The purpose of the guide is to provide you with a practical step-by-step explanation of how to actually implement the IPC, a process and set of tools to guide and communicate food security situation analysis. The guide is designed for food security practitioners that are using the IPC in conducting food security assessments and analysis, and can be used either as preparatory reading in headquarters or as a reference guide in the field.

This Users Guide is one of several products that have been developed to support the use of the IPC, the latest versions of which can be found at the IPC website: www.ipcinfo.org. Two other main products include:-

• The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Technical Manual, which provides detailed technical guidance on the use of the IPC for food security analysis. This manual discusses the rationale for developing the IPC, the analytical logic of the IPC, and the details of the various indicators and tools that form the basis of the IPC analysis. The Technical Manual should be considered the primary source of information about the IPC, and will be referenced many times in this User Guide.
• IPC training courses and presentations, including distance-learning modules and courses to be delivered in-person by a trainer. These courses not only present the rationale for developing the IPC, its analytical logic, and the details of its various indicators and tools, but also include exercises and questions for the users, as they are designed to educate practitioners about the IPC. These courses serve as preparatory training before practitioners begin to use the IPC.

  Please note that the fundamental purpose of this guide is to make the use of IPC easier for food security practitioners like you.