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Mansa Musa was the ruler of the Mali Empire in West Africa. Details recorded here should be sourced; unknown information is left blank.
MORE →Reflects the personal views, recollections, and perspective of the author, Mike Davis.
This is a personal recollection on the Move fire on May 13, 1985
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), also known as IPC scale, is a tool for improving food security analysis and decision-making. It is a standardised scale that integrates food security, nutrition and livelihood information into a statement about the nature and severity of a crisis and implications for strategic response.[1]
The IPC was originally developed in 2004 for use in Somalia by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's Food Security Analysis Unit (FSAU).[2] Several national governments and international agencies, including CARE International, European Commission Joint Research Centre (EC JRC), Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), USAID/FEWS NET, Oxfam GB, Save the Children UK/US, and United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), have been working together to adapt it to other food security contexts.[1][3][4]
The work of the IPC's Famine Review Committee is funded by development aid programs from the EU, the UK, Canada, and Germany.[5] The Famine Review Committee is composed of international experts who are not affiliated with national governments or local political interests. Its mandate is to conduct analyses based solely on technical and scientific criteria.[6]
The following IPC reference tables list the general profiles of the elements for each phase or level respectively for the three IPC unintegrated classification scales, which together constitute the IPC "big picture" classification scale:[1][4]
 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IPC severity phase 1 None/Minimal[i] |
IPC severity phase 2 Stressed[ii] |
IPC severity phase 3 Crisis[iii] |
IPC severity phase 4 Emergency[iv] |
IPC severity phase 5 Catastrophe/Famine[v] | ||
| First-level outcome | Food consumption (focus on energy intake) | Adequate | Minimally adequate | Moderately inadequate | Very inadequate | Extremely inadequate |
| Livelihood change (assets and strategies) | Sustainable | Stressed | Accelerated depletion | Extreme depletion | Near collapse of strategies and assets | |
| Second-level outcome | Nutritional status | Minimal | Alert | Serious | Critical | Extremely critical |
| Mortality | CDR: <0.5 / 10,000 / day | CDR <0.5 / 10,000 / day | CDR <0.5 - 0.99 / 10,000 / day | CDR <1 - 1.99 / 10,000 / day | CDR >2 / 10,000 / day | |
| Contributing factors | Food availability, access utilization and stability | Adequate | Borderline adequate | Inadequate | Very inadequate | Extremely inadequate |
| Hazards and vulnerability | None or minimal effects | Stressed livelihoods and food consumption | Results in assets and food losses | Results in large food assets and food losses | Results in near complete collapse of livelihood assets | |
 | This article is missing information about IPC reference tables. (February 2026) |
| This article is missing information about IPC reference tables. (February 2026) |
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has been used in several countries to assess and respond to food insecurity, each presenting unique challenges and responses.
In Ethiopia, the 2021 IPC analysis highlighted a severe food insecurity crisis, with over 5.5 million people in Tigray, Amhara, and Afar facing high levels of acute food insecurity due to conflict, displacement, and disrupted markets. As of May 2021, approximately 3.1 million were in Crisis (IPC Phase 3), 2.1 million were in Emergency (IPC Phase 4) and 353,000 were experiencing Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5).[7]
In Sudan, the April–May 2024 IPC analysis indicated severe food insecurity, with 25.6 million people facing Crisis (IPC Phase 3) or worse. A total of 8.5 million are facing Emergency (IPC Phase 4), and 755,000 people Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5). Key factors include ongoing conflict and limited humanitarian access, particularly in Greater Darfur and Kordofan regions. The analysis warns of possible famine if conditions deteriorate, particularly for displaced populations and refugees in conflict-affected areas.[8]
The July–December 2024 IPC analysis for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) indicates severe food insecurity affecting 25.6 million people, categorized as Crisis (IPC Phase 3) or worse. Among them, 3.1 million face Emergency (IPC Phase 4) conditions, particularly in conflict-impacted provinces like North Kivu, Ituri, and South Kivu. Projected conditions from January to June 2025 suggest similar challenges due to ongoing armed conflict, economic instability, and high food prices. Displaced populations remain especially vulnerable.[9]
The IPC scale has been used to monitor the humanitarian crisis in Gaza since the beginning of the Gaza war in October 2023. According to the impact snapshot published on 30 July 2025 by the UN office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 100% of the population is projected to face acute levels of food insecurity classified in IPC Phase 3 or above, including one million facing Phase 4 and 470,000 facing Phase 5.[10] This is significantly worsened since the September–October 2024 IPC report, when 1.84 million people were facing Crisis (IPC Phase 3) or worse conditions, but only 6 percent of Gazans face IPC Phase 5 food insecurity, which was the lowest figure reported since the start of the famine.[11] Israel placed Gaza under total siege during March and April 2025, and was forced to allow in minimal food under increasing pressure from the international community, but mass starvation continues to worsen.[12] Famine was confirmed and projected to expand by IPC as of 15 August 2025 with a third of the population expected to face IPC Phase 5 famine, 58 percent facing IPC Phase 4 emergency, and 20 percent facing IPC Phase 3 crisis.[13] It is the first time that the IPC has recorded a famine outside of Africa.[14]
As of July–September 2024, an estimated 4.4 million people in Somalia are experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above), with around 1.6 million children likely to suffer from acute malnutrition. While recent rainfall improved agricultural conditions, localized floods and ongoing conflict still hinder food access and agricultural production. Despite these challenges, there is a slight improvement from the previous year. The IPC's projections for October–December 2024 suggest ongoing needs for humanitarian assistance, particularly for vulnerable populations in crisis and emergency phase.[15]
