Assessing the Capacity

Building Needs of National

Food Control Systems

New FAO Tools

Dr. Maya Piñeiro, Ph.D.
Senior Officer /Group leader

Food Quality and Standards Service

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
 Presentation

• Introduction.
• General approach and concepts used in
both tools.
• Guidelines to assess capacity building
needs.
• Quick Guide to assess capacity building
needs.
• Examples/case studies.
• Conclusions.
 Assessing needs: an initial
step in the capacity building
process
Capacity Building Needs Assessment
Negotiate resources
Consultation and dialogue
with stakeholders (external / internal)

Review and analyse

existing food safety
capacity

with stakehold Define the desired Food safety

Food safety
Consultation and d future of the food capacity building capacity building
safety system activities
strategy

Identify capacity
gaps and needs for
food safety

External support
(advice, resources, etc.)
 Two new FAO tools to
assess capacity building needs

Strengthening national food control systems

 Guidelines to assess capacity building needs,
2006

 A Quick Guide to assess capacity building

needs,2007
 Guidelines to assess capacity
building needs

 Address each of the key components of a national

food control system.
 Contain five in-depth modules.
 Modules may be used separately
or together.
 Different starting points
depending on country conditions
and needs.
 Quick Guide to assess
capacity building needs

 Addresses the food control system as a

whole.
 Guidance to quickly assess needs across
the entire system.
 May be used alone or in association with
the Guidelines.
 Target Audience
1. Government agencies / officials involved in
food safety:
• Agriculture • Laboratories
• Health • Inspectorates
• Trade • Industry
• Standards organizations, etc.

2. External agencies and consultants

supporting food safety capacity building
activities.
 Approach to identify
capacity building needs

Desired
Current Capacity
building future improved
situation
needs situation
Analytical framework: levels
and dimensions of capacity
Trade and market Socio-
environment economic and
political
environment
Food Safety System /
Framework Level

Organization Level

Individual Level
Governance Education
Analytical framework (2)
Level Dimensions of Capacity
 Policy framework
System  Legal framework
Level
 Organizational arrangements
 Coordination and communication

 Mandate
Organization Level  Structure / culture / competencies
 Processes
 Human resources
 Financial resources
 Information resources
 Infrastructure, etc.
 Key features
 Recognition of differences across countries.
 Participatory methodology for self-
assessment.
 Step-by-step advice to do a capacity building
needs assessment.
 Templates, tools, practical examples and
scenarios.
 Tips and suggestions.
 General principles of use

• Openness and willingness to consult widely.

• Involve stakeholders from farm-to-fork.
• Transparent process.
• Opportunity to learn.
• Document the findings.
• Different options – no one right answer.
Guidelines to assess capacity
building needs (1)

Five Modules
1. Food legislation
2. Food control management
3. Food inspection
4. Food analysis laboratories
5. Information, education and
communications
Guidelines to assess capacity
building needs (2)

Each module:
 provides a step-by-step process to assess
capacity building needs;
 sums up relevant internationally-accepted
benchmarks;
 incorporates a needs assessment matrix;
 includes various surveys, templates,
resources and tools that are tailored to the
module in question.
Guidelines to assess capacity
building needs (3)
An example: Food Inspection Module
• A guide to conduct a document review for food
inspection.
• Sample questions for focus group discussions
with food inspectors and food enterprises.
• A SWOT Analysis scenario for food inspection.
• A template for a situation analysis report.
• An agenda for a needs assessment workshop on
food inspection.
 Guidelines to assess
capacity building needs (4)

Expected outputs:
 Situation analysis of existing capacity of
one or more components of the national
food control system.
 Medium-term vision of one or more
components of an improved food control
system.
 Identification of capacity building needs
and options to address them.
 Quick Guide to assess
capacity building needs (1)

Focuses on:
• food safety outcomes and performance from
perspective of different stakeholders;
• country context for food safety (including
drivers and constraints to change);
• outputs, components and characteristics of the
national food control system as a whole.
Quick Guide to assess capacity
building needs (2)

Five step process:

1. Agree on goals, objectives, process
2. Review existing performance
3. Describe desired future improved situation
4. Identify capacity building needs
5. Define and review options to address
identified needs
Quick Guide to assess capacity
building needs (3)

Each step incorporates:

1. Key questions to focus information collection
and analysis.
2. Practical tips and suggestions to guide those
applying the tool.

More detailed guidance (surveys, checklists,

etc.) are included in the annexes
Quick Guide (4): Expected outputs
Step 1: Agree on goals,
Terms of Reference
objectives, process

Step 2: Review existing

Situation Analysis
capacity and performance

Step 3: Describe desired future

(improved) food control system Goals & Objectives

Step 4: Identify and prioritize Needs & Priorities

capacity building needs

Step 5: Define and review Capacity Building

options to address identified Action Plan
needs
 Benefits of use
o Support formulation of medium-terms goals
and objectives.
o Design tailored activities and programmes to
strengthen capacity of the food control
system.
o Increase focus on food safety.
o Identify areas for inter-agency cooperation
and coordination.
o Help to attract new sources of funding.
Principles that guide our
work
• Tailor activities to country priorities, needs and
conditions.
• Build on existing strengths and resources.
• Integrate science and risk analysis at all levels.
• Involve all relevant stakeholders from farm-to-
table.
• Encourage technical cooperation between
developing countries.
• Work with other international partners.
 capacity building needs
assessment: an essential first step
• Enables capacity building activities to be
tailored to diverse country conditions.
• Enhances ability to plan, implement and monitor
programmes in the area of food safety and
quality.
• Improves the use of available resources.
• Increases awareness on multidimensional
nature of food safety and quality, and
complementarities of stakeholders’ roles.
• Helps to attract additional funding and
resources.
• Contributes to organizational learning.
 Capacity building needs
assessment: challenges

• Capacity building requires a careful

identification, analysis and prioritization of
needs
• However, in several countries needs
assessment experience is limited
• Plus, needs assessment is a complex process
that is often influenced by competing priorities,
competition for resources, political
considerations, inadequate information, etc.
 Next steps

 Continued use of both tools in projects

implemented by FAO and other agencies
(e.g. FAO TCPs, WTO Standards and Trade
Development Facility, Norway PCA, WB).
 Training users and facilitators in use of
both tools
 Use to develop national action plans and
strategies for food safety programs
Examples of TOT
workshops
• FAO Sub-regional Workshop for East Africa -
‘Strengthening National Food Control Systems’
Organized in collaboration with the Tanzania
Bureau of Standards (TBS)
4–8 December, 2006, Bagamoyo, Tanzania

• FAO International Training Workshop -

‘Assessing the Capacity Building Needs of
National Food Control Systems’
28 November - 1 December 2006, Rome, Italy

• FAO/STDF/FSANZ Regional Workshop on

assessing food safety capacity building needs
November 2007, Beijing, China
 Examples of national
action plans and
strategies for food safety
programs

• Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda

• Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Panama,
El Salvador, Haiti,
• Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos PDR
• Benin, Cameroon, Myanmar (STDF)
Questions?
For more information:

• FAO Food Quality and Standards Service

http://www.fao.org/ag/agn/agns/

• Food safety capacity building

http://www.fao.org/ag/agn/agns/capacity_en.asp

• Guidelines to assess capacity building needs

ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/009/a0601e/a0601e00.pdf

• Quick guide to assess capacity building needs

ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/010/a1142e/a1142e00.pdf