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Four Nutrition Health Organizations have launched a two-day forum focusing on the best practices for open data in relation to food security.
Africa Center for Advanced Technology, CTA, GODAN Action and UK workshop majorly funded by UKaid International have come together to explore global nutrition report profiles at the country, regional and global levels.
Their main aim is to provide data in relation to food security and Nutrition to enable people receive clear and correct information on Nutrition and Malnutrition.
Esther Omasa, a nutrition specialist at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) said they are involving ICT officials to help deseminate information to farmers.
“We are using different applications so that we can get down to farmers to produce diverse and accurate data,” said Omasa.
She added that data is important for farmers so that they would be able to increase productivity.
Omasa added that data is important in determining what kind of malnutrition is facing different people in different parts of the country.
She added that they going to go up to the community level to ensure food security.
Boniface Akuku who is an expert in data said that that there is a need for open data on Nutrition within and outside the country.
He said they are focusing more on the use of technology to build the gaps that are there and also training people on how to digitize and make use of data.
Akuku added that they are using technological tools to conduct data analysis and to get insights on how to increase productivity and address malnutrition,
while focusing on the policy, Legislative and regulatory measure of data management and usage on nutrition.
The stakeholders said it is important to be careful about what is happening around and the situation within the country where many people are now dying due to lack of food.
The health firms will explore Global Nutrition Report profiles at the country, regional and global levels and also focus on the best practices for open data.
The forum is being held at KALRO headquarters Nairobi.
Their challenges according to Omasa are limited prioritization of nutrition in political and economic agendas.
The lack of implementation of relevant nutrition policies and strategies is also a big impediment.
Their call of action is financial resources allocation and human resources for health and nutrition and capacity development.
Support and system multi-sectoral co-ordination program and liaise with Government in Budgeting and planning programs on food relief.
Francis Wambua from UNICEF said the capacity building is needed to acquire accurate data.
Mr Boniface Akuku said that they are creating innovations and new ways of passing the message to the public in such a way that they would understand.
Winnie Kamau, a data journalist who also works closely with GODAN said that it is important to have open data for Nutritional because.
Francis Wambua concluded that data is an important source of evidence for action, development and review of policies and can also help in designing programs as it also provides a basis for re-evaluation of programs and government projects.
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