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T.2 Number of people indirectly benefiting (Tier 2) from an asset, knowledge and capacity, commodities or services delivered through WFP programmes

  • Updated on Aug 5, 2026
  • Published on Jul 24, 2026
  • 20 minute(s) read
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T.2 Number of people indirectly benefiting (Tier 2) from an asset, knowledge and capacity, commodities or services delivered through WFP programmes

VERSION

V1.1 - 2026.08 — NEW

INDICATOR CODE

T.2

TECHNICAL OWNER

PRG-MC

INDICATOR TYPE

Country Level Output Indicator

INDICATOR CLASSIFICATION

Mandatory

INDICATOR SCOPE

Generic

APPLICABILITY

The selection of this indicator is either mandatory or recommended, based on the selected sub-activities and markers.

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

  1. Forecast-based anticipatory actions (FBA)

  2. Climate and weather risks information services (CIS)

  3. Macro insurance (MAI)

  4. Micro/meso insurance (MMI)

  5. Saving and loans associations (SLA)

  6. Climate adapted assets and agricultural practices (CAP)

  7. Smallholder agricultural market support (SMS)

It is mandatory when both the SBC marker and the following sub-activities are selected in CSP logframes. The combination of the SBC marker and any one of the below sub-activities will trigger in COMET the mandatory selection of this indicator:

  1. Prevention of acute malnutrition (PREV)

  2. Prevention of micronutrient deficiencies (PMD)

  3. Prevention of stunting (STUN)

  4. Management of moderate acute malnutrition/undernutrition (MAM)

  5. Treatment of severe acute malnutrition (SAM)

  6. HIV Care and Treatment (HIV/TB_C&T)

The selection of this indicator is also recommended against the following sub-activities in CSP logframes. Selection of the below sub-activities will NOT trigger in COMET the mandatory selection of this indicator:

  1. General distribution (GD)

  2. Prevention of acute malnutrition (PREV)

  3. Prevention of micronutrient deficiencies (PMD)

  4. Prevention of stunting (STUN)

  5. School meals programme on site (SF_ONS)

  6. School meals programme take home incentives (SF_THI)

  7. Food assistance for assets (FFA)

  8. Food assistance for training (FFT)

  9. Other Climate Adaptation and Risk Management Activities (CAR)

UNIT OF MEASUREMENT & ANALYSIS

Number of people

DEFINITION

This indicator measures the estimated number of Tier 2 beneficiaries (people) that benefit from WFP programmes1. When reaching Tier 2 beneficiaries, the main entry point is WFPs work in communities through its programmatic activities. WFP’s programmes are estimated to produce changes in attitudes, behaviours or improved life outcomes for people not directly targeted by them. For greater clarity on the type of indirect beneficiaries, this indicator is reported through detailed indicators disaggregated by programme sub-activities.  

The number of planned and actuals generally reflect the potential rather than confirmed number of Tier 2 beneficiaries. As such, the number of people reported is an estimate.

Below are key terminologies related to the indicator:

  • Tier 2 beneficiaries: People who derive indirect benefits from WFP programmes through the commodities, assets, knowledge, services, community-level effects, or financial mechanisms supported by those programmes, without receiving assistance directly from WFP. In addition, Tier 2 includes non-recorded and non-identifiable people who may receive messages and information directly from WFP programmes.

  • As such, there are three broad types of Tier 2 beneficiary groups:

TYPE 1:

Individuals who may indirectly benefit from WFP programmes through assets, knowledge, and services provided or transferred in their communities.

For example:

• HHs whose members have not participated in FFA or FFT activities but who benefit from assets built (such as canals, irrigation infrastructure) or products/services provided (through WFP-supported income-generation activities) by participants

• Members of smallholder farmer aggregation systems supported by WFP (SMS)

• Non-targeted HH/community members benefiting from interpersonal social behaviour change (SBC) approaches resulting from WFP training provided to school staff and community structures (SF_ONS, SF_THI) or health centre staff, and community-based workers (PREV, MAM)

• HH members benefitting from improved feeding/hygiene practices resulting from interpersonal SBC provided to pregnant and breastfeeding women and girls (PBWG) and school-aged children through WFP programmes (PREV, MAM)

TYPE 2:

Individuals who benefit from financial assets provided as a result of, but not directly by WFP programmes.

For example:

• Beneficiaries or macro-insurance (MAI) or micro/meso-insurance (MMI) payouts not transferred by WFP but from insurance policies supported by WFP

• Participants of WFP supported VSLAs with facilitated access to savings and loans (SLA)

TYPE 3:

Estimated people who have access to assets or knowledge provided in catchment areas by WFP programmes.

