2022 Seed Grant Award Problem Statements 

Agriculture / Food Security

Problem #6.5:  Inadequate Data Validation Controls Along the Supply Chain Value Chain

Country/Region of execution: Bangkok, Cairo, Dakar, Johannesbur, Nairobi, & Panama
Collaborating Organization: United Nations World Food Programme (WFP)
WFP is the biggest humanitarian aid organization aiding approximately 97 million beneficiaries per annum around the world. WFP is the first responder to emergencies caused by conflict, climate shocks, pandemics, and other disasters. In 2020, WFP and its partners responded to 17 concurrent emergencies worldwide, the majority fueled by conflict. To accomplish its goal of saving and changing lives, WFP makes use of a range of transfer modalities combining food and cash assistance. On the food assistance front, WFP distributed 4.4 million MT in 2019, proving once more its efficiency and effectiveness in handling its operations as the leading humanitarian agency. However, to keep its competitive advantage in the nonprofit arena, the organization needs to seek ways to reduce operational costs and increase efficiencies.
Problem Statement Description:  WFP has been challenged with inadequate data validation controls along the supply chain value chain with manual data entry potentially leading to (i) misalignment of information between physical information and digital data; (ii) insufficiency in the reliability of end-to-end traceability: and (iii) unavailability of real-time visibility. The aim of WFP traceability system is to allow an accurate traceability from the point of receipt in country to the distribution level. The project targets the establishment of a continued process flow for an improved visibility on the value chain for all stakeholders.