• Neither microfinance alone nor bundled with agricultural extension reduces food insecurity. • Dietary diversity fell during harvest and lean seasons in the bundled group. • Rigid loan repayment misaligns with agricultural cash flows, limiting program synergies. We study the impact of bundling microfinance with farming extension services on seasonal food security in rural Uganda. Using an experimental design, we monitor seasonal changes through a monthly panel spanning two years. We find that neither the combined approach nor standalone microfinance reduced food insecurity across seasons. Conversely, households in both treatment groups experienced declines in dietary diversity during harvest and land preparation seasons. Exploratory analysis suggests that the bundled approach offered sporadic benefits only to households with better market access, while standalone credit appeared to constrain dietary choices for the poorest. We attribute these results to a structural mismatch: the inflexible repayment schedule of the microfinance product likely discouraged agricultural investment, preventing the intended synergies. Our findings imply that for bundled interventions to succeed, financial products must be flexible enough to match the cash flows of the complementary agricultural activities.

• Identifies five characteristics of resilient food security information systems. • Analyzes FSIS fragility from political, digital, and institutional disruptions. • Calls for reevaluating FSIS purpose, principles, and framing amid disruption. • Applies an ecosystem lens to fragmented FSIS networks and decision support. • Recommends reforms to FSIS funding, integrity, governance, and accountability. Food security information systems (FSIS) face unprecedented threats from abrupt shifts in political and funding priorities, misinformation, and manipulation. We draw on 50 years of research in Food Policy and the broader FSIS literature to offer five resilience characteristics to guide development of a future-fit FSIS: (1) safeguard integrity and impartiality; (2) ensure independent and transparent governance; (3) optimize data and analysis value streams for decision-making; (4) break down sectoral barriers for holistic food security characterization; and (5) innovate responsibly while embedding accountability and learning. We suggest recommended actions based on these resilience characteristics to co-create a more resilient FSIS ecosystem to guide humanitarian responses, advance preventive action for acute crises, and efficiently deliver results.