Resilience Index Measurement and Analysis

Resilience measurement and analysis is critical for formulating evidence-based policy to promote food security and build resilient livelihoods. Since 2008, FAO has been at the forefront of efforts to measure resilience to food insecurity and has pioneered the development and use of the Resilience Index Measurement and Analysis (RIMA) methodology.

RIMA estimates household resilience to food insecurity with a quantitative approach to establish a cause-effect relationship between resilience and its critical determinants. RIMA is context- and shocks-specific; it can be adopted for impact evaluation, reflecting the Theory of Change (ToC) and Logframe of interventions. Within a Monitoring Evaluation and Learning (MEAL) framework, this tool can be used for tracking progress during the project cycle and adapt interventions; to explore food security and resilience changes over time; and to improve programme design and inform policy decisions.

Currently, RIMA is used in several countries located in the West, East and sub-Saharan Africa, in the Middle East, in Asia and in South America.