T.4 Value (USD) and volume (mt) of locally sourced foods for school meals with WFP support

T.4 Value (USD) and volume (mt) of locally sourced foods for school meals with WFP support

VERSION

V1.0 - 2026.03 — NEW

INDICATOR CODE

T.4

TECHNICAL OWNER

PRG-S (SBP)

INDICATOR TYPE

Country Level Output Indicator

INDICATOR CLASSIFICATION

Mandatory

INDICATOR SCOPE

Programme specific

APPLICABILITY

The selection of this indicator is mandatory against the HGSF marker and the following sub-activities in CSP logframes. Selection of the below sub-activities will trigger in COMET the mandatory selection of this indicator:

1. School meals programme on-site (SF_ONS)

2. School meals programme take home incentives (SF_THI)

UNIT OF MEASUREMENT & ANALYSIS

Value in USD, volume in MT

DEFINITION

This indicator measures the monetary value (in USD) and physical volume (in metric tons) of food commodities that are procured locally and distributed in form of school meals to targeted children, with quantities disaggregated by the source of procurement and commodity group.

Below are some key terminologies for this indicator:

Source of procurement (6): Public food reserves, Trader/market, Processor, Farmer Organization, Individual Smallholder Farmer, Caterer/community procurement,

Locally sourced: Commodities that are bought in the country of the school feeding operation, independently of its origin of production.

Commodity group (5): cereals and grains, pulses, vegetables/fruits, dairy /fish/meat, and oil/fats. Only these commodity groups will be considered.

RATIONALE

This indicator operationalizes the School Feeding Strategy’s vision of school meals as a multi‑sector investment, by tracking how much food is sourced locally, from whom, and in what form—linking school feeding to nutrition, sustainability, smallholder inclusion, and food systems transformation.

DATA SOURCE

Data for this indicator is compiled from multiple procurement and programme implementation records, depending on the entity responsible for sourcing food for school feeding, and the type of agreement (MoU, FLA, etc.).

• When WFP is relying on a commodity voucher and there is no transfer agent, then data are sourced from supply chain and distribution reports.

• When national or subnational entities procure food, data can be sourced from government procurement records, programme reports submitted to WFP, or other administrative records.

• When NGOs or CPs manage procurement data can be sourced from their procurement/distribution records or supplier documentation.

When meals are provided by caterers, this data can be sourced from invoices and procurement data submitted by caterers or based on school monitoring reports.

INDICATOR CALCULATION FOR REPORTING

This indicator is calculated by the following guidance:

1. Unit of analysis
   The basic unit of analysis is a procurement transaction for school feeding, regardless of whether the procurement is conducted by WFP, government entities, schools, NGOs or cooperating partners, Caterers, or other service providers.

   Each transaction must include, at minimum, volume (metric tons), value (USD), source of food (e.g. smallholder farmer, cooperative, trader, market, caterer), commodity group (e.g. staples, pulses, vegetables, oils).

2. Recording quantities by source and commodity group
   For each reporting period, volumes (mt) of locally sourced food are first recorded disaggregated by source and commodity group. This is done using the below table, where rows indicate the source of food, columns the commodity groups and cells the quantity in metric tons (mt).

3. Aggregating total volume (metric tons)
   The total volume (mt) of locally sourced food provided to schoolchildren is calculated by summing all quantities across all sources and commodity groups:

   

   By adding up all products of rows and columns, this produces one aggregated volume figure for annual global reporting, while still preserving disaggregated data for programme monitoring.

4. Aggregating total value (USD)
   The total value (USD) is calculated separately by summing the USD value of all locally sourced food linked to school feeding during the reporting period.
   

   Total value (USD) = ∑ (USD value of locally sourced food)
   
   You do not have to calculate this value from the quantity table but can use directly financial/procurement/programme records – which in most cases will be the total value of commodity vouchers distributed and/or WFP procurement records. There is no need to disaggregate per source or commodity as these may result in very different values.

5. Final indicator output
   The indicator therefore produces two aggregated figures, supported by a disaggregated table for volume of commodities (by source and by commodity group):

   
   - Total value of locally sourced food (USD)
   - Total volume of locally sourced food (MT)

   
   Volumes are disaggregated to show “what” and “from whom”, while values are aggregated to show overall scale and investment into local economies. This aggregated number is reported in the ACR and aggregated at global level.

DATA ENTRY AND DISAGGREGATION IN CORPORATE SYSTEMS

The output indicator consists of two detailed indicators with details to capture further disaggregation related to the commodity source and commodity type.

• T.4.1 Total volume of locally sourced food (mt)
  The planned and actual values will be entered into the system as per the table below for T.4.1.

  • (Public food reserves) by commodity type

  • (Traders/markets) by commodity type

  • (Processors) by commodity type

  • (Farmer organizations) by commodity type

  • (Smallholders) by commodity type

  • (Caterers/ community procurement) by commodity type

• T.4.2 Total value of locally sourced food (USD)
  T.4.2 planned and actual USD value is required to be entered separately.

