September 11, 2010

We hope you’re doing well as you start to adjust to your new sites, or for 2nd years as you get further into your service as Peace Corps Volunteers. This is a booklet of 10 food security surveys, which we are asking you to complete in your village prior to December 1, 2010 (or for first years prior to your In Service Training, IST in December) as part of your integration and community assessment activities. Before you start, we wanted to let you know why you are being asked to complete the survey.

Peace Corps Mali’s Food Security Project was developed BY volunteers and FOR volunteers. Last year was a learning experience for all of us involved and we hope to move forward so volunteers will see more tangible benefits from being involved with the Project. A preliminary survey was sent out last year to all volunteers and the response was not quite what we expected. However, The Food Security Task Force has received a lot of feedback on how to improve the survey and make it more useful. We have incorporated those changes into the current survey.

This year, we have been working hard to develop a survey that will help volunteers to identify the issues and address the food security situation at their respective sites. Rather than trying to gather data for the Project, this survey is meant to be a true baseline survey about food security in YOUR village. Here are some of the general goals of the survey:

●To help you get an idea about the food security situation in your village. Contrary to last year we believe this to be a more appropriate food security community assessment tool.

●This survey will assist the PCV and their communities to identify priorities for food security activities and help volunteers learn more about their communities.

●For second year volunteers, this is an opportunity for you to check up on your progress over the last year and to make sure you have a clear understanding of your community’s food security situation. Because you’ve had a year to develop your language skills, you have a good opportunity to delve into some of these questions a little deeper, and perhaps achieve a greater understanding of peoples’ answers than you would have during your first year.

●The survey helps The Food Security Task Force (made up of PCVs) to identify priorities for food security program activities and to identify technical areas for further toolkit development.

●Share problems and solutions with other volunteers and come up with ways to work together to address local food security issues.

●Some questions are written to help the food security task force determine whether or not the program is making progress, so we will collect the data that you receive in your villages.

We understand the survey can seem fairly intimidating, especially when you’re in your first 3 months at site. We ask that you to give this survey to 10 different families in your village, prior to IST in December. First year volunteers will have the opportunity to discuss the results of your baseline surveys during IST. Also, keep in mind that one of the requirements for having someone come out and perform a food security PACA in your village is to have completed and turned in the answers from this survey. We have provided translations of the survey in French, Bambara, Peuhl, Bomu, and Dogon dialects. Any other languages that would require translation should be asked as well. Here are some tips you might consider when you’re about to complete the survey:

●Complete the surveys with your homologue, language tutor or trusted friend with whom you’ve already reviewed the survey. They can help you ensure that the questions are being asked clearly and are being understood by the participants.

●You are not going to understand everything that people say, and that is OKAY. Your main goal is to get a basic understanding of food security and how you might be able to address your specific situation. If you can’t understand the answer to a certain question, don’t worry about it too much.

●We suggest asking the survey questions to 5 men and 5 women at your site so that you can get a balanced view of the situation at your site.

●Since we don’t expect a statistical representation from the survey results you don’t necessarily need to ask questions of a random sample of people. However you might want to ask people from different areas of your site, or perhaps different ethnic groups, simply to help you understand the difficulties faced by different groups of people.

●If you find one of your interviewees to be an easy person to talk to, we encourage asking your own questions. Find out what really matters in your community.

Good luck completing the surveys. Many volunteers who completed the baseline surveys last year commented that they learned things about their village that they had never known before, some after one and a half years in village! Some commented they were never aware that the food security situation was as dire as they found in these surveys. Volunteers also mentioned that the first few surveys were difficult to get through, but they get easier after volunteers get a few under their belt. We will try and figure out the easiest way for turning in your surveys. Any suggestions are more than welcome.

Lastly, this survey is a work in progress, which we will continually seek to improve. If you have any ideas or comments (both good and bad), please send them along to The Food Security Task Force. Your feedback will assist us in ensuring that the survey is continually evolving to be the most effective tool possible. We want to make sure this survey is useful to volunteers first and foremost so you are all better equipped to help those who need it most.

