Policy recommendations on Data Collection and Analysis Tools for Food Security and Nutrition (CFS process)
In 2019, the Committee on World Food Security(CFS) established a multi-year program of work that included a task to produce a report on “Data collection and analysis tools for food security and nutrition“,for the High-Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (CFS-HLPE). The report which was presented in October 2022 had a goal to create actionable policy recommendations aimed at enhancing countries’ ability to gather, analyze, and utilize high-quality data for improved decision-making regarding food se(curity and nutrition policies.
In January 2023, an Open-Ended Working Group on Data was initiated.
The Civil Society and Indigenous Peoples’ Mechanism (CSIPM) raised concerns about the limited scope of the proposal and sought to address a broad range of issues related to data collection and analysis for food and nutrition security. These issues encompassed digitalization of food systems, unregulated utilization of big data, ownership of data infrastructure, and methodological assumptions for data collection and analysis. In addressing these matters, the CFS Policy Recommendations need to formulate a clear definition of data for the public interest, one that takes into account the perspectives of Indigenous Peoples, women, peasants and family farmers, workers across food systems, fisherfolk, pastoralists, and consumers.
This vision statement was formulated by the Civil Society and Indigenous Peoples’ Mechanism’s Data working group. It involved input from individuals and organizations across various regions and constituencies who are engaged in the digitalization of food systems or are affected by its consequences, experiencing both the advantages and risks associated with digital technologies
Download CSIPM Vision Document
Listen to ETC group podcast for a better understanding of data politics and what happens when big data is embedded in pre-existing arrangements of power and corporate strategies.
