Food Price in Africa

Food Price in Africa

Contact
Fabio Micale
Main Organisation
Department/Sector/Unit
JRC.D.4

Description

In Africa, daily expenditure for food is the largest component in the family budget. Food prices are therefore important components to evaluate the food accessibility and consequently the food security. Food market transparency, fair competition, fair trade and composition of added value along the food chain are also strictly linked to food prices. The aim of the present study is to better understand new data collection methods (crowdsourcing and mobile phones potentiality) for filling the gap in the availability of timely, accurate, cost-efficient and high frequency food price data in Africa.

Participation Spectrum

When and Where

Start Year
2019
Other Country

Policy Context

Science or Policy Field
Specific Topic
Food security, food market transparency, food chain analysis, farmer economical development, citizen consumers protection.

Participants

Participants
1000
Who was involved
Other participants
Through what means citizens knew about the call for participation?
Radios advertisement, handbills.

Methodologies

Events
1
Methodologies used
Tools Used

Impact

Main Outcomes and Lasting Achievement
- Contribution to Food early warning systems;
- Better farmers ans consumers positioning (bargaining power, well informed decision-making);
- Contribution to policy-making (e.g. from price transmission analysis).
How were the outcome taken up within the process they were carried out?
The food price data provided daily by citizens are included into a Data Base and processed to extract appropriate information.
Feedback provided
Other Feedback
Website, information send back onto mobile App.
Were the methodologies used elsewhere?
Many crowdsourcing experiences are performed in several sectors. However, this project is unique in the food prices context.

Assessment

Reason for such challenges and solutions
Crowdsourcing on voluntary base is quite challenging. It requires time, adequate actions for crowd formation and keeping vital. In the initial stage a minimal monetary reward approach was also implemented and tested.
Lessons Learn
There is a quite large gap in data and information perceived by citizens. The potentiality of new technologies (mobile phone) and new cooperative initiative, leveraging mutual benefit, from citizens can be transformed into very interesting citizens engagement finalized to provide public and free complementary and innovative services.
Recommendation
Citizens engagement if exploited using appropriate a innovative initiatives can produce new social awareness and cooperative attitude.