The GSMA has announced GSMA Innovation Fund for eight grants of £220,000 each to support projects for 24 months duration. The GSMA Innovation Fund for Digitisation of Agricultural Value Chains aims to scale digital solutions for the agricultural last mile and improve smallholders’ financial inclusion, livelihood and climate resilience. Grants are available across two categories of application Applications for funding across both categories are assessed through a two-stage application process. Concept Note: The first step will be to submit a Concept Note, which outlines the project objectives...
The Alliance for a Green Revolution (AGRA) is launching a Call for Rural Innovative Solutions in agriculture to invite the submission of write-ups for known existing solutions applicable to rural agriculture. These solutions should enable smallholder farmers to increase their production, incomes and generate employment for youth and women. The focus would be on solutions generated or piloted by the private sector for up scaling and adoption by smallholder farmers. The shortlisted solutions will be documented, packaged into knowledge products and promoted at global showcasing events for AGRA,...
by Tom Price, Independent Writer for ICT4D Conference Humans have been farming the African landscape for thousands of years, and not a great deal has changed over the many centuries. The slow rhythms of the agricultural seasons are what really drive this continent with more than 60 percent of the population working on the land. But change is afoot. Digital technology is introducing remarkable innovations to agriculture through accessible mechanization, improving farmers resilience to shocks like floods, and identifying land improvements. The mechanical power of the tractor revolutionized...
SciDevNet opines that the use of ICT tools is helping smallholders access farm inputs and increase yields. The article reviews a project in Uganda that is using ICTs to empower smallholder farmers. The situation : A major problem that has been confronting the two Ugandan smallholders – who epitomise the struggles of many in Sub-Saharan Africa – is the lack of adequate information on best farming practices such as when and how to plant that could lead to increased productively, more income from their produce and better livelihoods. But a project in Uganda that uses information and...
Today is the EU Digital Day and the EU Member States signed three Declarations to pool efforts and resources for accelerating digital developments in key areas that are expected to bring tangible benefits to states economies and societies. Digital Day is a unique event intended to enable the EU and interested Member States to pool efforts and resources with a view to accelerating digital developments in key areas that can bring tangible benefits to our economies and our societies. #DigitalDay2019 The digital day "brings Member States and EU institutions together with partners from industry,...
The Technologies and Practices for Small Agricultural Producers (TECA) is an online platform that gathers successful agricultural technologies and practices to facilitate knowledge exchange and help family farmers in the field. Recently TECA has launched the first moderated discussion on the topic of Agricultural Mechanization and is done between FAO AGPM and the Young Professionals in Agriculture and Rural Development (YPARD). The online discussion will be held from the 3rd to the 15th of April 2019 and is addressing the question, “ Can mechanization drive youth into agriculture in Sub-...
The Government of Japan and FAO have handed over to the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement a project that is aimed at strengthening small farmers overcome bird flu and fall armyworm (FAW). Amongst other things the project provided the following tools - For HPAI, an active surveillance system consisting of two Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) machines will be used for the rapid detection of influenza viruses. Whereas for FAW, 340 government extension officers will be provided with smartphones equipped with the FAW Monitoring and Early Warning...
FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia has launched a call on digital innovations for agriculture in that region. The call aims at collecting lessons learned and recommendations for the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) or digital innovations in the sectors of agriculture, livestock, fisheries, forestry or rural development. Selected innovations will be disseminated on online platforms, social media and will be part of an online FAO publication on the use of digital technologies for agriculture in Europe and Central Asia. Topic The innovations you wish to...
The sixty-third session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW63) will take place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 11 to 22 March 2019. Representatives of Member States, UN entities, and ECOSOC-accredited non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from all regions of the world...
By Günther Feiler , Capacity Development Officer, FAO Rome, and Thomas Muenzel , Investment Support Officer, FAO Bangkok ( The article was originally published by the ICTworks and we reproduce for our community. All rights acknowledged) Experience has shown that substantial public investments in agricultural production, transport and storage infrastructure, combined with private on-farm investment are essential for promoting pro-poor economic growth, bringing people out of poverty and ending food insecurity and malnutrition. The FAO State of Food and Agriculture Report in 2012 found that the...
The sixty-third session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW63) will take place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 11 to 22 March 2019. Representatives of Member States, UN entities, and ECOSOC-accredited non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from all regions of the world...