In Fall 2010, CORE Group became a partner on Technical and Operational Performance Support (TOPS), a new USAID/Food for Peace (FFP) program designed to build the capacity of FFP grantees and improve the quality of implementation through fostering collaboration, innovation, and knowledge sharing around food security and nutrition best practices. 
CORE Group will play a lead role, through TOPS, in nurturing an open community of practice, the Food Security and Nutrition (FSN) Network, where food security practitioners can share information, build consensus on best practices, and work to diffuse technical knowledge. In support of the Network, TOPS has launched a newsletter. CORE members with an interest in food security are encouraged to sign up. To subscribe, please visit bit.ly/fsnnetworknews.
The FSN Network is forming technical task forces in key areas such as Agriculture, Social and Behavior Change, Monitoring and Evaluation and Knowledge Management. The Network will also be carrying out collaborative work with CORE Group's own Community Health Network working groups on topics such as nutrition. To build and support this new community, CORE Group will be supporting the development of an FSN web portal to encourage information exchange, and developing a day of food security content to precede the annual CORE Group Spring and Fall meetings.
For more information on how to get involved, please contact Joan Whelan, CORE Group’s TOPS focal point. She can be reached at
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. For more information about TOPS, please click here.
For more information on the Food Security Network, visit their website fsnnetwork.org.
