On 19-20 August 2018, FAO and Rwanda ICT Chamber hosted #HackAgainstHunger/Africa in Kigali, Rwanda to identify and develop youth-led innovative business models and digital services to unlock the largely untapped reservoir of youth employment. The innovation challenge brought together 24 young entrepreneurs from 7 countries of Africa with solid proposals to transform the food and agriculture sector and generate economic growth. The hackathon was a side event of FAO’s Regional Conference on Youth Employment and ICTs in Food and Agriculture as a Solid Solution for Ending Hunger held at the...
Youth Employment in Agriculture as a Solid Solution to ending Hunger and Poverty in Africa conference started on a high note in Kigali, Uganda with key participation from the government of Rwanda, African Union (AU) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The conference brings a number of stakeholders with an interest in creating employment in agriculture and exploring how the ICTs can also be used. The conference is structured with discussions, exhibitions, and hackathons and networking sessions, see the conference page for more information The e-Agriculture, is part of the FAO...
Image credit : FAO/ART Project In Rwanda, one main constraint limiting the development of the potato value chain is related to a lack of reliable information on the prices of potatoes and quantities available in the market which makes forecasting costs of processors difficult, a constraint which is outside the direct control of the firm. Furthermore, the impact of climate change is putting unprecedented stress and threats on the livelihoods of potato farmers in north-western districts of the country. Reducing climatic risks require robust and innovative tools that can help producers and...
The Global Forum on Agricultural Research and Innovation (GFAR), the Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition initiative (GODAN), the Technical Center for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) and the Kuratorium für Technik und Bauwesen in der Landwirtschaft (KTBL) held an e-consultation on ethical, legal and policy aspects of open data affecting smallholder farmers. The forum took place on the e-Agriculture platform from 4th till 8th of June 2018.The purpose of the e-consultation was to solicit views from the community on issues affecting smallholder farmers in developing countries...
BBC news reports that digital technology from apps to blockchain technology are opening new ways for farmers and smallholders to new ways of doing business. The featured article focuses on one farmer, Take Muhammed Adams who is a cocoa farmer attested that technology run by commodities giant Olam has helped him improve his productivity and pest management. The case of Olam is previewed as an avenue for digital initiatives used in agriculture, and they have done so for the past 18 months. Olam apps allow farm products to be tracked from the farm to the markets and allows farmers to check cocoa...
The CGIAR Platform for Big Data in Agricultur e has announced “ The Inspire Challenge ” which calls upon partners, universities, and others to use CGIAR data to create innovative pilots projects that can be scaled up. The winning teams will receive $100,000 to put their ideas into practice and the teams will be given 12 months to implement small-scale proof of concepts pilots to demonstrate viability. “We’re looking for novel approaches that democratize data-driven insights to inform local, national, regional, and global policies and applications in agriculture and food security in real time...
FOSS4g2018 meeting will take place in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania from the 27th of August to the 2nd of September 2018 and there will be a large GIS community in attendance. In this light, CGIAR, IFPRI, WeRobotics and Tanzania Flying Labs are organising a "Drones for Agriculture" Knowledge Sharing Day on Friday 24th of August in Dar es Salaam. Interested persons within the agriculture are invited to sign-up. Places are limited to 50 participants. Participants will be chosen based on their application. The event is free of charge, however travel & lodging needs to be paid by participants...
This week is the 6th World Forest Week and it coincides with the 2th session of Food and Agriculture Organization’s Committee on Forestry (COFO) Undoubtedly the focus of this week is forests! The theme of this week is ‘ Forests and the Sustainable Development Goals –from aspiration to action ’ The major highlight of this week is launch of publication, The State of The World’s Forests: Forest Pathways to Sustainable Development, whose aim is to provide new information to help interlinkages and enhance the understanding of how policies on forests and trees help achieve SDG15 and also seeks to...
The e-Agriculture Community is invited to participate to the ‘ Youth Employment in Africa as a Solid Solution to ending Hunger and Poverty in Africa ’ online discussion hosted on FSN Forum Africa. Members in Africa and/or who work or are knowledgeable to the issues under debate are welcome to participate. The discussion is part of the conference " Youth Employment in Agriculture as a Solid Solution to ending Hunger and Poverty in Africa: Engaging through Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and Entrepreneurship ". This online discussion is held to collect views around the three...
The application for the mobile for humanitarian innovation fund for Round 2 opened on the 16th of July 2018 and will close on the 10th of August 2018. Eligible e-Agriculture CoP members are encouraged to apply. The GSMA Mobile for Humanitarian Innovation Fund The GSMA Mobile for Humanitarian Innovation Fund aims to promote innovation in the use of mobile technology to address humanitarian challenges. The fundings will test new technical solutions, catalyse ideas to improve or transform institutional systems and to empower and assist individuals and communities affected by complex emergencies...