3. Consumption-based coping strategy index (average)

3. Consumption-based coping strategy index (rCSI)

VERSION

V5.0 - 2026.03 — Existing

INDICATOR CODE

TECHNICAL OWNER

Assessments and Targeting Unit (PRG-FA)

INDICATOR TYPE

Country Level Outcome Indicator

INDICATOR CLASSIFICATION

Complementary

INDICATOR SCOPE

Programme specific

APPLICABILITY

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

General Distribution (GD);
Food assistance for assets (FFA);
Food assistance for training (FFT)
Prevention of micronutrient deficiencies (PMD)
Prevention of stunting (STUN)
Prevention of acute malnutrition (PREV)
HIV Care and Treatment (HIV/TB_C&T)
School Meals Programme Take Home Incentives (SF_THI)
Forecast-based anticipatory actions (FBA)
Macro-Insurance (MAI)
Micro/meso Insurance (MMI)
Other Climate Adaptation and Risk Management Activities (CAR)
Smallholder Agricultural Market Support (SMS)
Climate Adapted Assets and Agricultural Practices (CAP)

UNIT OF MEASUREMENT & ANALYSIS

Average of households

DEFINITION

This indicator measures level of stress¹ faced by a household due to food shortages. It is measured by combining the frequency and severity of the reduced strategies that households engaged in to cope with lack of food or money to buy food. It is calculated using the five standard² strategies using a 7-day recall period:

Rely on less preferred and less expensive food;
Borrow food or rely on help from relative(s) or friend(s);
Limit portion size at meals;
Restrict consumption by adults to allow small children to eat;
Reduce number of meals eaten in a day.

RATIONALE

The rCSI measures the frequency and severity of coping mechanisms adopted to meet basic food needs, using a seven-day recall period. A higher rCSI score indicates that more frequent and/or extreme coping mechanisms were adopted. The rCSI is impacted by short-term needs, combined with seasonality. It is important to note that in sudden periods of food shortfalls and at the onset of emergencies households tend to adjust their food consumption reflecting consumption-based coping. If the situation persists or worsens, households shift to long-term coping behaviours that impact their livelihoods (refer to the Livelihoods Coping Strategy Index). Weights are set for five strategies across countries and regions – facilitating comparison over space, time and between groups. Research has confirmed that the rCSI correlates well with other food security proxy indicators.

DATA COLLECTION TOOL

Representative household surveys conducted either face-to-face, or by phone calls. In most cases, the FCS module is collected through post-distribution monitoring or food security outcome monitoring questionnaires.

This XLSForm will assist in designing forms using Excel which can be converted to MoDA/ODK form, data collection software. The form can also be generated by selecting the sub-module Reduced Coping Strategies (rCSI) in the module Coping Strategies in WFP Survey Designer.

Comparisons of rCSI over time, especially for assisted populations, might not show major changes, unless shocks and/or new interventions and modalities occur. Cultural habits should also be considered when collecting and reporting on rCSI. In contexts where a protracted crisis exist, enumerators must remind respondents to compare their household consumption situation to recent times, not pre-protracted crisis times. For example, ‘Rely on less preferred and less expensive foods’ strategy should be compared to the current situation.

Country-specific strategies can be added but are not included in the rCSI calculation. Please refer to the VAM Resource Centre indicator page for more information.

It is the responsibility of the technical focal point to apply the joint Monitoring and VAM Data Quality Guidance principles when collecting this indicator. If in doubt, please contact PRG-FA at global.assessmentandtargeting@wfp.org.

SAMPLING REQUIREMENTS

Sample size: The recommended sample size is 270 per stratum per round of data collection, with consideration given to the parameters below:

Population size (beneficiaries per stratum): at least 20,000³
Desired level of confidence: 90%
Acceptable margin of error: 5%
Response distribution: 50%
Simple random sample (design effect): 1

If cluster sample is employed, sample size should increase by at least 50% (at least 405 households).

