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South-South cooperation: Digital transformation and innovation in agriculture

FAO held the first virtual fair on digitalisation experiences in rural territories

The virtual fair +Rural +Digital brought together various experiences of digital innovation from different parts of the world, including the experiences of Chinese technology giant Alibaba and Farmbetter.

Digital Agriculture

©FAO

16/11/2021
Santiago de Chile - On 16 and 17 November, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), through its 1000 Digital Villages initiative, held the first virtual fair "+Rural +Digital: Promoting the integration of the rural world". The virtual platform showcased experiences in the digitisation of rural tourism and agri-food systems.

The event was carried out with the support of the South-South Cooperation project: digital transformation and innovation in agriculture. 

Among the presentations, the experiences of large-scale digitalisation implemented in rural communities in China were highlighted through the participation of Annie Li, Commissioner of rural vitalisation of Alibaba in Pingshun County, Shanxi Province; and Benjamin Gräub, FarmBetter expert who leads a digital advisory team for farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and Asia.

Speaking at the event, Commissioner Li assured that China is building high-level infrastructure to bring broadband internet to rural villages across the country.

He provided data on the current status of internet service, citing figures from the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China: "Since December 2021, the number of users in China has increased to 1.2 billion people, or 73%. The number of rural internet users has reached 284 million people. The penetration rate of this service in rural areas is 75.6%," he said.

In addition, he stressed that "the Chinese government seeks to promote the digital environment and e-commerce to reach all traditional businesses".

Benjamin Gräub, an expert from Farm Better, shared with the panel his experience of working in East Africa, India and Nepal to support the digital transformation of farmers and solve the challenges posed by the negative effects of climate change. 

He assured that his organisation will soon be coming to Colombia and detailed that although he and his team focus on management practices, they also have a database on sustainable practices, "easily accessible to farmers through digital literacy". 

Gräub also stressed that "logistics and infrastructure development are essential to boost farmers' businesses in the digital domain, as much as investment in research, development, innovation and literacy from schools". 

"Covid-19 taught us that we have to develop the capacity to work online and that lesson was not only learned by cities, but also by rural areas". 

The +Rural +Digital virtual fair brought together entrepreneurs, academics, government representatives, cooperation agencies and private companies to discuss the exchange of experiences, dialogue, alliances and commitments that contribute to improving the digital integration of the rural world in order to face the post-COVID-19 challenges. 

The virtual platform provided access to seminars with experts, free courses on digital marketing and innovation in agriculture and stands with information on the tourism experiences of 10 countries in the region (Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Chile, Nicaragua, Belize, Cuba, Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia and Peru). All the material and videos from each table will remain on the platform online and free of charge.

The event was inaugurated by the FAO Assistant Regional Director and Regional Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean, Mario Lubetkin, who referred to the role of technologies in the transformation of rural territories, pointing out that "the digital transformation of the rural world represents a strategic opportunity for sustainable development and cooperation". 

 During the two days of the fair, 1534 people attended the panel discussions.