Food Price in Africa
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
Policy Stage
Context of activity
Science or Policy Field
Specific Topic
Food security, food market transparency, food chain analysis, farmer economical development, citizen consumers protection.
Participants
Participants
1000
Other participants
How were the Participants selected?
Through what means citizens knew about the call for participation?
Radios advertisement, handbills.
Methodologies
Events
1
Methodologies used
Tools Used
Spaces Used
Impact
Output
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).
- 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
Main Challenges
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.