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Information and communications technology in food assistance Edgardo Yu
1. Introduction Information and communications technology (ICT) refers to the range of technologies that allow the gathering, exchange, retrieval, processing, analysis and transmission of information. The rise of ICT as a tool for general interaction is evident from the wide acceptance of the Internet as a platform for communication and knowledge sharing, and from the pervasive adoption of mobile communications all around the world. Internet users grew from 183 million people in 1998 to 1.542 billion in 2008. During the same period, subscribers of mobile cellular telephones grew from 490 million to 4.1 billion (International Telecommunications Union, 2009). These developments, more social than technical, have had an impact on the way global organizations conduct business. Humanitarian organizations are no exception. Most stakeholders – donors, United Nations agencies, civil society, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and even beneficiaries – now rely on technology to varying degrees. This has led to changes in the ICT functions of humanitarian organizations such as WFP, where information technology has evolved to the point where it not only provides operational support, but has also begun to change and enable programmatic activities through new capabilities. In particular, ICTs in food assistance programmes have advanced from being personal productivity tools to becoming tools for extending and optimizing endto-end supply chain processes. This chapter examines the various approaches and trends in the use of technology to support the mobilization and delivery of food assistance.