For example:

• Non-recorded/identifiable people who may receive early warning messages (FBA) or info on climate risks (CIS)

• Non-recorded/identifiable people receiving training to adapt assets/livelihood practices to climate shocks (CAP)

• Non-recorded/identifiable people who may receive SBC messages provided through WFP programmes (MAM, PREV, STUN, PMD, SAM, HIV/TB_C&T, GD)

  • People who may indirectly benefit from WFP’s mandated or on-demand service provision activities are not considered Tier 2 beneficiaries and therefore are not covered by this indicator.

Programme activity related terminologies:

  • Forecast-based anticipatory actions are activities implemented prior to an extreme weather event, based on a scientific forecast trigger, in order to mitigate the anticipated disaster impact on the food security, lives and livelihoods of vulnerable populations.

  • Social and Behaviour Change (SBC): an established process for understanding drivers of behaviours of individuals, cultures and institutions within a given context, and a set of tools, activities and processes for designing appropriate strategies to create social change and address behavioural, social and structural barriers to healthy, nutritious diets and positive nutrition, health, hygiene and food related practices. Its aim is to influence individual and collective behaviours, improve diet quality, and strengthen people centred, equitable nutrition outcomes across WFP programmes. SBC is an important aspect of programming where behaviour change is required to improve nutrition and can support programmatic objectives more broadly.

  • Media and non-interpersonal approaches: a variety of media used in a WFP SBC approach (not including print media). This includes 1) mass media (e.g. national TV programme), 2) mid-sized media (i.e. community radio), 3) traditional media (e.g. songs, theatre), 4) social media (i.e. Twitter, Facebook), 5) mobile technology (e.g. SMS text messages, programmed nutrition voice calls), individuals reached through certain 6) community mobilization activities involving media (i.e. health fairs, Child Health Days), or 7) other SBC media approaches not included here (not including print media). Media approaches can be used to influence social norms, values and expectations surrounding the behaviour, thus making it more likely to be adopted.

    Those who are engaged using media and non-interpersonal approaches do not directly receive skills or capacity from these typically brief/ minimal interactions, nor are they usually recorded or identifiable, and therefore would only be considered Tier 2 and not T1 according to the corporate definition. Tier 1 beneficiaries are not counted under this indicator as they are those identifiable and recorded individuals participating in SBC activities where capacity and skills are transferred for the improvement of their own nutrition/food security status.

    WFP’s insurance schemes:

  • Micro Insurance: For interested participants, WFP facilitates access to weather-indexed, yield-indexed or mixed insurance products by making their premiums accessible and affordable.

    When a shock covered by the insurance policy hits, the insurance provider will provide participants with a payout as a compensation for weather-related losses, which deters the participant from selling productive assets or resorting to other damaging coping strategies and stimulates faster recovery.

  • Macro Insurance: African Risk Capacity Replica (ARC replica). It is an index insurance product offered by ARC Ltd to WFP and other humanitarian partners to mitigate climate risk. Under ARC Replica Coverage, WFP and other partners can match the insurance coverage of ARC Member States by purchasing a ‘Replica Policy’, which offers additional protection to ARC member countries. In this scheme the premium is fully paid by WFP.

  • Village Savings and loans associations (VSLA) is a group of people who meet regularly to save together and take small loans from those savings. The activities of the group run in cycles of one year, after which the accumulated savings and the loan interests are distributed to the members. The purpose of a VSLA is to provide a simple savings and loan facility in a community that does not have easy access to formal financial services.

  • Climate adaptation practices: WFP climate risk management programs promote the use of climate adaptation practices to improve households’ and livelihoods’ capacity to withstand the effects of climatic variability and shocks. Practices are promoted through training and awareness raising campaigns oriented to farmers and herders to improve water and soil retention, reduce erosion, use adapted crop varieties, improve livestock management and increase livelihood diversification.

  • Smallholder farmer aggregation systems or aggregators2: any organization that aggregates, or has the potential to aggregate, smallholder farmers’ commodities in order to facilitate their sale to formal buyers at favourable conditions. Aggregation systems encompass a variety of organizations to which smallholder farmers have access at local, district, and national levels. These organizations are either formal (i.e. legally registered) or informal, and membership should be voluntary. Providing market access to smallholder farmers at favourable conditions should be one of the main objectives of these organizations. In addition, they are likely to provide a range of services to their members, such as facilitating access to inputs, access to credit, improved post-harvest handling, etc.

