19 June 2024, Accra - The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has launched a new project aimed at supporting farmers with digital tools in Malawi, Rwanda and Zimbabwe. Fostering Digital Villages Through Innovative Advisory and Profitable Market Services in Africa (FDiVi) will see farmers’ groups, including women and youth, across the three countries being trained to use digital technologies such as tablets, apps and social media, to enhance agricultural advisory services, improve market access, and promote the sharing of best practices. Customized generative artificial intelligence that supports advisory services for farmers will also be piloted.

“Increasing agricultural productivity and transforming rural sectors can have a direct, positive and massive impact on poverty reduction, food security and addressing inequalities,” said Abebe Haile-Gabriel, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Africa in his opening remarks at the launch. “Digitalization has emerged as a powerful catalyst in this transformation process, offering vast opportunities and possibilities for Africa,” he said.

Over the past five years, the number of internet users in Africa has risen by 17 percent. Mobile cellular subscriptions have surged from 59 to 89 percent in the last decade. At the same time, rural areas are home to more than two-thirds of the population in Africa and the majority rely on agriculture for their livelihood. These rural areas face pervasive and persistent poverty due to low agricultural productivity and limited alternative economic opportunities.

In this context, FAO launched the global Digital Villages Initiative (DVI) to connect rural areas around the world to digital services. Under the Digital Villages Initiative in Africa, countries including Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia and Zimbabwe are already taking part.

Examples of the DVI in action showcased at the launch event include a project in Malawi where farmers have been supported to use digital tablets to connect to Facebook to promote and sell their produce to local customers, and a collaboration in Senegal where FAO and the national extension service have connected farmers to digital advisory services and an online market platform.

Connecting Digital Villages in Africa

The new FDiVI project offers a critical opportunity to scale up the Digital Villages Initiative to cover about 100,000 farmers in the three target countries. It is funded in the framework of the FAO Flexible Voluntary Contributions (FVC) Programme.

“The FDiVi project aims to leverage digital innovation to drive sustainable agricultural development and improve the livelihoods of farmers in Africa,” said Ken Lohento, FAO Digital Agriculture Specialist who is leading the FDiVi project team.

Lohento recognised that challenges in Africa include farmers’ access to digital connectivity in remote areas, the cost of connecting to the internet, and the gender gap whereby women lag behind men in access to digital tools and services.  By providing access to advanced digital tools and platforms, the project will help bridge the gap in the target countries between rural communities and profitable market opportunities.

It is part of FAO’s broader work towards better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life under the FAO Strategic Framework 2022-2031 in support to countries to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

FDiVi was launched at an online webinar hosted by the FAO Regional Office for Africa that attracted 150 people from national governments, donor and other partner organizations, and farmers groups from across Africa.

Attendees included Hon. Vangelis Haritatos, Deputy Minister of Lands Agriculture Fisheries Water and Rural Development of Zimbabwe, Pearson Soko, Director of Agricultural Extension Services of the Ministry of Agriculture of Malawi, Martine Nezerwa, Chief Digital Officer of the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources of Rwanda, Hani Eskandar, Head of the Digital Services Division of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), FAO Chief Economist Maximo Torero, and FAO Resource Mobilization Division Head of Unit on Multi-partner Initiatives and Flexible Funds Festus Akinnifesi.

The event featured a presentation of the project, insights on country-specific activities, and viewpoints from government representatives, partner organizations and FAO experts. Discussions focused on ensuring that project activities effectively respond to the needs and challenges in the target rural locations, opportunities for scaling to other countries, aligning with existing digital tools and opportunities, and ensuring sustainability after the project phase ends.