Market Analysis in Emergency Food Security Assessments

This document provides a generic overview of market analysis as an integral part of an emergency food security assessment. The main objective is to provide a basic understanding of markets, including how to gather market information, conduct a situation analysis, and
interpret the analysis to inform response options.

The market situation analysis is an integrated component of food security and vulnerability analysis as well as response analysis. At all stages, the analyses provide the basis to make appropriate recommendations, specifically, to spell out the extent to which markets function, how it affects food availability and people’s access to food, and whether food or cash may? be an appropriate response
option. This document introduces basic market concepts so that they can be accessible to a wide community of food security analysts.