  • Membership of smallholder farmer aggregation systems: depending on the type of aggregation system, farmers can be broadly classified as either members (i.e. for Farmers Organizations), suppliers (e.g. for traders and processors), or users (e.g. for warehouse receipt systems and satellite collection points). For the sake of consistency and simplicity, farmers are considered to be part of the membership of the aggregation systems as long as they make use of the services offered by the aggregation systems, being access to markets, inputs, credit, post-harvest handling etc.

RATIONALE

The rationale for selecting each detailed indicator is explained below:

  • T.2.1 Number of people (Tier 2) benefiting from social behaviour change interventions resulting from training activities provided to school staff, community structures, health centre/administrative staff, community workers or partners as part of WFP programmes. (MAM, PREV, SF_ONS, SF_THI)

    This detailed indicator can be selected to report on the estimated number of individuals not targeted by WFP who benefit from social and behaviour change (SBC) interventions that are provided by local level stakeholders such as school staff or health centre staff that have been trained by WFP as part of its programmes.

  • T.2.2 Number of household members (Tier 2) benefiting from improved feeding/hygiene practices resulting from interpersonal SBC provided to pregnant and breastfeeding women and girls (PBWG) and school-aged children through WFP programmes (MAM, PREV)

    This detailed indicator can be selected to track the number of household members who benefit indirectly from social and behaviour change (SBC) interventions that are directly delivered to pregnant and breastfeeding women and girls (PBWGs) through WFP programmes. While PBWGs are the primary recipients of SBC, the indicator reflects how resulting changes in knowledge and practices extend to their family members, for example through improved household food choices or the adoption of recommended infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices.

  • T.2.3 Number of people (Tier 2) reached through WFP social behaviour change approaches using media (MAM, PREV, STUN, PMD, SAM, HIV/TB_C&T, GD)

    This indicator can be selected to report on the estimated number of people who may be reached by social behaviour change (SBC) communication through media or other non-interpersonal approaches supported directly by WFP. SBC through media or other non-interpersonal approaches provided by national stakeholders beyond WFP’s programme intervention but that have been supported by WFP CCS should not be counted under this indicator.

  • T.2.4 Total membership (Tier 2) of supported smallholder farmer aggregation systems (SMS)

    This detailed indicator must be selected if WFP supports smallholder farmer aggregation systems. Engaging aggregation systems is the most effective way for value chain actors to reach smallholder farmers. Aggregators help farmers mitigate their constraints, strengthen their bargaining power, achieve economies of scale, build household capacities and access input services. For this reason, supporting farmers to establish formal aggregation system or strengthening the capacity of existing ones are important components of value chain development and smallholder market support programmes.

  • T.2.5 Number of people (Tier 2) covered by an insurance product through risk transfer mechanisms supported by WFP (MMI)

    The detailed indicator must be selected to reflect the number of people covered by individual micro/meso insurance policies supported but not paid by WFP. This includes for instance micro-meso insurance policies that are made available in a specific location with WFP support, but for which insured beneficiaries pay for their insurance premiums. Coverage reflects the fact of being insured and therefore the possibility of being eligible for a payout to cover losses insured against climate shocks. This excludes tier 3 beneficiaries of national, multi-national or regional insurance policies supported by WFP.

  • T.2.6 Number of people (Tier 2) benefiting from insurance pay outs of risk transfer mechanisms supported by WFP (MAI and MMI)

    This detailed indicator must be selected to report the number of people that during a given reporting year received a payout of any of the risk transfer mechanisms supported by WFP. It excludes Tier 1 beneficiaries when the payout is paid by WFP.

  • T.2.7 Number of participants (Tier 2) of savings and loans initiatives promoted by WFP (SLA)

    This detailed indicator must be selected when WFP promotes saving in cash through saving and loans associations. This indicator informs the number of participants of saving and loans initiatives supported by WFP. Savings and access to credit play a key role in building resilience to shocks and helping households maintain control over their earnings. When households are affected by a shock (either covariate or idiosyncratic) savings and credit can be mobilized to better absorb the effects of the shock and protect household livelihood and ensure food security.

  • T.2.8 Number of people (Tier 2) provided with direct access to information on climate and weather risks (FBA and CIS)

    This detailed indicator must be selected to whenever an intervention involves people accessing information on drought/rainfall/floods, from seasonal forecasts to short-term early warning, which is delivered through channels such as radio, television or any dissemination channel not requiring beneficiary registration.

    This detailed indicator reflects WFP experience and scope in using, producing and translating climate information that countries and vulnerable communities can use to make informed decisions to manage climate related risks.

