Using Data to Make a Difference: N.C. A&T Team Competes in SAS Hackathon

A team that includes eight graduate students and two faculty members from the Dept. of Natural Resources and Environmental Design is competing against more than 130 teams worldwide in the SAS Hackathon. And, ultimately, their efforts could benefit small-scale rural farmers who historically have faced gender and racial discrimination.

The annual event, sponsored by Triangle-based analytics giant SAS Institute, invites teams of between two and ten people to use their software to develop viable, innovative solutions to real-life problems.

Students in the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences formed Team Esse Quam Videri — which is North Carolina’s state motto and Latin for “to be rather than to seem”— for the competition. Teams were given free access to some of the latest tools from SAS, such as Data Maker and SAS Co-Pilot, for their data analysis and submission. They collaborated on the project for about a month.

By working to create open-source, small-farm data sets that protect sensitive information, Team Esse Quam Videri’s project ultimately aims to give policymakers more comprehensive data on the challenges faced by female and minority owners of small-scale farms.

That data is difficult to come by because, while federal agencies generate a myriad of farm data, it is not generally available because of privacy concerns.

“Due to the lack of open access to such data sets, researchers are required to spend tens of thousands of dollars to get access to the data,” said Harmandeep Sharma, Ph.D., research assistant professor in the Dept. of Natural Resources and Environmental Design. Sharma led the team, which got assistance from SAS mentors and John N. Ng’ombe, Ph.D., assistant professor of economics, who provided the data used for their project.

Even when the data is accessed, the challenges marginalized farmers face — based on their gender, race or education level — is muffled by the mass of information from white, male and more educated farmers.

A study co-authored by Ng’ombe and published in the Journal of Rural Studies, found that white-operated farms had 161% more land, are 2.88 miles closer to markets and earn $174,000 more than Black-operated farms. The study also found that male-operated farms have 150% more acres and $126,000 higher gross income than female-operated farms.

To protect sensitive information, Team Esse Quam Videri’s project used SAS Data Maker to encrypt data such as an individual’s name, address, income or other private information.

The software allowed the team to efficiently generate quality microdata, team member and graduate research assistant Edmond Kwekutsu said.

And that data could be used to support changes in policy that can benefit marginalized populations, Sharma said.

“It’s a really good opportunity for students — for all of us — to see how we can use this new technology to solve these problems,” Sharma said, adding that it is the first time N.C. A&T has participated in the contest.  She is confident that the global competition will become an annual event for N.C. A&T students.

Team member and graduate assistant Oludotun Adelusi, praised the exercise for broadening his insight into what is possible. “It’s like opening the door to something you did not expect,” Adelusi said.

Another team member and research assistant, Joel Alabi, said the project also enhances the students’ professional opportunities. “Now that I have a relationship with SAS mentors, it’s kind of building a network for me.”

More than 1,700 participants from 71 countries registered for the event, representing 727 organizations, according to the SAS Hackathon newsletter.

Winners will be announced on Nov. 20 with an award ceremony broadcast live on LinkedIn and YouTube. While there are no monetary prizes, the teams retain their intellectual property. The global winner will be celebrated at the SAS Innovate event next May in Orlando, Fla.