If the prevalence is lower or higher than 50%, or the beneficiaries per stratum less than 20,000 then sample size could be lower than 270, use the sample size tool for calculation.

Mandatory stratification:

Programme activity
Transfer modality

Optional stratification:

Beneficiaries/non-beneficiaries (when relevant)

Guidance on sampling is available here.

Sample size tool: Raosoft sample size calculator

INDICATOR CALCULATION FOR REPORTING

This indicator is calculated by using the following steps:

For each coping strategy, the frequency score (0 to 7) is multiplied by the universal severity weight (see table below);
The weighted frequency scores are summed up to calculate the rCSI. The minimum possible rCSI value is 0, while the maximum is 56. Repeat steps I and II for every household (HH) in the dataset.

III. Then the average (mean) is computed (all households should be considered, also those who are not applying any strategies).

For more information on how to calculate rCSI, refer to the tools posted on the VAM Resource Centre.

An example of a reduced coping strategies index collected and calculation for a single household:

Strategies	Days strategy was used	Standard weight	Calculation
Rely on less preferred and less expensive food	3	1	3
Borrow food or rely on help from relative(s) or friend(s)	2	2	4
Limit portion size at meals	6	1	6
Restrict consumption by adults for children to eat	1	3	3
Reduce number of meals eaten in a day	3	1	3
rCSI score of the household			19

Standard scripts are available on GitHub.

DATA ENTRY AND DISAGGREGATION IN CORPORATE SYSTEMS

Values are recorded in the logframe. Each value has a reporting combination which is created based on:

Sub-activity
Location
Beneficiary Group

Follow-up value is reported as: one number (representing an average)

Recommended disaggregation:

Sex of household head
Transfer modality
Rural/urban
Admin and livelihood zone
Displacement status
Presence of disabled/chronically ill/unaccompanied minor members within household

For COMET reporting: If the sample size is not representative of the mandatory disaggregation groups, please include a note indicating that the results are indicative for that specific group in both the COMET and ACR note sections.

For regular reporting: Ensure that the reporting accurately reflects categories with a representative sample size.

BASELINE

Baselines are set only once, at one of the following points:

At the beginning of the CSP, or
When the indicator is selected for reporting after the commencement of the CSP, or
When there is a change in target, location and/or modality that triggers a new reporting combination (target, location and modality) for an existing indicator.

Baseline values should be established within three months before and no later than three months from the start date of activity implementation. However, it is strongly recommended to collect baseline values within one month before the start of the activity implementation. The baseline could also be determined from a relevant WFP assessment conducted within the three months prior to the start of programme activity.

For the sake of comparability, baselines, follow-ups and end-line surveys must be conducted using the same sampling frames and disaggregation/stratification criteria.

Setting a solid baseline is a key factor in measuring the impact of the programme. Additionally, when designed accordingly, it can enable factor analysis which can be used to measure the impact of potential future funding cuts. Get more information about this here.

TARGET SETTING

Annual targets:

Stabilized or reduced average rCSI compared to pre-assistance baseline value.

End of CSP target:

Reduced average rCSI compared to pre-assistance baseline value.

FREQUENCY OF DATA COLLECTION

Minimum: twice/year

For multi-annual projects, it is extremely important to collect data in the same seasons and periods to avoid seasonal biases limiting the scope for comparative analyses overtime.

It is strongly recommended that data collection for one of the follow-ups happens in the same period to the baseline. In addition, all follow-ups are to be conducted within the same period/number of days after food distributions. The data collection must take place between 7 to 21 days after food/cash distributions take place.

For years when a baseline is conducted, only one follow up is required.

INTERPRETATION

rCSI measures behavioural strategies that people apply when they cannot access enough food or when they foresee a decrease in food security. A higher score indicates a higher stress level. Note that a single rCSI value in itself is not so easily interpreted. However, once several values are compared, e.g., over time or between different population groups, it provides a clear overview of the differences in levels of coping. Therefore, the rCSI is useful to monitor the effects of food assistance. With the provision of assistance, it is expected that the rCSI will reduce.