  • T.2.9 Number of people (Tier 2) benefiting from assets and climate adaptation practices facilitated by WFP’s Risk Management activities (CAP)

    This indicator can be selected when WFP interventions promote climate adaptation practices. The indicator monitors how many people have potentially improved their capacity to withstand climatic variability (Climate Risk Reduction) thanks to the intervention.

  • T.2.10 Number of people (Tier 2) accessing, benefiting from or protected by the assets created or rehabilitated through the Ecosystem restoration, Community infrastructure and Livelihoods activities supported by WFP (FFA)

    This indicator can be selected when the number of people in targeted communities that do not participate of FFA activities but that benefit indirectly from assets created/protected/rehabilitated with FFA support is known and monitored.

  • T.2.11 Number of people (Tier 2) benefiting from products or services offered by income generation activities supported by WFP (FFT)

    This indicator can be selected when the number of people in targeted communities that indirectly benefit from products and services offered by FFT beneficiaries participating of income generation activities supported by WFP is known and monitored.

  • T.2.12 Number of people (Tier 2) benefiting from fortified foods produced by local actors using WFP-supplied fortified kernels/premix (PREV, STUN, PMD)

    This indicator should be selected when WFP provides fortified kernels/premix to local actors (e.g., commercial millers, food processors, or government institutions) who use them to produce fortified foods that are subsequently distributed or sold to the population. The indicator captures the estimated number of people benefiting from fortified commodities produced using WFP-supplied fortified kernels/premix.

DATA SOURCE

Planning figures should be consulted and agreed with relevant stakeholders when identifying the expected results of each intervention. WFP should rely on recognized reliable national data sources and triangulate with data available on the ground. On some occasions, the use of multipliers or other proxy methodologies may be used, so long as they estimates used are agreed upon through stakeholder consultation processes. The consultation process should take place at different levels as relevant: community, district, regional and relevant national ministries (e.g., Ministry of Health, offices of nutrition Agriculture, Education etc.), and/or other UN agencies and key partners involved in reaching Tier 2 beneficiaries.

For specific programmes the following stakeholders should be involved:

  • Malnutrition Prevention (NPA) and Management (NTA): ministry of health and/or relevant governmental nutrition stakeholder and/or relevant community structures

  • School Based Programmes (SBP): participating schools, parent -teacher associations or relevant social community structures;

  • Ecosystem restoration, community infrastructure and livelihood opportunities (ECL): community leaders and multi-community interest Community Committees; value chain actors.

  • Financial solutions, information services and market access (FIM): Value chain actors; media operators and/or climate risk insurance companies; lists of members of all the saving and loans associations promoted by WFP programmes.3

Data sources and estimation methodologies may vary depending on the activity being implemented. More details on this may be found in the “Guidance note on Tier 2 and Tier 3 beneficiaries estimation”, with particular attention to Annex 1. Please refer also to the “Further information” section at the end of this methodological note for additional guidance on data sources for specific detailed indicators.


INDICATOR CALCULATION FOR REPORTING

This indicator is calculated by aggregating the planned/actual values of the people who derive benefit from from WFP’s programmes at the level of the detailed indicators.

The aggregated values for each detailed indicator are reported in the annual country report.

The aggregated values for each detailed indicator cannot be summed up to report on the unique number of (Tier 2) beneficiaries assisted by WFP globally since it will include double-counting.

DATA ENTRY AND DISAGGREGATION IN CORPORATE SYSTEMS

Planned values are recorded in the ‘Other output plan”’(OOP) and Partnerships in COMET. Actuals are reported in the Completion Reports.

Planned and Actual values are disaggregated by

  • Sub-activities:

  • Location

  • Detailed indicators

It is mandatory to report a value for the detailed indicator T.2.3 if the sub-activities implemented in the CSP include Prevention of acute malnutrition (PREV); Prevention of micronutrient deficiencies (PMD); Prevention of stunting (STUN); Management of moderate acute malnutrition/undernutrition (MAM); Treatment of severe acute malnutrition (SAM); HIV Care and Treatment (HIV/TB_C&T) IF the sub-activity involves SBC approaches using media.

It is mandatory to report a value for the detailed indicator T.2.4, T.2.5, T.2.6 and T.2.7 if the sub-activities implemented in the CSP include Smallholder agricultural market support Activities (SMS), Forecast-based Anticipatory Actions (FBA), Micro-Insurance (MMI), Macro-Insurance (MAI), Savings and Loans Associations (SLA), and Climate and Weather risks Information Services (CIS) respectively.

