Escaping rural hunger and poverty in the developing world: A Global Farming Data Competition

The Rural Household Multiple Indicator Survey (RHoMIS) tool was used to gather data on farming practices from rural households in Zambia and other countries (photo credit: ILRI/Sabrina Chesterman).

This post is written by ILRI post-doctoral scientist James Hammond with contributions from ILRI communications officer Paul Karaimu.

The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and the Jean Golding Data Science Institute at the University of Bristol, UK, have launched a Global Farming Data Competition 2018.

The two organizations are challenging any data lovers to come up with novel, useful or exciting ways to use a big new dataset to improve understanding of farming practices and outcomes in low-income countries.

The dataset contains approximately 5,000 interviews with farmers from Central America, East and West Africa and Southeast Asia. The Rural Household Multiple Indicator Survey (RHoMIS) tool was used to gather data on farming practices, sales and consumption, as well as livelihoods, gender roles and food security. The data from all the sites can be compared and is available as calculated indicators or as raw data.

This is a sneak-preview of the entire RHoMIS dataset which so far includes more than 10,000 households and is unique in the degree of comparability across all sites, as well as the systematic coverage of issues which drive food security and the use of standardised metrics. The full RHoMIS dataset is a result of collaboration between many CGIAR centres, donor organizations, non-governmental organizations and universities.

Teams (or keen individuals) can submit entries up until 30 Mar 2018. The winners will be announced in Bristol on 12 Apr 2018 and the best entrants invited to display their work later in the year. Participants will compete for a cash prize of GBP1,000.

Read more about the competition.