The FAO headquarters in Rome was this morning abuzz with delegates and participants to the much anticipated International Symposium on Agricultural Innovation for Family Farmers , which runs from the 21st to the 23rd of November 2018. The theme of this symposium is ‘unlocking the potential of agricultural innovation to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals ”. This theme was chosen amidst the global challenges facing the world which have affected the sustainability of food and agricultural systems, affecting livelihoods of millions of family farmers worldwide. Hence, innovation is the...
Most of us are familiar with Wikipedia, which is a free online encyclopedia, created and edited by volunteers around the world and hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation. What about Wikifarmer ? Similarly, it is a user created online farming library. Wikifarmer helps all farmers across the planet find valuable information regarding their existing or potential crops and livestock. The resource is designed to give practical solutions that can be applied by the average farmer. Wikifarmer is available in 8 languages: English, Spanish, French, Arabic, Portuguese, Russian, Greek and Hindi. Users can...
In 2018, FAO launched multiple open innovation challenge to find high-potential digital solutions to address challenges faced by food and agriculture and improve livelihoods. Participants benefited from the specific know-how and skill sets of FAO and private sector experts in IT development, food and agriculture, business model canvas and pitching, culminating in a final pitch sessions and awards for the most innovative, scalable, impactful and financially sustainable start-ups or solutions. From 19-20 August, 24 entrepreneurs, 8 teams across 7 countries in Africa came together in Kigali,...
On Monday 19 November 2018, FAO is organizing a workshop on “ The development of a national e-agriculture strategy for Armeni a” within the framework of the EU-funded FAO project “ ENPARD Technical Assistance to the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Armenia ”. The workshop will provide the opportunity to understand how Armenia can develop its national e-agriculture strategy. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have long been recognized as key enablers for bridging the digital divide and achieving the three dimensions of sustainable development: economic growth,...
The High-level Panel on Digital Cooperation has announced a call for contributions where they are seeking inputs from individuals, government, academic/research groups and various stakeholders to supply contributions that are to inform its deliberations and development of actionable recommendations for the report. Submissions should reflect one or the following aspects of digital cooperation:- what values and principles should underpin cooperation in the digital realm; how can stakeholders cooperate more effectively in the digital realm, including how can marginalized stakeholders be included...
Tiny automated machines could soon take care of the entire growing process (Source: The Guardian) The Guardian reports that in the rural Hampshire, a robot called Rachel is pootling around an overgrown field. Rachel has four USB ports, a disc-like GPS receiver and the nuts and bolts of a system called Lidar, through which she can move and orient herself using laser beams. As she moves she is taking close-up photograph of the plants and soils around her which is sent to a central database. The data she collects will be used into a forensic map of the field and the wider farm beyond. Rachel was...
As development programmes increasingly deploy digital tools and invest in increasing access, we need to engage with issues of data security and cybersecurity in a more informed and comprehensive way. The report Digital Inclusion and a Trusted Internet: The Role of the International Development...
A presentation made at the ICT4D Conference by Abdelaziz Lawani Drones have grown to be widely accepted in agriculture. Current evidence shows that UAVs are effective in evaluating land use, land cover, assessing the impacts of disasters, securing property rights and have great potential for increasing agricultural productivity. At the last ICT4D 2018 Conference , Abdelaziz Lawani made a presentation on the use of drones in agriculture. An interesting focus of this presentation was; Does the adoption of UAVs or drones in agricultural practices make the farming activities more efficient or...
The Digital Technologies for Resilience Workshop , which FHI 360 is organizing with support from the Rockefeller Foundation , will take place in Bangkok on November 27-28, 2018. This workshop follows the first similar workshop held in 2017. The workshop was set up as a space where participants within the developmental field can share with and learn from like-minded practitioners about how to sustainably scale digital technologies to enhance resilience. The workshop is funded by the Rockefeller Foundation and is organized by FHI 360 and Digital Impact Alliance (Dial) is a resource partner...
The ICT4D Conference organising committee is pleased to announce the "Call for Speakers" to the 11th ICT4D conference which will take place on April 30th to May 3rd 2019 in Kampala, Uganda. ICT4D conference is a yearly gathering that bring together public, private and civil society organizations from across the humanitarian and international development community. Participants share how they have used innovations in technology to solve today's humanitarian and developmental issues and also how ICTs increase impact of their work. Conference themes for 2019 Agriculture Digital Financial...
As development programmes increasingly deploy digital tools and invest in increasing access, we need to engage with issues of data security and cybersecurity in a more informed and comprehensive way. The report Digital Inclusion and a Trusted Internet: The Role of the International Development...
