This news item was first published in FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia Climate change adaptation and mitigation, rapid urbanization, increasing natural disasters, migration issues and unresolved humanitarian conflicts... how can digital technologies, data, related policies and legislation help address these complex challenges that today’s world is facing? More than 200 experts from 21 countries and 12 international organizations will meet starting today in Vrdnik, Serbia, to discuss this question and its particular relevance for the region at a conference titled “ Digitally...
The International Telecommunication Union in conjunction with partners is holding the ITU Telecom World ’19 , in Budapest, Hungary from the 9th to the 12th of September 2019. The theme of this edition is ‘ Innovating together: connectivity that matters ’ and brings a cross spectrum of participants from governments, private sector, practitioner and academia. The 5 day events will see dynamic sessions, parallel sessions, interviews, ITU Telecom Awards and the exhibition . FAO is supporting three sessions during this week. These are Wednesday, 10 September 2019 Theme: Developing Digital...
The African Green Revolution Forum is underway in Accra, Ghana and the FAO E-Agriculture team is participating and facilitated a parallel session on Establishing the International Digital Council for Food and Agriculture, on the 3rd of September and the FAO CIO director also spoke on the Panel Discussion on Evidence-Based Leadership and Data Systems on Tuesday, 3 September from 14:30 – 16:30 On the 4th of September, FAO team is invited to attend and participate to the Digital Agriculture Knowledge Sharing side event, which will see practitioners such as CTA, Dalberg, GSMA, MaMo Panel and...
All roads this week lead to Accra, Ghana which hosts the African Green Revolution Forum 2019 under the theme, “ Grow digital: Leveraging digital transformation to drive sustainable food systems in Africa ” The Africa Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) is a platform for global and African leaders to develop actionable plans that will move African agriculture forward. Initially established as an annual “African Green Revolution Conference” by Yara International ASA in Norway in 2006, the conference moved to the African continent in 2010 with the championing of the late Kofi Annan to take an African...
In June, CTA published The Digitalisation of African Agriculture Report, 2018-2019 which explained the agricultural transformation in Africa. The executive summary of this report has been published. The summary provides a glance of the Digital Agriculture in Africa statistics, includes the market opportunities, the D4Ag Solutions and various models that work in Africa. D4Ag in Africa at a glance : CTA With the right policies, innovation and investment, Africa’s agriculture could be transformed into a powerhouse not only to feed a growing population but to create decent employment for millions...
The world is facing an imminent challenge – the world population is expected to grow from 7.7 billion to 10 billion by 2050 ; today (with a population of 7.7) more than 820 million people are hungry globally. Does this mean that the world needs to produce more food to feed the hungry? Evidence seems to suggest that food production should increase. However, many of the farmers in the global south are aged and very few youths are replacing them. Can technology help in ensuring increased agricultural productivity? In a recent blog , Jean –Philippe Courtois , President at Microsoft Global Sales...
The WFP Innovation Accelerator identifies, supports and scales high-potential solutions to hunger worldwide. Innovation is important in order for WFP (and other agencies) to deliver on the mandate to end hunger. The Innovation Accelerator offers financial support, training and access to WFP partners and technical experts. Selected teams get an opportunity to develop their projects and receive up to US$ 100 thousand. The 2019 Programme Dates There were 3 cohorts in 2019 and very soon the 3rd cohort will close on the 8th of July 2019 and all eligible start-ups are encouraged to apply. The...
A new publication by FAO that maps the adoption and use of digital innovations and technologies in agriculture has been published. The full report can be downloaded in the following links The full status report in English, link http://www.fao.org/3/ca4985en/ca4985en.pdf , The briefing paper in six UN languages through links below: http://www.fao.org/3/ca4887zh/ca4887zh.pdf (Chinese): http://www.fao.org/3/ca4887es/ca4887es.pdf (Spanish): http://www.fao.org/3/ca4887ru/ca4887ru.pdf (Russian) http://www.fao.org/3/ca4887fr/ca4887fr.pdf (French) http://www.fao.org/3/ca4887ar/ca4887ar.pdf (Arabic)...
FAO welcomes the 3rd AU-EU Agriculture Ministerial Conference in FAO HQ, Rome on the 21st of June 2019. The conference is co-hosted by the African Union Commission and the European Commission. The AU Commissioner for Agriculture and rural economy, Ms Josefa Sacko and her counterpart the EU Commissioner for Agriculture and rural development, Mr. Phil Hogan are expected to attend. The African Union (AU) – European Union (EU) ministerial meetings take place on an ad hoc basis to monitor the progress achieved between summits, and to advance cooperation between both continents in certain fields...
FAO develops livestock-tracking system to help pig farmers expand their markets In Papua New Guinea, no celebration is complete without a pig roast. As one of the few mammals living on the island, pigs play an important role in the country’s culture and economy. Traditionally, smallholder farmers—who raise the vast majority of pigs—have sold their livestock locally, but a rise in global demand for pork means new opportunities to access international markets. Consequently, farmers are looking for a way to prove that their livestock meets international standards—and are now turning to...
