Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of Suriname and FAO reinforce commitment to rural digital transformation

A delegation from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Suriname, met with the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries (LVV), Parmanand Sewdien, to discuss the progress and next steps of the pilot initiative that FAO and the People’s Republic of China are promoting with the Ministry to enhance data collection and management in different localities of the country, supporting the digital development of rural sectors.

After discussing the details of the initiative, the Minister Sewdien voiced his intention to continue the country’s rural digital transformation and expressed his willingness to progress towards a second phase of the “South-South Cooperation project: Digital transformation and innovation in agriculture”. The intention is to continue working and scaling efforts made in the project, that aims to improve rural livelihoods through digitalization in Suriname and other 11 countries that are part of the Community of Latin-American and Caribbean States (CELAC).

The meeting also served as an opportunity to discuss challenges that Suriname faces in achieving a successful digital transformation process, and the synergies that can be made with FAO to enhance the life and incomes of small-scale producers and rural inhabitants.

The FAO delegation included Suresh Sookbir, FAO multi-program coordinator, Juan González, FAO monitoring and evaluation specialist for Latin America and the Caribbean. 

Coordination of actions and implementation of the digital initiative 

In addition to the meeting with the minister, the FAO delegation met with the technical team of the Ministry of Agriculture to coordinate the implementation details of the initiative. The instance was an opportunity to discuss the functionality and scope of the digital data collection platform to be used. Furthermore, the conversation addressed the training sessions that will be held for the people in charge of managing the platform and the search for strategies to ensure the sustainability and scalability of the initiative. 

The efforts initiated by FAO and the government of Suriname demonstrate the importance of collaborative work to move towards more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems that enable inclusive rural development for all.