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May 2024 Update |
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Dear May has been bustling with activities! From celebrating #OpenGovWeek to participating in the CSO 2024 VNR Report process and kick-starting our Public-Private Data Production for Development Community Of Practice, we have been actively engaged in driving impactful initiatives. In this newsletter, we're thrilled to showcase our involvement in these significant events and share our progress with you. Additionally, we've included a list of new reads on how data is continuously shaping development and details about our upcoming event. As we find ourselves halfway through the year, we would like to wish you all the best in your endeavors. Thank you for your continued support and partnership! |
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FEATURED THIS MONTH: |
The Local Development Research Institute (LDRI) Contributes to Kenya's 2024 CSO Voluntary National Review on SDG 2Kenya will be among the 44 countries presenting their Voluntary National Review (VNR) at the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) in July 2024. The theme for this year's forum is “Reinforcing the 2030 Agenda and Eradicating Poverty in Times of Multiple Crises: The Effective Delivery of Sustainable, Resilient, and Innovative Solutions.” The HLPF in 2024 will conduct an in-depth review of the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):
At the Local Development Research Institute (LDRI), we have been actively collaborating with SDG Forum Kenya to contribute to the Civil Society Organizations (CSO) 2024 VNR report. Our work focuses on catalyzing the institutionalization of practical, responsible, accountable, and sustainable evidence-informed approaches within African governments to address hunger, poverty, and inequality. Focus on SDG 2: Ending Hunger and Promoting Sustainable AgricultureWithin the VNR process, LDRI is dedicated to Goal 2 of the SDGs: ending hunger, achieving food security and improved nutrition, and promoting sustainable agriculture. We achieve this by generating actionable observations and providing evidence that informs policy interventions, drives collaborative actions, and fosters inclusive development strategies tailored to the local context. In the VNR report, set to be launched in June 2024, we highlighted our work on the Village-Based Advisors (VBA) project, supported by AGRA. This project aimed to build the capacity of the County Governments of Kiambu and Embu to implement a private sector-led extension approach. Through this approach, improved maize seeds, yield-enhancing inputs, and information on good agronomic practices (GAP) were made available to farmers via self-employed VBAs. The project involved identifying farmers, called VBAs, who were trained by government officers to become trainers for their peers. These VBAs disseminated extension information and introduced new, climate-resilient maize varieties. As a result, the project successfully trained, built capacity, and provided high-yielding maize varieties to 250,000 farmers in Kiambu, Embu, and Murang’a counties.
Celebrating #OpenGovWeek: Promoting Transparency, Accountability, and Citizen Participation#OpenGovWeek is an annual global celebration dedicated to promoting transparency, accountability, and citizen participation in governance. During this year’s #OpenGovWeek, running from May 27th- May 31st, we organized multistakeholder forums at the local and national levels. In partnership with various government agencies and non-state actors such as Kenya Space Agency, The Oslo Center, The Youth Agenda, and Nairobi City County, we focused on planning initiatives to enhance accessibility and data utilization for informed decision-making. As the Open Data For Development Cluster Lead, our forums aimed to drive forward the agenda of using open data to create more transparent and accountable governance. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all our partners for their invaluable engagement and contributions.
Public-Private Data Partnerships For The SDGs – A Collaborative Initiative by LDRI & CEPEIAchieving sustainable development objectives necessitates the involvement of all societal stakeholders. Over the years, the private sector has been actively developing social and environmental responsibility initiatives, often accompanied by various data activities. Recently, the significance of the private sector's involvement in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has become increasingly evident. However, until recently, the connection between companies' data-related contributions and the fulfillment of the SDGs remained largely anecdotal. In response, Cepei and LDRI are collaborating to systematically map and document cases where the private sector has partnered with the public sector on data-driven agendas aimed at accelerating SDG achievement. This initiative aims to bring together a diverse array of organizations and individuals within Nairobi with shared interests, particularly focusing on addressing problems that require varying degrees of participation for effective solutions. If you are engaging in an ongoing or recent collaboration on data for SDGs connect with us by writing to us here. |
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FROM THE BLOG |
Post-Harvest Handling of African Indigenous Vegetables African Indigenous vegetables (AIVs) farming has been practiced for ages by our forefathers who passed the knowledge to younger generations. The principles of AIVs farming have remained relatively the same. However, in contemporary years, advancement in technology has resulted in the production of pest-resistant, high-yielding varieties that meet the dynamic tastes and preferences of consumers. The seasonality and perishability of AIVs have led to increased losses and wastage of harvested AIVs up to 50% (Henze et al., 2020). Most farmers trade fresh AIVs with limited knowledge of post-harvest handling practices. The forces of demand and supply in the market determine the prices of AIVs. Prices decline during the rainy season when the vegetables are in abundant supply and increase during the off-season when it’s dry weather. This affects the incomes of farmers, especially during the dry spells. Knowledge of post-harvest practices is vital to prolong the shelf-life of vegetables, increasing farmers’ incomes in the long run.
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RESOURCES |
NIYEL: Advancing Sustainable Cross-border Data Transfer Policies and Practices in AfricaOver the past two decades, digitization has significantly transformed economies and daily lives across the continent, generating a wealth of data with the potential for empowered and thriving societies. However, the realization of these benefits is a point of contention, with varying levels of maturity in data economies and differences in the prioritization of citizen rights. Focusing on the public sector, the report delves into the often-overlooked aspect of gender data, revealing a significant gap in its collection and utilization across Ghana, Kenya, Cote d’Ivoire, and Zambia. Read the report. OGP: Blind Spots-Three Ways to Think about AI and Corruption Risks Artificial Intelligence (AI) will change the nature of corruption: how it occurs, where it occurs, and how fast it happens. Thus far, much speculation on these changes has emphasized the risk of “malign use” of technology. While this emphasis is correct, it misses two important problems: the possibility of “market failure” and the “manipulation” of AI regulators. Read more CGD: Unpacking the Necessity, Promises, and Challenges of Intersectionality Data for Development There is no way that poverty can be fully tackled without policies designed to address the multiple disadvantages faced by people due to the combination of ascribed attributes including gender, age, race, ethnicity, disability, migration status, and sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI). And it is central to the Sustainable Development Goals’ (SDGs) overarching objective of inclusive development or ‘leaving no one behind.’ This means that intersectionality must be captured in data and embedded in evidence-based policies. But this is far from easy because, at present, the data is still limited. The Center for Global Development, Data2X and Open Data Watch have partnered to help improve the availability and use of this data. Read more |
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UPCOMING OPPORTUNITIES/EVENT |
Publishing Sustainable AI Training Datasets: A Practical ToolkitJoin us for an insightful webinar as we unveil the AI Training Dataset Sustainability Toolkit. This toolkit, developed with the support of the Lacuna Fund and Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), serves as a step-by-step playbook, offering detailed guidance and checklists to produce and share high-quality datasets that have widespread reuse within the Machine Learning (ML) community. During this webinar, you will:
Date and Time: 13th June 2024, 3 pm EAT Who Should Attend: Researchers, data scientists, and anyone interested in the creation and dissemination of high-quality open AI training datasets in developing contexts. Registration Link: here
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