Seasonality has an impact on rCSI and needs to be considered when comparing rCSI scores. For longer-term programmes, it is important to ensure that surveys are conducted during the same season as the initial pre-assistance baseline survey.

Aside from reporting the average rCSI, for each of the strategies, it is recommended to report on the proportion of households that did not apply consumption-based coping strategies.

REPORTING EXAMPLE(S)

“Over the reporting period, the usage of food-based coping strategies decreased in frequency/severity from 12.1 in March 2023 to 4.2 in March 2024.

Women-headed households showed a higher level of coping in comparison to male-headed households (4.5 vs. 4.0).

The most commonly used strategy is limiting portion sizes of meals. Furthermore, nearly a quarter of displaced households had to restrict adult consumption of food to allow children to eat in the previous week.”

INDICATORS COLLECTED & ANALYSED AT THE SAME TIME

The following indicators may be reported along with this indicator:

Household level indicators:

1. Food Consumption Score (FCS)
2. Food Consumption Score-Nutrition (FCS-N)
4. Livelihood Coping Strategies - Food Security (LCS-FS)
5. Livelihood Coping Strategies - Essential Needs (LCS-EN)
6. Economic Capacity to Meet Essential Needs (ECMEN)

Individual level indicators: 10. MAD, 11. MDD-W (if applicable).

COMPLEMENTARY QUALITATIVE RESEARCH

Focus group discussions can be conducted in addition to the household level data collection to triangulate the qualitative information about food-based coping strategies that communities take in the face of shocks and when there is a lack of food or money to buy it.

For example, the following questions can be explored to help detect outliers and explain quantitative household level findings:

What are the most recent shocks that this community faced?
How did households generally adapt to these shocks?
What do people do when they do not have enough food to eat or money to buy food?
Which of these coping strategies are common in your community (on a regular basis vs. in the face of shocks)?
Are there any seasonal or environmental factors that affect your food consumption? How do you adapt your diet during different seasons or circumstances?

DECISIONS DATA CAN INFORM

The rCSI can be used in a range of ways, including for programme activity monitoring. These strategies play a role in assessing households' accessibility to food, as food availability alone does not suffice. As consumption-based coping is typically the first response to household stress regarding food accessibility, it provides an immediate alert of any deterioration or shocks experienced by households. Similarly, when rolling out food assistance interventions, the impact of the assistance should be mirrored in a reduction of the rCSI. If the change is not positive, then this may trigger programme design adjustments.

The rCSI indicator also plays a part in classifying households according to their level of food security through Consolidated Approach for Reporting on food Insecurity (CARI), determining the food security situation, and population-level targeting.

The rCSI is one of the food security outcome indicators in the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) acute food insecurity reference table.

VISUALIZATION

The rCSI score should always be reported when more values are available (e.g., from multiple rounds, or for multiple population groups). In addition, usage of individual strategies should be reported.

Use colours as recommended in the Data Visualization Guidance.

LIMITATIONS

The rCSI reflects the current coping status, and it does not provide an indication of the households’ ability/capacity to cope over time. It is a household-level indicator that does not provide information about intra-household differences.

The five strategies are not always representing the most commonly used food-based coping in all contexts, e.g., some contexts have very few households with small children, which eliminates the highest weighted strategy for those households. In case of issues with the standard module, please reach out to the PGR-FA at global.assessmentandtargeting@wfp.org.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Refer to the rCSI page on the VAM Resource Centre or contact PRG-FA at global.assessmentandtargeting@wfp.org.

¹Stress is intended here as the level of hardship faced by a given household translating into specific behavioural responses when confronted to food shortages.
²Standard strategies are defined in the ‘The Coping Strategy index’ manual (CARE, USAID, WFP, TANGO, Feinstein IC, 2008).
³Sampling requirements using the cluster sample are based on statistical rules and the sample size is not greatly impacted (only marginal increases) for populations larger than 20,000.

Documentation Index

3. Consumption-based coping strategy index (average)