MDD-W is an important indicator used to determine whether women between the ages of 15-49 are consuming adequate levels of micronutrients. From October 2016 – April 2017, GeoPoll conducted five rounds of SMS surveys on MDD-W. To read more about the collaboration between GeoPoll and mVAM in Malawi, be sure to check out mVAM’s latest blog post: “Trial and Error: How we found a way to monitor nutrition through SMS in Malawi.”

 (Image courtesy)

The post GeoPoll and WFP Partner to Adapt Key Nutrition Indicator to Mobile appeared first on GeoPoll.

The World Food Programme is the food aid branch of the United Nations, and the world’s largest hunger-fighting agency. In order to assess food security situations across the globe, WFP gathers and analyzes food security data using a variety of technologies, including face-to-face data collection. Since 2013 WFP has been working with GeoPoll to send food security surveys through the mobile phone, allowing for remote data collection in regions where it is unsafe or difficult to send on-the-ground researchers. GeoPoll and the WFP initially conducted food security surveys in the North Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of Congo during a time of conflict, and ongoing surveys are conducted in several other countries throughout Africa.

In August of 2014, as the Ebola outbreak in West Africa was spreading, the WFP once again partnered with GeoPoll to conduct food security surveys in Ebola-affected countries of Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea. Ebola is likely to have long-term effects on food security, and mobile surveys allow WFP to quickly collect vital data on food prices, wages, and more.

Solution

WFP and GeoPoll will send mobile surveys in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea over three months: September, October, and November 2014, to gather common indicators of food security, plus data on food prices and wages. GeoPoll and the WFP have worked together to adapt the reduced Coping Strategies Index (rCSI) for the mobile phone, and in previous studies have found no significant difference in rCSI results collected through mobile surveys vs. face-to-face surveys.

Results

The first round of data released is from Sierra Leone, and indicates that food security in the Ebola-epicenters of Kailahun and Kenema has declined since the outbreak began. People living in these areas are using “severe” food coping strategies more frequently than those in the surrounding areas, meaning they are restricting meal size and buying less expensive foods than they normally would. The Sierra Leone surveys, conducted by text message, also found that casual wages in the east of Sierra Leone have dropped, likely contributing to the poor food security situation.

Food prices in the east of Sierra Leone are not showing major differences from prices in other regions of Sierra Leone, however WFP will continue to monitor price trends as surveys continue.

The post Remote Data Collection Aids The WFP’s Ebola Efforts appeared first on GeoPoll.

A new report by the UN International Telecommunications Union found that while fixed-line telephone connections have been declining over the past five years, mobile penetration is growing fast, particularly in developing areas, and the number of mobile subscriptions is expected to surpass seven billion this year.  By taking advantage of these connections, we can reach people more quickly, to drive action on food security that is faster and more targeted.

In just the past few weeks, GeoPoll has been asking simple questions on important topics like health, energy, and food security to mobile users in six African nations: Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, South Africa, and Uganda.  On food security, defined as reliable access to affordable and nutritious food, users were asked “In the last 7 days, did any members of your household go to bed hungry? Reply 1) Yes 2) No.” This one-line question, asked every day to a sample of users, gives us vital information on not only how many people are suffering from hunger, but also where they are, what ages and genders are more likely to be affected, and how food security changes in a region over time.

The results from just two weeks of data collection can already provide high-level insights into the differences in food security across countries, and as the survey continues to run it will collect data that can be broken down by district, age, gender, and more, for a truly granular look into hunger in a country. From the data that has already been collected, we get a snapshot look into the lives of those living in hunger.  For example, it was found that 39% of respondents across Kenya reported that they or a member of their family had gone to bed hungry in the past week, and 34% of Ghanaians said the same.  This data allows us to more accurately identify which countries or regions are in need of immediate assistance, and enables aid organizations or governments to deliver supplies quickly.  

As this survey collects more data over the next months, it will demonstrate when food security changes suddenly: this can occur when a region enters its dry season, or if a conflict has decreased access to food.  This type of daily data provides us with an unprecedented, granular look into global hunger, and will drive faster, more effective action from organizations like the WFP, who GeoPoll has worked with in the Democratic Republic of Congo and now in Kenya and other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.  We still have a long way to go in the fight against hunger, and the ultimate solution will include the alleviation of poverty through economic development, agricultural productivity, and policy reform.  Data is only a piece of this puzzle, but accurate information can play an important part in predicting trends on not only food security situations, but also poverty reduction, which will help us end hunger once and for all. 

 Amy Sweeney is the Director of Client Business Development at GeoPoll, where she collaborates with potential clients and partners such as the World Food Programme, USAID, and implementing partners on incorporating mobile data collection into projects and programs. She previously worked at Chemonics International and spent four years in Central and Southwest Asia, serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Uzbekistan and working in Afghanistan and Turkey.

The post The importance of good data to drive faster food security action appeared first on GeoPoll.