Digitalizing Food Assistance : Political Economy, Governance, and Food Security Effects Across the Global North-South Divide
Digitalizing Food Assistance : Political Economy, Governance, and Food Security Effects Across the Global North-South Divide
CEDEJ Khartoum and the Faculty of Economic and Social Studies at the University of Khartoum are collaborating on an ongoing research project entitled “ Digitalizing Food Assistance: Political Economy, Governance, and Food Security Effects Across the Global North-South Divide. ” This project, which started in May 2023, has been selected to benefit from an ESRC grant of £1 million.
This project is led by the SOAS Food Studies Center with Dr Susanne Jaspars as the Principal Investigator in collaboration with the Institute for Human Development (IHD) in New Delhi, India, and the University of Khartoum. The Co-Investigators are Dr. C. Sathyamala from IHD and Dr. Tamer Abd Elkreem from the University of Khartoum.
This research explores how the digitalization of food assistance influences access to food for marginalized populations and its role as a source of power. Following the 2008 food and financial crises and the COVID-19 pandemic, governments, businesses, and aid organizations have promoted a range of digital practices to address food insecurity. These practices include the use of mobile phones, smart cards, and banking to transfer money, biometrics for identification, artificial intelligence to predict and categorize needs, and digital platforms for market and agricultural support. However, little is known about their actual effect on food security. The research will examine risks of exclusion, which are likely to disproportionately affect politically marginalized populations such as displaced or migrant groups. It will also explore how these digital practices can exacerbate inequalities, providing opportunities for political control and profit-making.
The research includes three country case studies (in Sudan, India, and the UK) selected to reflect the range of digital food assistance practices used globally, as well as the contrasting political, economic, and governance environments in which they are operationalized. This global dimension also allows for an examination of the role of global businesses and international organizations. Furthermore, the joint leadership between researchers from the Global South and North fosters equitable research partnerships and the co-production of knowledge. To facilitate stakeholder engagement, dissemination, and policy relevance, the project has NGO partners in each country: the Darfur Development and Reconstruction Agency in Sudan, Jan Swasthya Sahyog in India, and The Food Foundation in the UK
Since its relocation to Cairo, CEDEJ Khartoum had the pleasure of welcoming the entire SOAS team in April 2024 for a week full of exchanges and a seminar presented by Suzanne Jaspers on the project. This gathering provided an opportunity to strengthen collaboration between researchers, exchange ideas on ongoing research projects, and set priorities for the project’s future. A similar meeting is scheduled for July 2025.
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cedejsudan (19 février 2023). Digitalizing Food Assistance : Political Economy, Governance, and Food Security Effects Across the Global North-South Divide. Researching Sudan - A perspective on contemporary Sudans. Consulté le 6 février 2025 à l’adresse https://doi.org/10.58079/mhmx