Giving Compass' Take:
- Ben Leo explains how new applications of technology can help develop higher-resolution data that better identifies hyper-localized trends and disparities in food security.
- What are the shortcomings of using unreliable or low-resolution data for local decision-making? How can funders support the collection of better-quality data to inform social programming?
- Read about the role of data in philanthropy.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the challenge created by high-level, aggregated data when addressing chronic food security and other lasting challenges affecting Africa—namely the masking of community-level differences, which inhibits the effective distribution of resources in the region.
The best available data has been sparse, dated, and aggregated - until now. Technological advancements now bring clarity to these gaps, equipping today’s generation of committed policymakers to tackle complex problems, especially those around food security.
This approach allows policymakers the opportunity to develop data-driven strategies that improve food security down to the neighborhood level. Within a continent of astounding diversity, this swift and localized understanding will be essential in providing stable access to food in the pandemic's aftermath.
Read the full article about food security by Ben Leo at Brookings.