To Q1, I propose some differentiation and new elements to highlight the challenges:
- digital literacy for skills development should address better cooperation with mobile companies (PPP), vocational schools as well as well organised farmer organisations, ideally at national a/o local level.
- the rural/urban divide should be added in bullet 6
- research and science-based information (in the form of R&D) can enhance the trust of information, hence the need to cooperate with research institutes interesetd in promoting education and skills for farmers.
To Q2, the principles highlighted may still be improved. My proposal:
- to add: (i) be accountable; (ii) subsidiary, i.e. the higher level of the Council should only intervene if the lower is not capable to do it; (iii) The main production systems should be differentiated, as the required knowledge/information need is often very specific to the production system. At least the distinction between industrial/big farming and agroecology/organic/smallholder farming should be made.
- the DC should operate more as a network than a hierarchical structure and so encourage the open sharing of experiences between regions and countries. The focus of the DC should be on enhancing the framework conditions by taking a leadership role, promoting pilotes and communicate effectively.
- under "neutral": the DC has not to accelerate digital agriculture, but to assure that the sector makes best use of it.
- under "be accessible". It is not the role (and competency) of DC only to make DA available and affordable, but together with the private sector (service providers) and the farmers communities.
To Q3, I think that the 3 key ecosystem gaps are fine for defining the roles for the DC. But what I miss is the distinction into the anticipated 4 levels, i.e. local, national, regional and global. See above my comment on decentralization and subsidiarity principles.
To Q4: An alternative model would be a network architecture, where the Secretariate would provide and receive information from the regional and national nodes, and the EC just be responsible for strategic decisions. All operational decisions should be regional, national and local. Desigend as it is, the public sector has too much weight and risks to end in a bureacratic and static organisation, not following the fast technological and social developments.
Gian Linard Nicolay