Fintrac Harvest Summer 2009

Fintrac refining food aid analysis

WASHINGTON – Fintrac is standardizing and refining the analysis required to make US government food aid determinations. Not yet one year into its implementation of the BEST contract for the USAID Office of Food for Peace (FFP), Fintrac has submitted analyses for Burundi, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Madagascar, Malawi, Sudan and Uganda.

The core BEST team, comprised of agricultural economists and food aid experts, is augmented by trade specialists in target countries. To date, BEST is recognized for providing more local market and trade impact information than prior analyses, and the goal during the second year is to further simplify and standardize reports for quicker turn-around and optimal practicality.

The overall purpose of the project is to deliver decision-making tools and products to FFP that improve the delivery of food aid to food insecure populations in developing countries.

BEST economist Shannon Wilson notes that the new synthesis of data from multiple information sources is likely to have a useful spin-off effect, since USAID missions and partners can utilize it for broader purposes.