Farmers in Manchester, Jamaica attend an introductory workshop for the Digital Services Platform. ©FAO/Carlisle Welsh

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)  through the Territorial Digital Ecosystem pilot project, has introduced a Digital Services Platform (DSP) to farmers in Jamaica. As part of FAO’s 1000 Digital Villages Initiative, the project aims to advance the digitalization of agricultural services, empowering rural communities with easy access to essential resources and knowledge.

The DSP is a cloud-based platform designed to bridge the critical information gap between researchers, agricultural organizations, and rural farmers and communities. The platform offers key themes tailored to farmers’ needs, including weather updates, crop calendars, livestock management, and market linkages. Additionally, the platform is customizable, allowing countries to add specific themes relevant to their agricultural landscape. Data inputted by local users are uploaded to the global platform, making the data available to users worldwide.

To introduce the platform, FAO conducted two workshops in Mile Gully, Manchester, where 42 farmers were exposed to the DSP and trained in its use. These sessions focused on navigating the platform’s themes and gathering feedback from farmers, which will be used to refine and enhance the platform’s offerings.

Carlisle Welsh, Project Manager, emphasized the platform’s role in bridging the gap between information and action. “The DSP forum empowers farmers to access knowledge, connect with experts, and learn from each other, leading to improved agricultural practices, increased productivity, and a more resilient food system in Jamaica,” Welsh stated. He highlighted the importance of active participation, noting that the workshops allowed stakeholders to co-develop solutions to enhance the platform. 

The DSP platform is expected to be accessible to farmers across various parishes, offering them critical agricultural information at their fingertips. Project partner, the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) has contributed to inputs for the Crop Calendar theme. RADA personnel will also receive training on updating and maintaining the DSP. To support the pilot, FAO provided RADA with two laptops and 15 tablets, with a third laptop designated for University of the West Indies.

The collaboration with both institutions will be vital in maintaining and enhancing the platform, and ensuring it remains dynamic and responsive to farmers’ needs.