I am glad that you raised this important issue. The authenticity, credibility, reliability, accuracy, relevancy and right interpretation of data all are crucial not only to improve the quality of food security but also to address other development cooperation areas effectively as it feeds into decision-making processes. Unfortunately, in most of the underdeveloped and developing countries, poor quality of data poses a real problem and the projections made on the basis of these data are far from the reality.
Here, in India , data collection is a big challenge as most of our enumerators, surveyors and field agents not only work in poor working conditions, they live in adverse conditions, are not oriented to the issue appropriately and do not have access to any kind of training in tools, techniques, methodologies, approaches and processes involved in data collection. Most of our field staff are either NGO Workers already over burdened with other responsibilities in voluntary sector or recent graduates with no knowledge of the subject, no time to spend on the work and the low interest in data collection activity. In both the cases, they are lowly paid workers in the non-profit sector with no means of transportation to reach out to the remote areas and difficult terrains and badly lack basic training in application of the right tools and methodologies. Therefore, the Monitoring & Evaluation Frameworks, Key Performance Indicators, Assumptions, Project Findings, Recommendations and the End Product all may not be the representative of the real picture.
It is highly recommended that the research or evaluation agency invest in proportion in the high-end surveyors and the field staff for quality data collection as the agency invests in the desk job data analysts, data interpreters and the evaluators. Depending upon the complexity of data, the field staff should also undergo 1 to 2 days training before they embark upon the journey of data collection in the field.
RE: What can we do to improve food security data?
Dear Dr Emile N. Houngbo,
I am glad that you raised this important issue. The authenticity, credibility, reliability, accuracy, relevancy and right interpretation of data all are crucial not only to improve the quality of food security but also to address other development cooperation areas effectively as it feeds into decision-making processes. Unfortunately, in most of the underdeveloped and developing countries, poor quality of data poses a real problem and the projections made on the basis of these data are far from the reality.
Here, in India , data collection is a big challenge as most of our enumerators, surveyors and field agents not only work in poor working conditions, they live in adverse conditions, are not oriented to the issue appropriately and do not have access to any kind of training in tools, techniques, methodologies, approaches and processes involved in data collection. Most of our field staff are either NGO Workers already over burdened with other responsibilities in voluntary sector or recent graduates with no knowledge of the subject, no time to spend on the work and the low interest in data collection activity. In both the cases, they are lowly paid workers in the non-profit sector with no means of transportation to reach out to the remote areas and difficult terrains and badly lack basic training in application of the right tools and methodologies. Therefore, the Monitoring & Evaluation Frameworks, Key Performance Indicators, Assumptions, Project Findings, Recommendations and the End Product all may not be the representative of the real picture.
It is highly recommended that the research or evaluation agency invest in proportion in the high-end surveyors and the field staff for quality data collection as the agency invests in the desk job data analysts, data interpreters and the evaluators. Depending upon the complexity of data, the field staff should also undergo 1 to 2 days training before they embark upon the journey of data collection in the field.
Thanks,
Archana Sharma
Director
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yARyvU9ijAQ