The UN Secretary General has announced a new strategy on technologies which is meant to define and guide the United Nations system in the use of technologies like artificial intelligence, biotechnology, blockchain and robotics for the attainment of the 2030 Agenda. The Strategy on New Technologies sets out 5 principles and 4 Commitments to build internal capacity, advocacy and dialogue, cooperative frameworks and norms, and member state support. The strategy has identified four strategic commitments for the UN and also the wider UN system. In quote, he stated that “These combine elements of...
The Government of Kenya, the Government of Ghana, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation organized the high-level side...
An expert FAO consultation was held in Hungary on the 10th to the 13th of September 2018 on knowledge sharing for agricultural innovations applicable for smallholder and family farmers in Europe and Central Asia. This comes after two major calls for FAO to support Agricultural Innovations Systems (AIS) and develop capacities in Europe and Central Asia. The first was the 39th session of the European Commission of Agriculture (ECA) and the 41st session of the FAO Regional Conference for Europe (ERC), which urged FAO to continue its efforts on knowledge sharing on policies and good practices...
From Islamabad : In an effort to identify a roadmap for the national e-agriculture strategy in Pakistan, two day consultation workshop was organized in Islamabad. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in collaboration with International Telecommunication Union (ITU) brought together representatives from the ministries of National Food Security and Research, Climate change, provincial departments, National Disaster Management Authority, telecommunication companies and private sector stakeholders engaged in agricultural service development and delivery in Pakistan for...
International Data Week (IDW) will be co-located with SciDataCon, CODATA and Research Data Alliance’s (RDA) 12th Plenary in Gaborone, Botswana, November 5-8, 2018. IDW is set to be a unique gathering of data professionals from all corners of the earth. Since many have begun to use drones/RPAS/sUAS1...
Do you have an idea that can solve peoples’ problems, such as end hunger, malnutrition and poverty eradication? Are you willing to transform those bright ideas into global solutions? If yes, the opportunity has arisen with the Development Innovation Ventures (DIV), the USAID’s open innovation program that tests and scales creative solutions to any global development challenge. DIV recognized that innovative solutions come in many forms - whether a product, technology, service, or application of a creative business and delivery model. DIV is an open door to USAID - anyone, anywhere can apply...
The UNIN ‘Innovation in the UN’ Update #03/2018 has been published and it highlights the innovation activities of the UNIN members . In the lead story, UNIN reports that it was tasked to lead the development of an innovation toolkit to promote more innovation in the UN. The toolkit, which is being developed in collaboration with Deloitte, will contain an innovation self-assessment tool and modules on Strategy, Architectures, Partnerships, Culture and Monitoring & Evaluation. The Food and Agriculture Organization joins other 17 agencies with contributions of its innovations, which include...
The International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the Dutch Knowledge Platform on Inclusive Development Policies, and the International Labour Organization ( ILO) have launched a call for concept notes for research to boost decent employment for young African men and women. The call supports action-oriented research that will help design effective and innovative interventions to develop soft skills and digital skills among youth and offer apprenticeships and mentorships in Africa. Nested within the Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for Youth, the call aims to provide key insights,...
Three panellists from Wageningen Economic Research, the social enterprise Moyee Coffee and the World Food Programme will discuss the opportunities and challenges associated with blockchain approaches when compared to existing business models. Organized by the FAO Technical Network on Sustainable...
The UNESCO Chair in ICT4D has published a page that provides a catalog of funding for ICT4D research. This page comes in handy as funding information is haphazardly littered on newsletters, funders’ websites, social media and many other diverse sources. Once can constantly check their page and also contact them for additions. For our e-Agriculture community, we reproduce the list below (we are however not responsible for the up datedness of the information) UK funding agencies EPSRC (physical sciences) – current funding calls Cross-ICT priorities 2017-20 ICT strategy ICT theme ESRC (social...