Grenada enhances digital agriculture and innovation to improve sector-wide sustainability

Nikola Trendov, FAO Digital Agriculture and Innovation Specialist, presents the Digital Innovation Agriculture Hubs concept model.

04 April 2023. Rome. Grenada’s Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Fisheries and Cooperatives has partnered with FAO to launch two projects aimed at promoting digital agriculture and resilient food systems across the Caribbean Island.

The projects, entitled: “the Global Network of Digital Agriculture Innovation Hubs (DAIH) and the Regional E-Agriculture for the Caribbean – a post-COVID-19 Mechanism to promote resilient agrifood (REA)”, were launched during a workshop held from 22 to 24 March 2023.  

The joint-initiative marks a bold step towards revolutionizing the agricultural sector by scaling-up digital agriculture and innovative practices to modernise harvesting methods across the food chain.  

The DAIH sub-programme will support the Ministry in developing a transformation strategy to equip the agricultural sector with digital technologies and innovations, while the REA project will benefit six countries in the region, with a focus on Grenada.  

“The sector faces serious challenges, including low product quality, high input prices, a lack of information on best practices, lack of market information for informed decision-making, and high levels of theft in agriculture,” said Aaron François, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture.   

The initiatives will establish a national innovation centre for digital agriculture and a programme to accelerate the development and adoption of digital innovations that will help farmers and actors across the value chain, especially young people, and women, to become more competitive. “The projects will provide Grenada with a comprehensive strategy for the digital transformation of the agricultural sector,” said Vermaran Extavour, Project Coordinator for the initiatives. 

The two projects will also pilot the use of new solutions with the aim of helping farmers to understand and prioritize digital opportunities. “Digital literacy among farmers is crucial, we want to ensure that farmers actively use digital tools to connect, access market information, and retrieve relevant weather data to make informed decisions,” added Extavour. 

Developing a national agricultural digital strategy in an inclusive and participatory manner and enhancing the digital transformation skills of multiple stakeholders is a key component of the projects’ mission. “Equipping new generations, who are already digitally savvy, with these tools to bolster food security and help people adapt to the impacts of climate change will open up opportunities,” said Nikola Trendov, FAO's Digital Agriculture and Innovation Specialist. 

The projects are a welcome initiative that position innovation and technology in the  agriculture sector to improve the lives of farmers, enhance food security and safeguard sustainable development.