1. A Cost-Effective Approach to Meeting Data Needs for Multi-Purpose Land Governance in Africa
Marc A. Levy
Markus Walsh
Earth Institute, Columbia University
and Africa Soil Information Service (AfSIS)
Annual World Bank Conference on Land and Poverty
20-24 March 2017

2. But Therefore Premises
Many land governance challenges are data-constrained
In many places sustainable development is land- governance constrained
So everybody is in favor of better data to support land governance
Many land-governance data challenges are cost- constrained
Demand for better data is escalating across the entire development agenda
But
Therefore
Supply of data systems is cost- effectiveness constrained

3. Information Volume

4. Success in this period can be rapid and dramatic, if we pay more attention to cost-effectiveness
Information Volume
Policy communities that bend the curve fastest will make the most progress

5. Each new goal adds to the cost
We think about multiple goals differently now
Old
New
Each new goal adds to the cost
Each goal needs the other goals to succeed
Weiss, N. et al. (2014), Cross-sectoral integration in the Sustainable Development Goals: a nexus approach, SEI Discussion Brief.

6. Each platform competes to show how valuable and cost-effective it can be. Decision-makers invest to point of diminishing returns within each platform.

7. Each marginal investment in any one data technology changes the level/value curve of the other data technologies
With multiple data technologies , you want to choose a combination that is the most efficient at generating value
Efficient frontier of technology portfolios
Accessible satellite imagery makes crowd sourcing more valuable
Robotic spectroscopy labs make soil collection efforts more valuable
Soil maps make field trials more powerful
Single-technology curves
In this space you are creating a measurement surplus; it’s not alchemy – it’s real

8. Example: Sustainable Agricultural Intensification in Africa
Where should intensification take place?
How much fertilizer should be applied?
What kind of fertilizer is best?
How can negative impacts on water and biodiversity be minimized?
Example: Sustainable Agricultural Intensification in Africa
Don’t settle for inappropriate data if you can create alternatives fast and cheaply
Use new lab technology to reduce soil sample test cost from $100 to $1 per sample.
Fully exploit all the free satellite data
Add ultra-high precision data selectively, where adds most value

12. Implications Think of data systems as systems
Each new data intervention changes the system
Optimize the system
The potential increases in value are quite large
If you don’t know what the impacts will be, experiment