Page 25 - GUIDELINES FOR FOOD SYSTEMS ISSUES PRIORITIZATION, ACTOR AND ACTION MAPPING at sub-national levels in Vietnam

• The group members have around 30-45 minutes to score food systems issues
in the list. The facilitator should spend time to help the group members clearly
understand the issues, the agreed-upon criteria, and the scoring scales. They
should guide the participants to correctly list the relevant sectors linked to food
systems issues (Criterion 1) and the affected groups of people based on local
conditions (Criterion 3).

• Facilitators and technical assistants should oversee and support participants in
resolving challenges and clarifying misunderstandings. They must explain the
scoring process for each criterion, ensuring that evaluations are independently
made based on individual perceptions and personal understanding of food
system issues.

• After the participants individually score the issues and fill-in the sheet, the
notetakers input the results into the online template (Annex 5).

• After averaging and ranking (see Annex 6 for example), the top ranked food
system issues are presented, listed in descending order of total score.

Box 2. Notes on scoring food systems issues

 Different formats: Participants can evaluate food system issues using mobile
phones, personal laptops, shared laptops, or hard copies of the scoring sheet.
 Facilitators and notetakers guide, monitor, and supervise the grading process,
ensuring proper scaling and scoring according to criteria. They remain neutral
and do not influence the scoring.

 Averaging and ranking: The total average score for each food system issue is
determined by summing the average scores across five criteria. Each criterion’s
average score is derived from the mean of individual scores assigned to each
issue. The final ranked scores help identify 3-5 priority food system issues.
Annex 6 provides an example of the final selection template.

 Tiebreaker: If two issues receive identical scores, selection follows this order:
the issue with the higher score in Criterion 1 is prioritized. If still tied, Criterion 2
is used, followed by Criteria 3, 4, and 5.

 Time management: Each issue should be scored within approximately five
minutes. Facilitators track time and remind participants as needed.

 Documentation: Facilitators, assisted by notetkers, document all discussion
points and comments, recordings, photos, and other materials.

24 Guidelines for food systems issues prioritization, actor and action mapping at subnational levels in Vietnam