The Scoping Study towards the Regional Hunger and Vulnerability Programme (RHVP) is based on the premise that there are policy and institutional limitations across the region that, if satisfactorily addressed, will enhance poor people’s access to food and thereby meet a key objective of DFID strategy. The framework within which the scoping study was carried out was based on an outline narrative summary of the RHVP. This included the goal of the RHVP: “To reduce vulnerability to food insecurity in the Southern African region”. The purpose is: “to promote region-wide adoption and implementation of coordinated policies with respect to the availability, access and utilisation of food”.