencies. The program's core objectives are to provide state-of-the-art expertise for program and project design, expert analyses and problem identification, and capacity building to incorporate the core objectives of GFSS into programming. During the quarter from April 1, 2021, to June 30, 2021, the FSSC II team managed ongoing assignments and responded to new requests from RFS with high-quality professionals. The team's major highlights during the quarter include the expansion of the database to 461 professionals, with 95 percent of consultants placed on RFS assignments recruited from the database. The team also carried out regular maintenance of the database and consultant profiles to ensure it meets USAID's needs. In addition, the FSSC II team successfully placed 53 consultants on assignments, with 20 consultants under contract working with USAID in Washington and 33 consultants supporting Missions. Due to the pandemic, most of these professionals are working remotely in the U.S. The team also added 14 new professionals with expertise in program design, WASH, food safety, nutrition, and strategic communications to the FSSC II database. FSSC II's Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Plan outlined three indicators to be measured and reported on a quarterly basis. The first indicator is the percent of technical assistance requests received and responded to by the FSSC II, which was 100 percent during the quarter. The second indicator is the percent of consultant contracts executed within 48 hours of the FSSC II receiving USAID COR approval, which was 84 percent during the quarter. The third indicator is the number of knowledge products disseminated through the USAID Development Clearinghouse (DEC) and in partnership with Agrilinks and other existing platforms, which was zero during the quarter. The FSSC II team also arranged travel for one consultant who continues working in the country of the assignment (TO 221—South Sudan) due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. However, travel has not been resumed for most consultants, and it is expected to resume in the next quarter, with only vaccinated consultants allowed to travel. The FSSC II program is a key component of the U.S. government's commitment to global food security, as outlined in the Global Food Security Act (GFSA) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The program's focus on providing technical assistance to RFS in implementing the GFSS is critical to achieving the program's objectives of inclusive and sustainable agricultural-led economic growth, strengthened resilience among people and systems, and a well-nourished population.