FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia has launched a call on digital innovations for agriculture in that region. The call aims at collecting lessons learned and recommendations for the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) or digital innovations in the sectors of agriculture, livestock, fisheries, forestry or rural development. Selected innovations will be disseminated on online platforms, social media and will be part of an online FAO publication on the use of digital technologies for agriculture in Europe and Central Asia. Topic The innovations you wish to...
In an opinion piece on CNN Business , the WorldBank Group CEO and interim presidents noted that automation and artificial intelligence (and other disruptive technologies) could revolutionize the industrialized world, and with great potential to the developing world. O n her tweeter account , Ms Kristalina Georgieva noted in order to support Africa’s digital transformation, the WorldBank Group will invest $25 billion between now and 2030 and is aiming to mobilize $25 billion more from the private sector. How can African countries leapfrog themselves for this challenge? In the above mentioned...
The sixty-third session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW63) will take place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 11 to 22 March 2019. Representatives of Member States, UN entities, and ECOSOC-accredited non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from all regions of the world...
The e-Agriculture and Aerobotics invite interested individuals to participate in this webinar below:- Title: The impact of Technology on sustainable agriculture Date : 7th of February 2019 Time : 16:00 hrs (Rome Time) [ What time is this? ] Register here Abstract Annually, farmers lose 15% of yield due to pests and diseases, for example this would equate to more than $300 million in South Africa alone. The rise of precision agriculture can not only reduce this loss and increase yields but also ensure that action is taken in a sustainable manner. How can modern technologies such as drones and...
You might be wondering, What is E-KOKARI? E-KOKARI is an interactive voice responsive (IVR) platform developed in Niger and it allows farmers, breeders and buyers to access information, advice, warnings and market prices in the field of agriculture and livestock. E-KOKARI allows farming communities in Niger to access timely and accurate information they need on the farm. In Niger, like in many parts of Africa, the use of mobile phones have increased and while French is a common language – not every farmer prefers it. Hence, E-KOKARI was developed to help farmers to access needed information...
The CTA led project, ‘ Transforming Africa’s Agriculture: Eyes in the Sky, Smart Techs on the ground ’ has been nominated for voting under the WSIS Prizes 2019, category AL C7 – E-agriculture. This projects seeks to create employment opportunities for young graduates and the youth in rural areas, and aptly it states, “CTA’s transforming Africa’s agriculture project aims to establish business-oriented and youth-led UAS service providers in countries where enabling UAV regulations are already in place”. This project, CTA’s project will run from 2017 to 2019 will support the UAS service sector...
e-Agriculture interviews Mr. Gerard Sylvester (Knowledge and Information Management Officer) who is based at the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. Gerard has worked over the years in the area of e-Agriculture and recently co-organised the E-agriculture Solutions Forum 2018 with ITU and partners. Gerard sheds insights on a number of issues in ICTs for agriculture and especially the support to the formulation of the FAO-ITU E-Agriculture National Strategies . Gerard is published in ICTs for agriculture and a publication on "Blockchains" is in the press. Q1: could you briefly...
Serge Auguste Zaonogo from Burkina Faso won the Radio France Internationale (RFI) Challenge App Africa for his invention ‘Saagga’ - an electronic mapping system that optimizes irrigation in the agricultural sector, permitting management while on-the-move. In a recent article , FAO noted that in addition to the prize, Serge Auguste Zaonogo will be offered an Internship with FAO in one of its innovation units. The RFI Challenge App Africa aims to support and promote the integration of new, innovative technologies in the field of sustainable development in Francophone Africa. Read this news here...
ITU invites interested authors to submit papers to be considered for the third issue of the publication " Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment 2019 ". The ITU online publication “Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment”, which is released annually, puts together scholarly articles with a focus on capacity building and skills development in the digital era. It covers a wide range of topics related to the ongoing discussions on how digital technologies are transforming job markets, determining new skills sets requirements and driving the digital economy requirements for re-...
On the sidelines of the International Symposium on Agricultural Innovation for Family Farming , FAO also hosted the Digital Innovation Youth Entrepreneurship Workshop which saw young entrepreneurs who won the #HackAgainstHunger/Africa participating. Below we share one of the innovation stories entitled “ How drones and smartphones are helping Ugandan farmers save their crops from pests and diseases ’ The Situation: Known as the “pearl of Africa”, the Republic of Uganda’s fertile soils and favourable climate conditions have contributed to the country’s success in agriculture - a sector that...
The sixty-third session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW63) will take place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 11 to 22 March 2019. Representatives of Member States, UN entities, and ECOSOC-accredited non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from all regions of the world...
