This report seeks to advance the actionable understanding of an emerging set of approaches for data-driven food systems across stakeholders. It explores opportunities for data to enable better decision-making, advance business, product and partnership models, and empower stakeholders across the value chain. It highlights examples showcasing these models in practice. Data-driven food systems – empowered by digital connectivity – is not a new concept; however, the COVID-19 crisis has underscored the necessity of this approach and the urgent need to bring significant resources to bear as a central enabler for the food systems of tomorrow. The current crisis provides an opportunity to strategically rethink and retool the food systems to enable widespread digitalization and data-driven transformation along the agricultural value chain and beyond, resulting in a more integrated approach to uniquely identify long-term solutions that benefit the rural and economic development of entire countries. This paper, prepared by the World Economic Forum’s COVID Action for Food Systems – Africa: Data and Information Platforms Working Group, is intended as a starting point to advance actionable understanding on an emerging set of approaches for data-driven food systems across stakeholders.

[2]