There is a woman in Northern Ghana who breaks yesterday’s leftover banku in water to feed her children before school.
There is a taxi driver in Lagos who skips breakfast so his kids can have lunch.

There is a farmer in rural Rwanda who eats only what he harvests never what he desires.

These stories don’t always show up in spreadsheets, dashboards, or online surveys.
They are spoken softly. Sometimes hesitantly. Often only when someone asks and truly listens.

That is where telephone surveys (CATI – Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing) rise above every other data collection method. They hear the plate before they count it.

Why Traditional Surveys Miss the Real Picture

Food and nutrition research is often conducted through online questionnaires, email links, or passive digital polls. While fast, they leave out:

• Rural households without reliable internet
• Elderly caregivers with no digital literacy
• Low-income families using basic mobile phones
• Women who don't own smartphones but control household meals

This creates a data bias urban voices dominate reports, while rural hunger is underreported.
Telephone surveys correct that imbalance.

Why Phone Surveys Are a Game-Changer in Nutrition Research

Unlike static forms, a phone call allows interaction. Clarification. Emotion. Trust. With CATI tools and trained interviewers:

Research Need	Online Form	Telephone Survey
Reaching low-income/rural households	❌ Limited	✅ Highly accessible
Capturing emotional nuance	❌ No tone	✅ Voice reveals stress or pride
Clarifying misunderstood questions	❌ Impossible	✅ Interviewer rephrases
Response rates	Low	High with call-back strategy
Human connection	None	Strong

A telephone survey is not just about “data collection”; it is a conversation.

Real Voices, Real Context-What Respondents Reveal Over the Phone

When respondents speak out loud, they reveal more than numbers. They explain:

• Why they skip meals
• How parents prioritize children over themselves
• What food choices they dream of, not just what they settle for
• How culture shapes diet (e.g., millet vs rice, cassava vs wheat)

For nutrition programs, NGOs, and policymakers, these insights guide targeted interventions that work not theoretically.

One Method. Multiple Perspectives. Inclusive by Design.

Telephone surveys allow representation across demographics:

Segment	Insight Gained Through CATI
Women	Decision-makers in food allocation within households
Farmers	Consumption of self-grown food vs purchased items
Youth	Fast food patterns vs home-cooked meals
Elderly	Dietary limitations due to health or poverty
Urban slum dwellers	Coping strategies during price hikes

 Every voice counts. Not just those with Wi-Fi.

Emotional Intelligence in Data Collection-The Human Interviewer Advantage

A trained CATI interviewer does more than ask questions they listen to between the lines.

• If a respondent hesitates before saying “we eat two meals a day”, the interviewer gently probes: “Was it always two, or has it reduced recently?”
• If a mother laughs and says, “sometimes we manage”, that is a survival strategy not a joke.

AI cannot interpret that. Algorithms cannot empathize. Only a human ear can.

Faster, Safer, and More Affordable Than Field Surveys

Face-to-face interviews are effective but expensive, slow, and sometimes unsafe in remote or conflict-prone areas.

Telephone surveys offer:

✔ Wide geographic reach without travel
✔ Multilingual call agents for local dialects
✔ Lower cost per completed response
✔ Audio-recorded calls for quality control
✔ 100% remote data collection during pandemics or crises

How CATI Africa Powers Food and Nutrition Research Across the Continent

At CATI Africa, we specialize in nutrition-focused telephone surveys for:

• NGOs and humanitarian agencies
• Development partners
• Public health institutions
• Market research firms and donor-funded programs

Our system ensures:

·       Targeted sampling rural, urban, gender, age-segmented

·       Native-speaking interviewers across West, East, Central, and Southern Africa

·       Real-time monitoring and quality assurance

·       Fast delivery of insights not just raw data

If Food Is Life, Then Data Must Be Alive Too

Food security is not just about knowing what people eat it is about understanding why they eat that way.

And that truth only emerges when someone calls, listens, and cares.

Let’s Turn Conversations into Change

If you need nutrition data that speaks not just numbers but lived experiences
CATI Africa is your partner.

·      Reach rural and urban households with dignity

·      Hear real voices, not filtered responses

·      Get insights that inform real policy and program decisions

Contact us to launch your next telephone survey today.

Because every plate has a story and we’re here to help you hear it.