The role of open data in evidencing and limiting political interference in public input distribution in Guatemala

Input subsidies are a popular redistributive policy measure in many developing countries to support climate change adaptation through yield stabilization and food security in a small-farm context. Nevertheless, the evidence of the effectiveness of the programs is mixed. One main point of critique is that these programs are vulnerable to political interference leading to misuse. In this paper we assess if targeted investments in public data and information infrastructure can reduce entry points for political interference. We present a case study on Guatemala in which fertilizer distribution was accompanied by an effort of open data provision and transparency under the Zero Hunger Pact. For this case study, we used a mixed-method approach. We show that political interference was a significant determinant of fertilizer distribution in the 2012–2015 election period and to analyze the role that information and data played with this regard. The paper closes by proposing four action points that could help to harvest the potential of information, data, and digital tools to reduce political interference into public redistributive decisionmaking

Clasificación socio-agronómica de fincas productoras de plátano en la región Caribe de Costa Rica

ABSTRACT. “Socio-agronomic classifiction of plantain-producing farms in the Caribbean region, Costa Rica.” Introduction: Plantain is a food for millions of people in developing countries, and in Costa Rica its production is mainly located in the Caribbean region, with 3 354 farms, with low productivity and little technological adoption. Despite being a crop present in 56% of the small farms in the Limon´s province, there are few studies on the conditions of the farms and the people who grow plantain. Objective: To prepare a typology of plantain farms in the Caribbean region of Costa Rica according to productivity. Methods: 342 surveys were applied to farmers in six counties, corresponding to 28% of the plantain farms affected by the flooding of 2015. Results: Three types of farms were found, type 1 are the most efficient due the use of supplies and profitability, they represented 10% of the total farms and had the highest annual yields 49MT/ha). These farms have 0,8 ha of plantain crops, with densities greater than 2 000plants/ha, use corms of 500 to 800g, apply ammonium sulfate, shore-up the plants, bag the bunches, renew the plantations every 1 to 2 years and the people who attend these plantations are under 50 years of age. On the other hand, 66% of farms are type 3, producing 18MT/ha/year. Conclusion: The farms of the six counties have significant differences, especially in cultivated area and productivity, with farms smaller than 1ha being the most efficient and most profitable, and those of Alta Talamanca being the most biodiverse with 79% managed under agroforestry systems. Finally, plantain is a vulnerable production system, mainly due to agronomic management, the few phytosanitary controls and the weak training received by farmers.RESUMEN. Introducción: El plátano es un alimento para millones de personas en países en desarrollo, y en Costa Rica la producción se localiza principalmente en la región Caribe, con 3 354 fincas de baja productividad y poca adopción tecnológica. A pesar de ser un cultivo presente en el 55,8% de las fincas pequeñas en la provincia de Limón, son escasos los estudios sobre condiciones de fincas y las personas que cultivan plátano. Objetivo: Elaborar una tipología de las fincas productoras de plátano de la región Caribe de Costa Rica según productividad Métodos: Se realizaron 342 encuestas a finqueros en seis cantones, que corresponden al 28% de las fincas plataneras afectadas por la inundación del 2015. Resultados: Se clasificaron tres tipos de fincas, la tipo 1 son las más eficientes en el uso de insumos, en rentabilidad y en productividad con 49 TM/ha/año, pero solo representan el 10% del total de fincas. Estas fincas tienen 0,8 ha de cultivo de plátano, con densidades de siembra mayores a 2 000plantas/ha, usan cormos de 500 a 800g, aplican sulfato de amonio, apuntalan las plantas, embolsan los racimos, renuevan las plantaciones cada 1 a 2 años y las personas que atienden estas plantaciones son menores de 50 años. Por otro lado, el 66% de las fincas productoras se ubican en el tipo 3 cuya producción es de 18TM/ha/año. Conclusión: Las fincas de los seis cantones presentan significativas diferencias, en especial en área cultivada y productividad, siendo las fincas menores a 1ha los más eficientes y de mayor rentabilidad, y las de Alta Talamanca las más biodiversas con el 79% de las fincas manejadas como Sistemas agroforestales. El cultivo del plátano es un sistema de producción vulnerable, principalmente por el manejo agronómico, los escasos controles fitosanitarios y la débil capacitación que reciben las personas agricultoras

