FOOD SECURITY SERVICE CENTER II QUARTERLY REPORT July 2021 – September 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. FSSC II's primary objective is to support RFS in achieving the GFSS's three interrelated but independent objectives: inclusive and sustainable agricultural-led economic growth, strengthened resilience among people and systems, and a well-nourished population. The program provides a suite of technical expertise, including 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 July 1, 2021, to September 30, 2021, the FSSC II team managed ongoing assignments while continuing to respond to new requests from RFS with high-quality professionals. Major highlights during the quarter include the addition of 25 new professionals with expertise in WASH, resilience, and agriculture nutrition, livestock, and economic growth to the FSSC II database. The database houses CVs of professionals in virtually every area of food security and continues to be the key recruiting tool for the team, with 95 percent of consultants placed on RFS assignments recruited from the database. The FSSC II team also carried out regular maintenance of the database and updated consultant profiles to ensure it meets USAID's needs. Additionally, the team achieved swift placement of consultants, with 56 consultants on assignments at the end of the quarter, including 22 consultants under contract working with USAID in Washington and 34 consultants supporting Missions. 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 86 percent during the quarter. The third and final 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. International travel has not been resumed for most consultants due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but USAID requested FSSC II to arrange travel for five consultants. It appears that the Missions are gradually requesting consultants to work in country, and travel 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, and its work is guided by the Rome Principles for Sustainable Global Food Security and the Sustainable Development Goals. The program's achievements and results during the quarter demonstrate its effectiveness in supporting RFS in implementing the GFSS and achieving the program's objectives.