Thanks for your hard work and let us know if you have any questions or just need someone to talk to about whatever. You will find our contact information below.

Dave Koh (78455478,)

Kevin McClellan (77915588, )

Ali Paulson (78455458, )

Food Security Baseline Survey

September 2010

Introductory dialogue for interviews:

Hello, my name is ______. I am a volunteer with the United States Peace Corps. Our agency has begun a project to address food security issues in Mali. As part of this, we want to get an idea of what the current food security situation is in your community. I would like to ask you some questions about food security; these questions will take approximately 30 minutes to complete. Any answers you give will remain confidential. By giving clear, honest answers, you will help me to further understand your community and how we can work together to address food security here in ______. If there are questions you do not wish to answer, you are under no obligation to do so. Do you agree to be interviewed?

Name of Interviewee:

Date of Interview:

Village:

Commune:

PCV:

Demographic Questions:

  1. Male ___ Female___
  2. Single___ Married___ Divorced___ Widowed___
  3. Are you the head of household? Yes ___ No___
  4. How many adults (people above the age of 14) are present in your household?

●Males above age 14:____

●Females above age 14:____

  1. How many members of your family are between the ages of 5-14?

●Males between the ages of 5-14:____

●Females between the ages of 5-14:____

  1. How many members of your household are 5 years of age and under?

●Males between 0-5 years old:____

●Females between 0-5 years old:____

Livelihood systems:

  1. What are the 3 main activities that you do to feed and support your family? (Volunteer, please make a mark next to each of the main activities)

Farming/ Agriculture / Growing Cash Crops
Gardening / Animal Raising/Trade
Tourism / Commerce (Butigis)
Commerce (Seller in Market) / Commerce (General Trade)
Honey Collection/Bee Keeping / Collection and processing of natural resources (Shea, Gum Arabic)
Selling street food/drinks / Running a restaurant
Traditional medicine / Handicrafts
Soap making / Wood collection for sale
Fishing / Wild fruit collection
Tailoring / Weaving
Charcoal production and sale / Seed production/sales
Doctor / Teacher
Government Functionnaire / Run own business
Medical Professional / Others
  1. At what times of year are these activities practiced?

All year_____ Farming Season (June-September) _____

Harvest Season (October-December) ____ Cold Season (January-March)____

Hot Season (April-May)____

  1. What are the biggest constraints to increasing your income from these activities? (Choose top 3, ask individually for each of 3 major sources of income)

Constraints for income source #1:

Lack of materials/tools / Lack of information
Lack of buyers or market for goods / Lack of stock
Outside problems (insects, drought, disease) / Personal/Familial health issues
Lack of knowledge about how to improve work / Lack of education
Inability to transport goods / Salary not paid on time
Lack of access to capital or start-up funds / Poor market prices
Other

Constraints for income source #2:

Lack of materials/tools / Lack of information
Lack of buyers or market for goods / Lack of stock
Outside problems (insects, drought, disease) / Personal/Familial health issues
Lack of knowledge about how to improve work / Lack of education
Inability to transport goods / Salary not paid on time
Lack of access to capital or start-up funds / Poor market prices
Other

Constraints for income source #3:

Lack of materials/tools / Lack of information
Lack of buyers or market for goods / Lack of stock
Outside problems (insects, drought, disease) / Personal/Familial health issues
Lack of knowledge about how to improve work / Lack of education
Inability to transport goods / Salary not paid on time
Lack of access to capital or start-up funds / Poor market prices
Other
  1. How successful was last year’s harvest?

Good______Average ______Poor______

Food Availability:

  1. Which time periods over the last year did your household have insufficient food to feed the family?

All year_____ Farming Season (June-September) _____

Harvest Season (October-December) ____ Cold Season (January-March)____

Hot Season (April-May)____

  1. After the harvest, at what time of year did your family run out of grain, if at all? (Volunteer: Please be sure to ask separately for each type of grain. Also, possible times of year are as above in question #1)

Type of Grain / Time of year
Millet
Sorghum
Rice
Maize
Fonio
Other?
  1. If your family ran out of grain last year, what were 3 strategies you used for obtaining the extra food you needed?