N.B: Reporting on both detailed indicators is mandatory. If there are no planned/actual values for any of the cells above, please enter zero

In addition to this, each detailed indicator can, if desired by the CO, be collected in COMET by:

• Geographical location

• Sub-activity

PLANNED FIGURES

Planned values of the reporting year are set annually against the detailed indicator. These values should be planned in the COMET Other Output Plan (OOP) and must be established during the first quarter of the each year of CSP/ICSP implementation.

For subsequent years of the CSP/ICSP, planned values may either be marked as ‘no data’ or, if initially planned, should be reviewed and updated during the first quarter of the current reporting year.

FREQUENCY OF DATA COLLECTION

This indicator is collected on a continuous basis through routine procurement, financial, and distribution records maintained by WFP, government entities, schools, NGOs, and other implementing partners, in line with how transactions are recorded. For reporting and performance monitoring purposes, data are aggregated and validated annually, ensuring consistency with financial reconciliation and programme reporting cycles, while interim quarterly aggregation may be used for internal programme management and tracking where systems allow.

INTERPRETATION

This indicator should be interpreted as a measure of the scale, composition, and direction of local sourcing within school feeding, not as a direct measure of nutritional outcomes or increase in farmer income.

The total USD value can be interpreted as the total resources injected into local economy as a result of the structured demand of the school feeding programme.

The total volume of locally sourced food can be interpreted as the marginal increase in demand as a result of the school feeding programme, which can lead to higher production or more integrated markets.

1. Increase over time
   An increase in total volume (mt) of locally sourced food generally indicates expanded use of local procurement in school feeding and stronger linkages between school feeding and local food systems. This is considered as a positive result in support of inclusive local food systems.
   
   Disaggregated data help clarify how this increase occurred:

• Increase driven by smallholder farmers or cooperatives can suggest improved farmer market access

• Increase driven by traders or caterers can suggest consolidation or better risk management

• Increase concentrated in staples only can indicate that while scale increased, but diet diversity may not have improved

2. Decrease over time
   A decrease in value and/or volume may indicate many issues, such as reduced school feeding coverage or ration size, temporary or structural constraints in local supply, shifts back to non‑local or imported procurement or external shocks (e.g. price volatility, climate impacts, conflict). An actual value much lower than planned needs to be put into the context of shocks in the reporting year to understand whether this is a change in operations, procurement modalities or country situation.
   

   Interpretation should always consider:

• Whether the decrease is planned (e.g. transition, pilot closure)

• Whether total school feeding volumes decreased overall, or only locally sourced volumes declined

3. Recommended analysis approach
   This indicator shows how much school feeding demand is anchored locally, from whom, and in what commodity. It must be interpreted alongside programme design, market context, and nutrition objectives to draw meaningful conclusions. It is suggested to:

• Snapshot of yearly situation can be interpreted as a result of contextual, operational, and capacity factors

• Analysis of trends over multiple years can shed light on changes in procurement regulations, local capacity, and production factors.

• Always interpret value and volume together, as the value in itself may hide price fluctuations

• Compare results with school feeding coverage, menu standards, farmer support or capacity building interventions, etc.

REPORTING EXAMPLE(S)

In Atlantica, in 2025, WFP supported school feeding programmes provided 8,200 mt of locally sourced food valued at USD 11.6 million, a 10 percent increase in volume and a 14 percent increase in value compared to 2024, with most locally sourced staples and pulses procured through farmer cooperatives and local traders, while volumes sourced directly from smallholder farmers remained below the planned country target. This increase indicates progress toward locally anchored school feeding and stronger domestic market engagement; however, the shortfall in direct smallholder sourcing and the limited procurement of vegetables suggest that additional farmer aggregation support and investments in fresh food supply chains are needed to ensure that gains in local sourcing translate into more inclusive participation and improved diet diversity.

INDICATORS COLLECTED & ANALYSED AT THE SAME TIME

The following indicators may be reported along with this indicator:

• T.1 Number of people (Tier 1) receiving direct food/cash-based/commodity vouchers/individual capacity strengthening transfers (disaggregated by sex, age group, residence status, modality and activity)

• T.3 Quantity of food (mt) provided to people assisted by WFP (including specialized nutritious food and fortified food)

When analyzed jointly, these indicators distinguish scale effects from price effects, clarify who benefits from local procurement, and show whether increased local sourcing supports both nutrition quality and education outcomes, in line with the WFP School Feeding Strategy 2020–2030.

VISUALIZATION

Example:

LIMITATIONS

This indicator measures the scale and composition of locally sourced food but does not assess nutritional quality, dietary adequacy, or outcomes for schoolchildren, nor the income or equity impacts for suppliers. Changes in USD value may reflect price volatility or inflation rather than real increases in quantities, while volume trends can be influenced by menu changes, seasonality, or supply shocks, limiting comparability over time. Data consistency may vary across procurement agents and reporting systems, so results should be interpreted alongside coverage, cost, nutrition, and system- strengthening indicators.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Consult GHQ SBP team.