Functional platform for food security and nutrition indicators

Kenya generates a large amount of food security and nutrition data through national household surveys, routine programme monitoring and subject-specific research. However, the potential for sharing and coordinating the use of the information to allow integrated and holistic analysis – to improve planning and programming – has not been maximised. Most of the data and information generated are held by individual organisations, generally for programming purposes, and the degree of integration or sharing with others is often minimal.

To address this, the following actions will be undertaken:

Mapping of stakeholders and institutions: This exercise entails identifying stakeholders and institutions with an interest in food security and nutrition. The process is key to ensuring multi-stakeholder and multisector collaboration.

Data landscape exercise: The main objective for conducting a data landscape exercise is to provide an overview of the availability, accessibility, and quality of indicators of interest to the food security and nutrition.

This exercise entails interactions with the national statistical system and data providers among other stakeholders to access all food security and nutrition information.

The objectives of the exercise are to:

1. Provide an overview of the information systems that support food and nutrition security data, including the sectors that host the systems.

2. Develop an overview of the availability, accessibility and quality of food and nutrition security indicators at the national level from nutrition-sensitive and specific sectors.

3. Provide a general overview of the type of data collected and frequency of collection, as well as the institutions involved in the collection, analysis and utilisation of food and nutrition security information.

Data cataloguing and archiving: The cataloguing and archiving of data will be performed using standardised software such as the Nesstar suite, the microdata cataloguing tool (NADA) and the Health Information Systems (HIS). This will greatly benefit users by providing easy access to data and other information.

Web Portal: This will serve as a tool to disseminate and store food security and nutrition reports, documents, policy briefs, summary statistics, journals and other information.

Upon completion, the web portal will include:

• A food security and nutrition dashboard with indicator visualisation.

• An online library of generated products and other relevant documents.

• A central repository of a food security and nutrition indicator database linked to the data repository.