Good information helps to make the right decisions. That’s the philosophy of the Food Systems Dashboard. This is a very intriguing interactive tool that has gone into operation in the first week of June as a result of the collaboration between FAO, GAIN (Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition) and the Johns Hopkins Alliance for a Healthier World.
The initiators of this project believe that by bringing together extant data on food systems into a single, easily accessible tool, it will be possible to better identify problems, propose necessary changes and make the most appropriate decisions. In the food chain, there are a number of elements between the producer and the consumer: processors, wholesalers, distributors, retailers, etc. The Food Systems Dashboard allows you to better visualise the interconnections between the different sectors and in different countries around the world. It collects data from over 230 countries by taking into account more than 170 indicators.
This new tool works on the basis of the three “Ds”, according to its designers: Describe national food systems, Diagnose them to prioritise areas for action, and then Decide on the action to take based on options that have been tried in other countries. In the words of Jessica Fanzo, Director of the Global Food Ethics and Policy Program at Johns Hopkins University, the idea came about in 2017 while working on the UN Panel of Experts on Food Systems and Nutrition, noting “the lack of accessible, organised and quality information on food systems. Without such data, it is difficult to identify actions that could improve food systems”.
Lawrence Haddad, GAIN’s Executive Director, said that “the Dashboard has the potential to halve the time required to collect relevant data, helping public agencies and private entities to understand the three Ds more quickly”. FAO Director-General QU Dongyu said that “the Dashboard is open to all and will foster much-needed cooperation to transform our food systems”.
Discover the great opportunities offered by the Food Systems Dashboard here.