Borrowed grain / Sold/traded livestock/poultry
Free food aid / Got food in exchange for work or labor
Bought grain / Gathered forest food
Reduced number of meals / Assistance from neighbors/relatives
  1. Approximately how frequently does your family eat each of the following during a single week of rainy season?

●Vegetables (Sauce containing tomatoes, onion, garlic, green leaves or cabbage): ______

●Meat:______

●Fish (fresh or dry):______

●Milk:______

  1. Approximately how frequently does your family eat each of the following during a single week of cold season?

●Vegetables (Sauce containing tomatoes, onion, garlic, green leaves or cabbage): ______

●Meat:______

●Fish (fresh or dry):______

●Milk:______

  1. Approximately how frequently does your family eat each of the following during a single week of hot season?

●Vegetables (Sauce containing tomatoes, onion, garlic, green leaves or cabbage): ______

●Meat:______

●Fish (fresh or dry):______

●Milk:______

  1. How far is your nearest market?

Less than 1 km____ 1-5 km____ 6-20 km____ 20-50 km____ Over 50 km____

  1. How often do you go to your nearest market?

2 or more times per week____ Once per week____ Once every other week___

Once per month____ Every other month____ Every 6 months____ Once per year_____

  1. How do you get to your nearest market?

Walk / Bike
Public transportation / Motorcycle
Taxi / Personal Car
Boat / Donkey Cart
Other
  1. Is transportation to your market available year round?

Yes ____ No____

  1. If no to question 10, why?

No money for transportation / Flooding of road during rainy season
Poor health/inability of interviewee to go to market / Lack of permission from spouse
Too busy with work / No reason to go to market
  1. When you go to market, do you bring products to sell? Yes____ No_____

If so, what types of products? ______

Health/Water Sanitation:

  1. How many times during the last year did you or someone in your household go to the doctor’s office to receive treatment?

none____ 1-2 times____ 3-5 times____ 5-10 times____

  1. During the last year have you taken your children from 0-5 years of age to baby weighings to monitor their growth?

Yes____ No____ Not available____

  1. Where is your nearest CSCOM/health center?

Less than 1 km____ 1-5 km____ 5-10 km____ 10-20 km____ Greater than 20 km____

  1. If there are any infants between 0 and 5 months of age in your household, have they received any nourishment besides breast milk? (This includes water)

Yes____ No____

  1. If there are any infants between 6 and 8 months, did they receive any foods other than breast milk during the last day?

Yes____ No____

  1. Where do you obtain water for your household?

Robinet____ Pump____ Well____ River/Pond – open water source____

Bottled/Packaged water____

  1. Do you treat your water, if so, how?

Do not treat water____ Filter water____ Bleach____ Other method____

  1. Have you ever used improved seeds? (Volunteer: improved seeds are defined in this survey as those obtained from the local agricultural extension services, or from seed banks in towns)?

Yes____ No____

  1. If yes, what crops?

______

  1. If yes, did you save the improved seeds to plant in the future?

Yes____ No____

  1. Have you participated in training on any of the following technologies?

●Composting: Yes_____ No_____

●Soil improvement: Yes____ No____

●Seed planting/Bed preparation: Yes____ No____

●Erosion control: Yes____ No____

●Fertilizer application: Yes____ No____

●Pest control: Yes____ No____

  1. Are you involved in any associations, if so, what association are you most involved with?

Name of Association______

  1. Does your association have a recipissé (official papers)?

Yes____ No____

  1. What kind of work does your association do together?

______

  1. How often do you meet?

______

  1. Does your association work with any microfinance institutions or engage in any type of group savings?

Yes____ No____

Summary for the volunteer:

  1. After completing the food security baseline survey, what are some general observations you have about food security in your community?
  1. What do you feel are the most pressing issues overall regarding food security in your community?
  1. What ideas do you have for ways in which you can help your community improve their food security situation?
  1. Who can you work with on food security issues in your community?
  1. What feedback do you have to help improve the baseline survey?