{"id":2671,"date":"2017-11-26T22:13:36","date_gmt":"2017-11-26T22:13:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/davidgerard.co.uk\/blockchain\/?p=2671"},"modified":"2017-11-30T20:36:42","modified_gmt":"2017-11-30T20:36:42","slug":"the-world-food-programmes-much-publicised-blockchain-has-one-participant-i-e-its-a-database","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/davidgerard.co.uk\/blockchain\/2017\/11\/26\/the-world-food-programmes-much-publicised-blockchain-has-one-participant-i-e-its-a-database\/","title":{"rendered":"The World Food Programme’s much-publicised “blockchain” has one participant \u2014 i.e., it’s a database"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>The World Food Programme<\/a> is a branch of the United Nations Development Group that helps food security for 80 million people worldwide, particularly in conflict-torn areas.<\/p>\n

WFP blogged in March 2017: “What is \u2018blockchain\u2019 and how is it connected to fighting\u00a0hunger?”<\/a> about managing cash disbursements in Pakistan:<\/p>\n

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The first, successful test at field level of WFP\u2019s blockchain innovation\u200a\u2014\u200acalled \u2018Building Blocks\u2019\u200a\u2014\u200awas carried out in January deep in the heart of Sindh province, Pakistan. As vulnerable families received WFP food and cash assistance, the transactions were authenticated and recorded on a public blockchain through a smartphone interface. Transaction reports generated were then used to match the disbursements with entitlements.<\/p>\n

… Using the lessons learned in this first phase in Pakistan, WFP is now running a full-scale pilot in Azraq refugee camp in Jordan. At present, more than 10,000 Syrian refugees redeem their cash transfers on the blockchain-based system.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The WFP page on Building Blocks<\/a> talks about this Ethereum instance (which was private, not public). The first two paragraphs are a fairly standard series of hypothetical Bitcoin promises with the buzzword changed to “blockchain,” before promising various unspecified cost savings for their cash-based assistance programme.<\/p>\n

WFP is currently piloting a larger, more robust version of the blockchain system in Azraq Refugee camp in Jordan. Currently, more than 10,000 Syrian refugees redeem their WFP provided assistance on the blockchain-based system. As a result of this pilot, WFP will have a full, in-house record of every transaction that occurs at a particular retailer, ensuring greater security and privacy for our beneficiaries as sensitive data does not have to be shared with third parties such as phone companies. This allows for improved accounting and the reduction of third-party costs.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

They’re quite pleased so far:<\/p>\n

Originally scheduled to end on 31 May, the pilot has now been extended indefinitely. WFP will continue to explore use cases beyond cash-based transfers and potentially expand the use of blockchain technology to areas such as digital identity management and supply chain operations.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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They issued a press release<\/a> on 30 May, in which Robert Opp, WFP Director of Innovation and Change Management, said they\u00a0aimed<\/em> to “cut payment costs, better protect beneficiary data, control financial risks, and respond more rapidly in the wake of emergencies.”<\/p>\n

Literally all the benefits of the scheme are stated as possibilities\u00a0\u2014 “could,” “can,” “aims to,” “potential to” \u2014 rather than anything that had been tangibly realised in the pilots.<\/p>\n

The Bitcoin press took to this immediately, as it does. Opp told ETHNews<\/a> that WFP was cutting fees from intermediaries\u00a0\u2014 though not how it was achieving this, given it’s just changing US dollars to Jordanian dinars before disbursement and keeping track of the disbursement. Futurism<\/a> added that the platform had been implemented by Parity<\/a> and Datarella. Datarella’s press release<\/a> does not detail what they put into the project, but refers people to a CoinDesk<\/a> article, which doesn’t either. Parity’s Enterprise page<\/a> mentions the project in passing.<\/p>\n

This all sounds great! Just the thing to help make a good and useful programme work better. But … what are they actually doing? What are the details? What is blockchain in particular<\/i> bringing to the party?<\/p>\n

Joon Ian Wong wrote up<\/a> Houman Haddad from WFP’s\u00a020-minute talk<\/a> about the project at the Ethereum Developers Conference<\/a> on 4 November:<\/p>\n

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