The growing world population means that food production will have to increase to meet the growing demand. ICTs are touted as one of the boosters and possible contributors to increased agricultural productivity. In a recent blog , it has been argued that the Internet of Things is one of such technologies to be watched. The Internet of Things in agriculture is construed as a “group of technologies that include soil sensors, cameras, weather stations and other technological gadgets that gather data about farming activities”. The data obtained is analysed by algorithms and other software and...
As CGIAR holds the Big Data in Agriculture Convention in Kenya this week, the question of data, big data and open data in agriculture is yet again rejuvenated. The link between farming and data has never been stronger than now. There are many efforts driving the data agenda in agriculture, which include FAO , GODAN , CGIAR , USAID programs , and many others. Data-driven agriculture But what is data-driven agriculture? And what does it mean for smallholder farmers? Perhaps the infographic by Grameen Foundation (for USAID Feed the Future) summarizes the issues ( click on image to download )...
The Committee on Agriculture (COAG) is one of FAO’s Governing Bodies established in 1971 and it meets every two years. Its role is providing overall policy and regulatory guidance on issues relating to agriculture, livestock, food safety, nutrition, rural development and natural resource management. The 26th Session runs from 1-5 October 2018 and was opened by the FAO Director General . The details of the current agenda of COAG can be found here . This year’s COAG is running an exhibition that focuses on Innovation for sustainable food and agriculture . The aim of this exhibition is aptly...
The e-Agriculture community is now above 14,000 users . e-Agriculture is a global community of practice, where people from all over the world exchange information, ideas, and resources related to the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for sustainable agriculture and rural development. Becoming a member of e-Agriculture Community of Practice provides possibilities to: Connect with other community members and share experiences Follow news and blogs published on the e-Agriculture platform Shar e good practices in the use of ICTs in agriculture Learn about new digital trends...
Major new initiative aims to help low-income countries improve collection of agricultural data As published on FAO News 25 September 2018, New York - The lack of timely and high-quality agricultural data is handicapping efforts to implement the UN's sweeping Agenda for Sustainable Development, FAO Director-General Jose Graziano da Silva said today. This is why FAO is joining forces with a wide group of partners — including the World Bank, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)* — to weave existing agricultural data collection...
Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) and its GODAN Action partners in collaboration with Agricultural Data Interest Group (IGAD) are pleased to announce an Open Data in Agriculture Workshop to be held during International Data Week in Gaborone, Botswana on 6 November 2018. The workshop will be part of a two-day meeting of the Agricultural Data Interest Group (IGAD) at the RDA Pre-Plenary meeting. It will provide an overview of open data in agriculture and nutrition and help participants to make better use or share open data. The workshop will provide users with the...
CTA has launched a Call for Proposals to support the implementation of blockchain use cases addressing the agri-food sector in Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific countries. Proposals must be submitted by Monday 12 November 2018, in English or French. A maximum of six grants will be awarded. The maximum amount per grant is Euro 60,000. The objective of this call is to support the implementation of blockchain uses cases addressing the agri-food sector in Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific countries, in order to contribute to its transformation. Information for applicants A maximum of six grants...
The CGIAR Platform for Big Data in Agriculture is where information becomes power: power to predict, prescribe, and produce more food, more sustainably. It aims to democratize decades of agricultural data empowering analysts, statisticians, programmers and more to mine information for trends and...
The African Development Bank and Purdue University are organizing the Scale Up Conference on Agricultural Innovations from September 25-27, 2018, to address how to shift agricultural innovations from research institutions into the developing world, particularly Africa. Scaling up innovations can make an impact on the #ZeroHunger challenge. By 2050 the world needs to feed 35% more people than today as the world population is growing and also a growing need for food security, better nutrition, and improved livelihoods. This conference has lined up dozen of speakers who have implemented scale up...
In a recent press release, UN Women and the World Food Programmw (WFP)have announced that they are breaking new ground by using blockchain to assist Syrian refugee women participating in UN Women’s cash for work programmes at the Za’atari and Azraq refugee camps in Jordan. Before adopting this technology, WFP has been doing cash transfer to refugees via third-party financial service providers such as banks. However, through blockchain, UN women and WFP are exploring the possibility of providing female refugee with cash back at WFP-contracted supermarkets or pay for thier purchases directly...
The CGIAR Platform for Big Data in Agriculture is where information becomes power: power to predict, prescribe, and produce more food, more sustainably. It aims to democratize decades of agricultural data empowering analysts, statisticians, programmers and more to mine information for trends and...