The following detailed indicators require mandatory sex disaggregation to be in COMET:

The following detailed indicators are recommended to be reported with sex-disaggregated data in COMET:

PLANNED FIGURES

For this indicator, annual targets are required at the level of the detailed indicators.

FREQUENCY OF DATA COLLECTION

To inform the project implementation tracking and decision-making process as well as corporate reporting, planned and actual values should be collected and recorded as soon as available. Quarterly monitoring is strongly recommended and annual reporting mandatory.

INTERPRETATION

This indicator provides an estimate of the number of people who derive indirect benefits from WFP programmes through the commodities, assets, knowledge, services, community-level effects, or financial mechanisms supported by those programmes, without receiving assistance directly from WFP. In addition, it includes non-recorded and non-identifiable people who may receive messages and information directly from WFP programmes. As such, it provides an estimation of the reach of the positive “ripple effects” of WFP’s direct programme assistance primarily at the local level.

The number of people reported for each detailed indicator corresponds to the unique number of (Tier 2) beneficiaries WFP supported through its direct implementation. The same person could benefit indirectly from multiple assets, knowledge and capacity, commodities or services or a combination of them. As a result, the planned and actuals values reported for each detailed indicator cannot be aggregated unless they represent populations in distinct geographical areas.

REPORTING EXAMPLE(S)

Unless the precise number of Tier 2 beneficiaries is available (e.g. through an insurance provider that has made a payout to its clients based on policies supported by WFP), the number of planned and actual Tier 2 beneficiaries should always be referred to as “estimated number of people” or as “the potential number of people” who may benefit.

When communicating on Tier 2 numbers, it is important to use specific terminology in order to avoid misinterpretation, especially with external audiences for advocacy or resource mobilization purposes.

Given that Tier 2 beneficiaries people estimated to derive indirect benefits from WFP programmes through the commodities, assets, knowledge, services, community-level effects, or financial mechanisms supported by those programmes, the programme, should have translated into actual benefits for the community or catchment area of the intended benefit. Reporting can provide concrete examples on how WFP’s programme translates to such broader benefits, e.g. a bridge has been built and communities now have improved access to local markets as a result of the availability of this asset.

INDICATORS COLLECTED & ANALYSED AT THE SAME TIME

The following output indicators may be reported along with this indicator:

VISUALIZATION

N/A

LIMITATIONS

The number of people reported as Tier 2 beneficiaries is in most cases an estimation of people who may benefit based on stakeholder consultation and a reasonable expectation that WFP’s programmes, when successfully implemented, will produce such positive effects for people who are not directly targeted or recorded and identifiable. While country offices should strive for the highest possible data quality and accuracy, collecting data through partners and validating/triangulating with official data sources or WFP monitoring data where available, reporting on Tier 2 beneficiaries is generally not corroborated by WFP’s own monitoring of broader populations and the benefits they have actually experienced.

Reporting on a unique number of Tier 2 beneficiaries for a given CSP, in cases where more than one detailed indicator has been used, is not advised unless the country office knows that there are no overlaps between detailed indicators due to different geographic coverage.

FURTHER INFORMATION

For any further information related toT.2.4 Total membership (Tier 2) of supported smallholder farmer aggregation systems (SMS), please contact HQ.SAMS@wfp.org.

1For the purposes of this indicator, “WFP programmes” include programmes with Tier 1 beneficiaries implemented by WFP or its cooperating partners.
2The terms aggregation systems and aggregators are used interchangeably in this indicator reference sheet.
3Data source on detailed indicator T.2.4 Total membership (Tier 2) of supported smallholder farmer aggregation systems (SMS) can be extracted from the membership records of the aggregation systems supported, collected and maintained by the aggregators themselves. Aggregators may maintain records of their members in different forms, from paper records to more sophisticated digital systems or may even not have a record keeping system in place. In this case, WFP and partners should strengthen the aggregators’ record keeping capacity, as part of the capacity strengthening efforts. Guidance notes and templates to develop and implement aggregator records are available on WFPgo. Module 2: Membership DB of the Aggregator Records database can be used to collect and analyse membership data of the aggregation systems. Whenever possible, COs are encouraged to explore the promotion of digital tools to support record keeping by aggregators. Promoting the adoption of digital tools and strengthening the capacity of aggregators in digital record keeping would allow to: i. facilitate record keeping for all the stakeholders involved (aggregators, cooperating partners, WFP programme and M&E officers etc.) and cope with possible shocks affecting data collection (e.g. movement restrictions imposed by Covid-19); ii. have real-time quality data.