The updated Feed the Future Indicator Handbook presents the set of performance management indicators for phase three of the U.S. government’s Feed the Future initiative, guided by the Global Food Security Strategy (GFSS) 2022-2026. The indicators are designed to measure progress against each result in the Feed the Future results framework.

As we have done in the past Handbook updates, this product is the result of a nearly year-long process of ongoing interagency cooperation, public comment periods, and collaboration with other technical experts within United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to pull together a list of standard indicators best suited for measuring the results of our food security work and to flesh out clear definitions for each. 

Who should use this handbook? Anyone involved in managing or monitoring a Feed the Future activity. USAID Operating Units (OUs) and implementing partners (IPs), as well as interagency partners, should use the Feed the Future standard indicators, appropriate custom indicators, and performance narratives to manage, adapt and report on performance of individual Feed the Future-funded Activities/implementing mechanisms (IMs) and to monitor progress towards applicable outputs, outcomes, and impacts.

Some important notes about this Handbook update:

• These indicator changes will be available in the Development Information Solution (DIS) system in October 2023 for reporting purposes, and Activities/IMs are welcome to begin reporting FY23 results and/or FY24+ targets at that time.  Of course, we understand Activities/IMs need time to reflect any changes in their Activity Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Plans (AMELPs) and incorporate processes for collection of any new/updated indicators.
• A primary goal for the Feed the Future indicator redesign was to strike a balance between measuring all aspects of the results framework adequately while keeping the reporting burden manageable.
• We dropped three indicators, but added 15 new or 'adopted' ones, bringing the overall number of Activity/IM-level indicators to 38.
  • Of the 15 new ones, the 10 resilience ones will only apply to work in a Feed the Future Target Country or Resilience Focus Country that has an intentional resilience focus.  Otherwise, the Feed the Future indicators are required if the Activity/IM has interventions relevant to the corresponding intermediate result.
  • Of the 15 new ones, four are 'adopted' into the Feed the Future family from existing standard foreign assistance (STANDARDFA) indicators: EG.11-4, EG.5-2, HL.8.3-3, HL.8.4-1.
  • The three we dropped are: EG.3-1, EG.3.2-28, and HL.8.2-5 (this one will remain a standard Water indicator, but no longer be part of the Feed the Future family).
• We have added additional disaggregates to our commonly used indicators EG.3.2-24 and EG.3.2-25 to highlight important management practices/technologies, which are: Water resources management, Food loss and waste, Food safety, and Digitally-enabled.
• Please be on the lookout for our learning webinars and the finalized handbook coming soon over the next few months.