E-Agriculture

Fostering the digital transformation of agriculture through strategies: national and local perspectives

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Fostering the digital transformation of agriculture through strategies: national and local perspectives

Friday, 13 May 2022 at 9:00-10:00 (CEST), Hybrid (Lodz, Poland and virtual)  

Digital technologies are yielding new growth in the food and agriculture sector and in rural areas. Connectivity, mobile adoption, artificial intelligence, and other emerging technologies are opening doors to new opportunities.  

However, the digital technology dividends are not automatic. Some rural areas in Europe and Central Asia are still falling behind when it comes to the adoption of new technologies due to bottlenecks in the broadband infrastructure, affordability, awareness, digital skills and regulatory issues. 

In recent years, the FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia has supported several Members, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Armenia, and Turkey, in developing national digital agriculture strategies inclusive and focused on smallholder farmers and rural communities. 

While national strategies are essential, local development strategies can also emerge from the bottom-up. Smart Villages, as a community-based approach, and rural communities throughout the European Union and beyond, are becoming innovators in their own right. 

This side event to the 33rd session of the FAO Regional Conference for Europe provides a platform for FAO Members and other stakeholders to share their approaches and strategical standpoints related to digitalization in agriculture and rural development. 

The session aims at discovering how national digital strategies and local initiatives for agricultural and rural development, such as European Smart Villages and FAO Digital Villages, can serve as a bridge to close the rural divide. 

Join the event on Zoom by registering at the following link or follow the web stream (EN, FR, ES, RU). 

Provisional Agenda

Time  Details 
09.00 – 09.05  

Welcome remarks by the moderator 

Ms Daniela Di Gianantonio, FAO Digital Agriculture Team Leader 
09.05 – 09.10 

Opening remarks 

Mr Laurent Thomas, FAO Deputy Director-General  
09.10 – 09.45 

Panel debate 

  • Her Excellency Vanja Avram, Assistant Minister, Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina 
  • Dr Doris Marquardt, Programme Officer, European Commission, Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development  
  • Ms Claire Jordan, Managing Director, European Association for Information on Local Development (AEIDL) 
09.45 – 09.55   Q&A 
09.55 – 10.00  

Closing remarks 

Mr Vladimir Olegovich Rakhmanin, Assistant Director-General, FAO Regional Representative for Europe and Central Asia 

Links: 

  1. Concept Note 
  2. Registration (Zoom webinar)
  3.  Web stream-

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