Emergency drills for drought response: a case study in Guatemala

Drills are an important element of disaster management, helping to increase preparedness and reduce the risk of real-time failure. Yet they are not systematically applied to slow-onset disasters such as drought, which cause damage that is not immediately apparent and thus do not solicit immediate action. This case study evaluates how drills inform institutional responses to slow-onset disasters. We focus on Guatemala, a country where drought has severe impacts on livelihoods and food security of small farmers. Implementing part of the Ministry of Agriculture institutional response plan for drought, we explore how drills can help to detect issues in drought emergency response and to obtain an institutional focus on improvements in preparedness. Findings show that emergency drills alone do not trigger institutional improvement if unsupported by a wider strategy aiming at improvement of protocols and capacities. They are valuable, however, in making problems transparent and in creating space for discussion

The Rural Household Multiple Indicator Survey, data from 13,310 farm households in 21 countries

The Rural Household Multiple Indicator Survey (RHoMIS) is a standardized farm household survey approach which collects information on 758 variables covering household demographics, farm area, crops grown and their production, livestock holdings and their production, agricultural product use and variables underlying standard socio-economic and food security indicators such as the Probability of Poverty Index, the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale, and household dietary diversity. These variables are used to quantify more than 40 different indicators on farm and household characteristics, welfare, productivity, and economic performance. Between 2015 and the beginning of 2018, the survey instrument was applied in 21 countries in Central America, sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. The data presented here include the raw survey response data, the indicator calculation code, and the resulting indicator values. These data can be used to quantify on- and off-farm pathways to food security, diverse diets, and changes in poverty for rural smallholder farm households

Good data are not enough: Understanding limited information use for climate risk and food security management in Guatemala

Climate extremes are one of the main drivers of acute food insecurity. In Guatemala, acute food insecurity reaches alarming levels when the usual dry period during the bimodal rainy seasons is extended or starts earlier than expected. Drought has a slow-onset which theoretically leaves sufficient lead-time for addressing impacts on food security. In practice, emergency response to drought is often reactive and arrives late, starting when the crisis is already evolving. Climate services and food security information systems are key ingredients for integrated climate risk and food security management worldwide. In Guatemala, stakeholders broadly agree on the usefulness of this type of information for decision-making and direct significant efforts towards improving information availability and quality. But the impact of agro-climatic and food security information on decisions is ad hoc or not systematic. Through a mix of qualitative, ethnographic, and participatory methods, we investigated why this situation occurs. We found that different aspects lead to this phenomenon: the impact of drought on food security is mediated by different socio-economic, political, and institutional factors that tend to differ strongly between regions or even communities across the country. This puts special requirements on information provision for decision-making. Information use patterns can be explained by technical, data-related aspects as reliability, timeliness, or accessibility. But only by considering the institutional and organizational context we get a complete understanding on what frames the information-use patterns in climate and food security management in Guatemala. Our research shows that investments in technical aspects of data provision and infrastructure for increased climate and food security management need to address institutional and organizational challenges in order to be effective

The Rural Household Multiple Indicator Survey (RHoMIS) data of 13,310 farm households in 21 countries

The Rural Household Multiple Indicator Survey (RHoMIS) is a standardized farm household survey approach which collects information on 753 variables covering household demographics, farm area, crops grown and their production, livestock holdings and their production, agricultural product use and variables underlying standard socio-economic and food security indicators like the Poverty Probability Index, the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale and dietary diversity. These variables are used to quantify more than 40 different aggregate indicators on farm household characteristics, welfare, productivity and economic performance. Between 2015 and the beginning of 2018, the survey instrument has been applied in 21 countries in Central America, sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. The data presented here cover the raw data, the indicator calculation code and the resulting indicator values, and can be used to quantify on- and off-farm pathways to food security, diverse diets and reduced poverty of rural smallholder farm households

The Rural Household Multiple Indicator Survey (RHoMIS) data of 13,310 farm households in 21 countries

The Rural Household Multiple Indicator Survey (RHoMIS) is a standardized farm household survey approach which collects information on 753 variables covering household demographics, farm area, crops grown and their production, livestock holdings and their production, agricultural product use and variables underlying standard socio-economic and food security indicators like the Poverty Probability Index, the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale and dietary diversity. These variables are used to quantify more than 40 different aggregate indicators on farm household characteristics, welfare, productivity and economic performance. Between 2015 and the beginning of 2018, the survey instrument has been applied in 21 countries in Central America, sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. The data presented here cover the raw data, the indicator calculation code and the resulting indicator values, and can be used to quantify on- and off-farm pathways to food security, diverse diets and reduced poverty of rural smallholder farm households. (2019-10-31