Sudan Food Security Information Data Portal (Smallholder Farmers)

Samer Surag Mohamed

Funding Area: Critical shared infrastructure / Infraestructura compartida critica

Problem Statement: On 15 April 2023, confrontations between rival factions of the military government of Sudan (Rapid Support forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces) broke out in cities, with the fighting concentrated in the capital - Khartoum - and the Darfur region. Beyond the human toll, the conflict has had far-reaching implications for food security in Sudan. The number of acutely food insecure individuals is anticipated to escalate dramatically, potentially increasing to a staggering total of 19 million across the country in the next 3-6 months, which makes up 40% of the country’s population. Moreover if the agricultural season is disrupted, the number of people going hungry will further increase. Notably, the price of the Local Food Basket (LFB), a key indicator of food affordability, is projected to surge by an additional 25 percent within the next 3-6 months. This forecasted increase in food prices is likely to exacerbate the situation, rendering over 18 million people unable to afford the essential LFB.1 In times of crisis, reliable data and evidence become indispensable tools for achieving consensus, identifying critical areas for intervention, optimizing resource utilization, and formulating effective strategies to tackle pressing issues. However, there exist substantial knowledge gaps among local actors, exacerbated by the absence of government action and a national coordinating body to facilitate efforts in this crucial domain.

Proposed Activities: Our proposed solution is a comprehensive digital platform that addresses the critical information gaps faced by smallholder farmers in Sudan. The platform aims to provide actors with essential information, resources, and connections through various channels, through facilitating a collaborative environment for knowledge and expertise sharing. As a start, the platform will provide smallholder farmers with information on how to competently manage the health of their land and animals, effectively cultivate their crops, and increase their harvests is crucial to better outcomes for both the smallholder and the agrifood system overall. The proposed activities for the project are as follows: 1. Consultations with Farmers, Associations, and Cooperatives: Hold consultations with farmers, associations, and cooperatives to determine their needs and the subject matter most relevant to them. These consultations will include youth and women to ensure inclusivity and relevance of topics. 2. Curate and Develop Pre-recorded Content: Based on the needs identified in the consultations, curate and/or develop pre-recorded content on agricultural advisory topics. 3. Develop platform: the project will focus on developing a robust search engine and database. This search engine will be integrated into the platform, enabling users to easily access and retrieve relevant agricultural advisory information. The database will serve as a centralized repository for storing and organizing a wide range of agricultural content. 4. Engage Key Actors in the Agricultural Supply Chain: Hold meetings with key actors in the agricultural supply chain to determine if they have relevant content that can be incorporated into the Hotline. 5. Publicize and Promote the Hotline: Publicize and promote the Hotline service among farmers and farmer groups through various means such as meetings, sensitizations, promotions, advertisements, and other outreach activities. 6. Deploy the Hotline Service: Deploy the Hotline service to farmers and farmer groups, ensuring accessibility and ease of use for targeted audiences. 7. Feedback Mechanism: Implement a feedback mechanism for users of the Hotline to respond to their questions and provide input on the overall user experience. Timeline: ● Week 1-4: Conduct consultations with farmers, associations, and cooperatives. ● Week 5-8: Curate and develop pre-recorded content based on identified needs. ● Week 1-8: Engage key actors in the agricultural supply chain for content collaboration. ● Week 8-24: Develop Platform, sprints with added features continue throughout. ● Week 13-24: Publicize and promote the Hotline service to the target audience. ● Week 13-24: Deploy the Hotline service and provide ongoing support and improvements. Throughout the project, continuous monitoring and evaluation will be conducted to assess the effectiveness of activities and make necessary adjustments to achieve the project's objectives successfully.

Openness: The proposed work embraces openness in multiple aspects. Firstly, the infrastructure we plan to build, the comprehensive digital platform, will be open to all stakeholders, fostering collaboration and knowledge-sharing. The platform will provide accessible communication channels, including interactive voice response (IVR), ensuring inclusivity for individuals with low literacy levels. Considering the high illiteracy rate in Sudan, which stands at 40% according to the World Bank, we recognize the importance of utilizing accessible communication methods. The platform will leverage interactive voice response (IVR) technology and audio-based communication channels, enabling local actors to access information through verbal communications. We will establish a Toll-free Hotline that provides advisory for smallholder farmers and livestock producers at no cost to the farmers. The Hotline will host a search engine that makes pre-recorded audio content accessible to callers for free. At a moment of need, smallholder farmers and other livestock producers can use their own simple mobile phones to proactively retrieve information across a range of topics to inform their decision-making. This approach ensures inclusivity and allows individuals with low literacy levels to gather information related to their livelihoods effectively. Regarding sharing project outputs openly, we will adopt an open-source approach, making all software developed for the platform freely available to the public.