The latest IPC analysis for Yemen, covering July 2024 to February 2025, highlights severe food insecurity affecting nearly half of the population in government-controlled areas. From July to September 2024, about 4.7 million people faced Crisis (IPC Phase 3) or Emergency (IPC Phase 4) levels of food insecurity. The economic decline, persistent conflict, and irregular humanitarian aid remain key drivers of food insecurity, worsened by recent floods in August 2024. A marginal improvement is anticipated, but humanitarian aid is crucial to prevent further deterioration.[16]
The challenges of the IPC scale include data quality issues, particularly in conflict zones or areas with limited access for data collection. This often leads to reliance on available but sometimes unreliable data. There are also challenges with subjective interpretation, as expert judgment is required in cases where data is sparse or inconsistent. Furthermore, the IPC's reliance on evidence convergence means that contradictory data can arise, complicating consensus-building and analysis.[17]
Source: Wikipedia. Article content is retrieved live through the MediaWiki API.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), also known as IPC scale, is a tool for improving food security analysis and decision-making. It is a standardised scale that integrates food security, nutrition and livelihood information into a statement about the nature and severity of a crisis and implications for strategic response. The IPC was originally developed in 2004 for use in Somalia by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's Food Security Analysis Unit (FSAU). Several national governments and international agencies, including CARE International, European Commission Joint Research Centre (EC JRC), Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), USAID/FEWS NET, Oxfam GB, Save the Children UK/US, and United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), have been working together to adapt it to other food security contexts.
Pibor is a county in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area, South Sudan. The county was part of the erstwhile Jonglei state. During the 2011–2012 South Sudan tribal clashes some six to eight thousand "armed raiders" entered the county in late December 2011, ransacking and burning. Three Médecins Sans Frontières clinics, the only source of formal healthcare in Jonglei state, were looted and torched. International food security experts said in December 2020 that Pibor County was likely in a famine. Flooding and violence have prevented access to aid. The Famine Review Committee report released by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification said at least 20% of households were facing extreme food gaps and at least 30% of children were acutely malnourished.
The population of the Gaza Strip underwent a famine as a result of an Israeli blockade during the Gaza war between 22 August 2025 and 19 December 2025. The prevention of basic essentials and humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, as well as airstrikes that destroyed food infrastructure, such as bakeries, mills, and food stores, caused a widespread scarcity of essential supplies. Humanitarian aid was also blocked by protests at borders and ports. Increasing societal breakdown in Gaza, including looting, was also cited as a barrier to the provision of aid. By August 2025, Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) projections showed that 100% of the population are experiencing "high levels of acute food insecurity", and 32% were projected to face Phase 5 catastrophic levels by 30 September 2025. On 22 August 2025, the IPC said that famine is taking place in at least one of the five governorates in the Gaza Strip: specifically, the Gaza Governorate which includes Gaza City. The IPC added that, within the next month, famine was likely to also occur in both the Deir al-Balah Governorate and the Khan Yunis Governorate. The IPC had insufficient data on the North Gaza Governorate for a classification but concluded that conditions were likely similar or worse than in the Gaza Governorate. Within the next 6 weeks as of 16 August, the number of people in IPC Phase 5 was expected to rise from 500,000 to over 640,000. On 22 October 2025, the International Court of Justice found that Israel is obliged to guarantee sufficient food to Gazans and to allow UNRWA to operate in Gaza. On 19 December, the IPC published a report declaring that there is no longer a famine in Gaza after improvements in food delivery following the ceasefire, but warned that the situation remains "highly fragile" with 100,000 still facing "catastrophic conditions", although that number was projected to decline to 1,900 by April 2026. As of January 2026, Gazans have received enough humanitarian aid to meet their basic food needs for the first time since the start of the war. However, in late July 2026, the IPC reported that the scale-up of humanitarian assistance, enabled by the October 2025 ceasefire, has driven improvements in food security and nutrition conditions across Gaza, but that over 1.2 million people (59% of the population of Gaza) continued to face Phase 3 Crisis levels of food insecurity or worse, including 212,000 (about 10% of Gazans) experiencing Phase 4 Emergency levels, and warned that Gaza is still experiencing a severe food emergency that could develop into another famine.
In 2024, famine conditions struck Haiti as a result of the ongoing Haitian crisis, resulting in a reported 5,636 people suffering from starvation and 5.4 million civilians— almost half of Haiti's population— suffering from "crisis levels of hunger or worse". While food insecurity was first noted in March 2024, a 30 September report released for the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IFSPC) officially declared the presence of famine in Haiti as a consequence of gang conflict preventing transport of food while also preventing civilians from being able to find food outside of their homes.
Before the 1921 destruction of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, Black residents had created a remarkable center of business and community life. The district included stores, professional offices, entertainment venues and homes owned by Black citizens. Understanding Greenwood means learning what was built—not only what was burned.
MORE →Joe Louis.