Global Food Security Index (GFSI)

Global Food Security Index 2022

Methodology

Expert panel participants

The methodology for the GFSI was developed by Economist Impact in consultation with a peer panel of experts. Each year, the methodology is reviewed to ensure that the index remains a credible, frequently referenced and trusted source of information for stakeholders looking to better understand the global environment for food security.

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GFSI 2022 Model

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The first iteration—2012 GFSI

The first peer panel meeting was designed to engage a panel of experts from the academic, non-profit, and government sectors to help select and prioritise food security indicators through a transparent and robust methodology. Their diverse backgrounds and extensive experience ensured that a wide variety of views were considered. The panel met as a group in February 2012 in Washington, DC to review the framework, selection of indicators, weighting and overall construction of the index. The panel has also provided ongoing support, as needed, throughout all editions of the index, as well as advising on the selection of weightings. The expert panel consisted of the following:

Ademola Braimoh

Senior Natural Resources Management Specialist, World Bank

Margaret Enis Spears

Director of the Office of Markets, Partnerships and Innovation, US Agency for International Development (USAID) Bureau for Food Security

Craig Gundersen

ACES Distinguished Professor, Agricultural Strategy, Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign

Eileen Kennedy

Professor, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University

Samarendu Mohanty

Senior Economist & Head, International Rice Research Institute

Prabhu Pingali

Professor & Director, Tata-Cornell Agriculture & Nutrition Institute, Cornell University

Pedro Sanchez

Research Professor, Tropical Soils, University of Florida.

David Spielman

Senior Research Fellow, International Food Policy Research Institute

Robert Thompson

Senior Fellow, Chicago Council on Global Affairs

Patrick Westhoff

Director, Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute; Howard Cowden Professor of Agricultural and Applied Economics, University of Missouri

The sixth iteration—2017 GFSI

For the sixth iteration of the GFSI, Economist Impact convened an additional expert panel in March 2017 to assist in the development of a fourth index category, “Natural Resources and Resilience”, which captures climate-related and natural resource risks to global food security. The following experts on climate change and natural resources participated in the meeting:

Joe Glauber

Senior Research Fellow, International Food Policy Research Institute

Elise Golan

Director, Sustainable Development, US Department of Agriculture

Susanna Hecht

Professor of Urban Planning, University of California, Los Angeles

Karin Kemper

Global Director, Environment, Natural Resources and Blue Economy Global Practice, World Bank

Catie Lee

Senior Marketing Manager, GreenLight Biosciences

Shaun Martin

Vice-President, Ecological and Social Resilience at World Wildlife Fund

Dawn Rittenhouse

Director, Sustainable Development, DuPont

Allison Thomson

Vice-President, Science and Research, Field to Market: The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture

Sonja Vermeulen

Director of Programmes, CGIAR System Management Organisation

Sara Walker

Senior Manager, Water Quality and Agriculture, World Resources Institute

The ninth iteration—2020 GFSI

As part of the review process in 2020, Economist Impact consulted several new experts, along with a few from past panels, to ensure the index remains a powerful tool in highlighting the major challenges for food security worldwide. The following additional experts were consulted during this review:

Boaz Keizire

Head of Policy and Advocacy, Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa

Paul Winters

Associate Vice-President, Strategy and Knowledge Department, International Fund for Agricultural Development

Lauren Phillips

Lead Advisor, Policy and Results, International Fund for Agricultural Development

Abdul Sattar

Statistician, Statistics & Food Security and Nutrition team, Statistics Division, Food and Agriculture Organisation

Akmal Siddiq

Chief, Rural Development and Food Security Thematic Group, Asian Development Bank

Most recent (the 11th) iteration—2022 GFSI

Economist Impact continues to review the framework and methodology annually to strengthen each iteration. For the 11th iteration of the GFSI, Economist Impact convened an advisory panel of 11 experts in March 2022 to review and critically assess the GFSI framework, suggest modifications to the index in the form of adding or subtracting indicators and discuss alternatives for indicators with data constraints. The following experts participated in the meeting:

Dr Tilahun Amede

Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)