Challenges: We foresee many challenges as we deploy the complete digital platform to address important information gaps for smallholder farmers in Sudan. ● Sudan's infrastructure, particularly internet access, has suffered from the fighting. Only 28% of Sudanese have internet connectivity in 2023, making a dependable and accessible digital platform problematic. ● Sudan has several ethnicities and languages. Language difficulties may hinder communication, particularly for IDPs who don't speak the local language. ● The World Bank says Sudan's 40% illiteracy rate hinders information distribution. The platform will leverage interactive voice response (IVR) technology and audio-based channels, but it will need careful design and user-centered techniques to make material accessible to low-literate users. ● Acceptance and Adoption: Vulnerable populations may refuse or distrust new digital platforms. Raising awareness of the platform's advantages and demonstrating its worth via successful pilot activities will help address this challenge. ● Data Security Handling sensitive data about vulnerable people requires strict data privacy and protection. Maintaining community trust and safeguarding personal data requires compliance with privacy regulations and secure data management.

Neglectedness: To the best of our knowledge, there are few funding sources that specifically target the digital platform we propose to address the critical information gaps encountered by local food security actors in Sudan. While there may be broader funding opportunities for projects related to humanitarian aid, information technology, or community development, it remains challenging to find dedicated funding for a comprehensive platform that caters to the needs of local actors. The only platform that we know of is a platform for creating market linkages which is funded by mercy corps, however this platform is owned and managed by a private entity and is not open to be used by third parties, it also has key premium features, limiting access to data and additionally it is not open source. We have not previously requested funding for this specific endeavor as of this date. The lack of awareness of prospective funding opportunities tailored to such a specialized and innovative initiative was the primary reason for not applying previously. In addition, the ongoing conflict and crisis in Sudan has restricted access to dependable information and networking opportunities, making it more difficult to identify and pursue relevant funding sources. In our next steps, we envision expanding the impact of our digital platform beyond the initial information-sharing focus as we successfully implement the platform to address the critical information gaps faced by smallholder farmers and in Sudan.

Success: Success for the proposed platform will be measured through the achievement of the following outcomes: 1. User Adoption and Engagement: We aim to reach 5,000 monthly active users by the end of the project actively adopting and engaging with the platform. 2. Impact on Supply Chain Efficiencies: The platform's success will be evaluated by its ability to improve farmers yield, an improvement of 10% in the yield is our goal. 3. Formation of Strategic Partnerships: Success will be reflected in the establishment of strategic partnerships and collaborations with relevant entities, expanding support and involvement in tackling food security issues. 4. Sustainability and Efficient Resource Allocation: We will gauge success by ensuring the platform's sustainability and continuous operation, supported by developing added services and premium services on top of the platform, to be utilized by other actors. 5. User Satisfaction and Impact: Success will be determined through user feedback and assessments, ensuring that the platform effectively meets users' needs and expectations, resulting in positive user experiences and real-world impact. These outcomes will serve as key indicators of the platform's success in addressing food security challenges in Sudan and will be regularly tracked and evaluated to assess its effectiveness and impact.

Total Budget: 23700

Affiliations: DataQ, Sudan / Sudan Food Security Ifnormation Consortium

LMIE Carveout: As the project lead and with our organization based in Sudan, a country classified as a Low-Income Economy by the World Bank, we fully comply with the requirement of having our operations situated in an LMIE. Our commitment extends to the project's community, including users, contributors, and maintainers, as we primarily target individuals within Sudan, which also falls under the category of a Low-Income Economy. We believe that this project will have the most impact on food insecure populations. By leveraging our local presence and understanding of the challenges faced by these communities, we aim to address critical information gaps and contribute to improving their livelihoods.

Team Skills: Our proposal brings together a diverse team of experts with the necessary skill set to develop this platform successfully. Leveraging the expertise of Agricultural economists and supply chain experts, we will ensure a comprehensive approach to address the challenges in the food security domain. Additionally, our team at DataQ possesses a strong technical background in database development and data analytics, which will be crucial in creating reliable and secure solutions for the platform. To further bolster our capabilities, we will hire an additional team of technical experts who will work alongside our existing experts to ensure the highest level of proficiency throughout the development process. This collaborative effort will enable us to incorporate cutting-edge technology and industry best practices into the platform. Furthermore, our affiliation with the Sudan Food Security Information Consortium grants us access to a vast network of stakeholders and target audiences. This access will be instrumental in obtaining valuable insights and feedback during each development cycle, ensuring the platform aligns with the preferences and requirements of its intended users.

Submission Number: 194