Innovative food price collection in developing countries : focus on crowdsourcing in Africa

Recent food crises have revealed the importance of timely and reliable food price information for food security monitoring and to support informed policy decision making. The increasing number of mobile phone users in Africa, combined with improved networks and broadband coverage, makes it increasingly possible to use mobile-based crowdsourcing to obtain accurate and up-to-date food price information. The use of mobile technologies also affords the possibility of reaching a large number of volunteers (crowd workers) in specific geographic locations, thus enhancing the available sets of information. This study provides a literature review of the concept of crowdsourcing and an overview and analysis of previous and on-going innovative food price collection initiatives in developing countries, particularly in Africa. Based on the research and interviews with relevant stakeholders, potential benefits and challenges have been identified and a set of recommendations has been drafted. The research shows that there is not a single crowdsourcing solution. The main challenges are encouraging crowd participation, and ensuring that data collected are trustworthy and of high quality, which in turn depends on offering the right incentives. Although the financial rewards offered to the crowd are often low, completely unpaid voluntary work is not common, which to some extent limits the potential cost advantage of crowdsourcing methods of data collection. New technologies empower people, and crowdsourcing might in future have potential to provide additional earnings and skills in poor communities, where skill development and ensuring access to technology are both potentials and challenges.