Table of Contents
Who is Dikoda?
Dikoda is as a mission-driven social enterprise, registered in England and Wales, with a head office in London and a sub-regional office in Fiji. We bring together a global core team with a flexible pool of expert consultants and local research partners across Africa, Asia, and the Pacific. This structure allows us to stay agile, draw on deep technical expertise, and embed context and community priorities into every stage of the research process.
Meet our entire team here.
What does Dikoda do?
Dikoda provides research and technical assistance services within the field of applied nutrition, food systems, and global health. Our expertise spans the full spectrum of research and evaluation, with particular strengths in food systems analysis, climate and nutrition policy, and multi-stakeholder engagement. We design and implement complex, mixed-methods studies that inform policy, programming, and practice in LMICs. Our work is grounded in context-specific evidence, participatory action research methods, co-designed solutions, and strong partnerships with local researchers, institutions, and communities.
Who does Dikoda work with?
Dikoda partners with a wide range of national and international development actors across Africa, Asia, and the Pacific. Our partners include governments, UN agencies, international NGOs, and private sector organisations – such as FAO, WFP, and others – who are shaping policies and programmes that affect nutrition, food systems, and public health.
We collaborate through a variety of contracting mechanisms, including service agreements, subcontracts, and framework arrangements.
What countries is Dikoda in?
We have delivered research and advisory work in 52 countries, with current collaborations across Asia, Africa, and the Pacific. This includes Kenya and 14 Pacific Island countries – the Cook Islands, Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
As a mobile organization, we are always expanding into new countries, as well as setting up new local offices to improve engagement and ensure our work is adapted to local contexts.
How do I contact Dikoda?
To contact Dikoda, simply fill out the form on our ‘Contact Us’ page and we will get back to you shortly.
You can also connect with us on social media. Come say hello on X or LinkedIn!
Can I work for Dikoda?
How is Dikoda a social enterprise?
At Dikoda, we work hard to be a social enterprise that builds communities and strives for a better, more equal world. We focus on increasing opportunities for women and researchers from low- and middle-income countries, and in fact, the majority of our team is currently made up of women from around the world. We also offer scholarships, fund critical research, and support junior researchers in their studies.
Additionally, we are always looking for opportunities to collaborate and offer our expertise on a pro bono basis, working beyond the profit motive to discover dynamic new ideas and solutions to problems that the world needs.
Why is food security in Asia-Pacific so important?
Even before the COVID pandemic hit, nearly 1 billion people in the Asia-Pacific region suffered from food insecurity. Today, this number is growing as continuing urbanization in Asia pushes food systems to their breaking point, and a crisis of obesity and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) threatens to overwhelm the Pacific Islands.
Food security in Asia-Pacific is central to Dikoda because the region is one in which a monumental difference can, and must, be made.
Why does Dikoda focus on urban nutrition?
Traditionally, most food security initiatives focused on rural areas. However, today, rapid urbanization around the world has shifted food insecurity problems to an urban environment. In Asia, for example, a quarter of the urban population is now food insecure, a higher percentage than in rural areas.
As urbanization continues in Asia and elsewhere, Dikoda believes a focus on urban nutrition is central to the future of global food security.
Why is data vital to food security and nutrition?
As policymakers and organisations invest in food security, doing so with inaccurate or unreliable data risks creating inefficient and ineffective initiatives. Good data, by contrast, enables decision makers to target efforts successfully and understand the benefits and costs of their choices.
At Dikoda, we focus on both sides of the data challenge. We make better use of what already exists – connecting and interpreting programme data, surveys, and research to build a clearer, more useful evidence base. And when current sources fall short, we design and collect the right new data to fill the gaps.
This dual approach means decision makers don’t just get more data – they get the right evidence to design and adapt programmes and policies that are effective.
Why focus on low- and middle-income countries?
New technological innovations in food systems and food data are providing an historic opportunity for low- and middle-income countries to leapfrog the unsustainable methods of the Western world and lead the way into a more efficient, more sustainable era of food security.
At Dikoda, we believe that to focus on these countries is to focus on the future.
Why are workplace nutrition interventions important?
Studies have shown that malnourished workers get sick and miss work more often, and are less productive when they are at work. In fact, it has been estimated that undernutrition alone costs developing countries 11% of their GDP each year. On the other hand, ensuring optimal nutrition in the workplace can raise productivity and earn businesses a profitable return on their investment.
For Dikoda, workplace nutrition interventions are not only a tool to improve the health of workers, but to improve businesses and economies around the world.
Why does Dikoda focus on nutrition programs in schools?
It is well established that malnourished children often suffer from impaired physical and cognitive development, leading to lowered educational attainment in childhood, and lowered earning potential as adults.
By focusing on nutrition interventions in schools, Dikoda seeks to expand opportunities for future generations and finally break the vicious cycle of malnutrition.
Why is maternal nutrition so important?
Dikoda directs a vigorous focus towards maternal nutrition because it is the foundation of all nutrition. Malnourished mothers produce malnourished children, perpetuating a vicious cycle. In other words, to address maternal malnutrition is to address the root of all malnutrition. Moreover, promoting maternal nutrition promotes the economic success of nations, as well as gender equality in societies.
Where can I learn more about what Dikoda is doing?
Check out our blog, which discusses the latest developments in food security and nutrition from around the world.
And make sure to sign up for our newsletter to receive the latest updates and discussions directly to your inbox!
