Joining forces

FAO, the International Telecommunication Union and Zheijang University are launching the Digital Agriculture Report at the World Summit on the Information Society Forum 2021 on 7 May

By 2050, a 60 percent increase in food production will be necessary to cover the needs of the expected 9.6 billion people on our planet and with food insecurity aggravated by the pandemic, seeking innovative applications of digital technology has become critical to transforming the food and agriculture sector and addressing the emerging challenges to achieve the SDGs.

In this challenging context, the Organization is actively working to find the best solutions and is participating again in close collaboration with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and Zhejiang University at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum 2021, which this year focuses on ICTs (information and communication technologies) for inclusive, resilient and sustainable societies and economies.

“As WSIS this year focuses on e-commerce for agriculture and rural development, FAO together with ITU and Zhejiang University, aim at truly enhancing the cross-fertilization of ideas, innovation, knowledge and practices in the field of e-commerce by fostering discussions with a wide range of experts coming from various organizations, institutions, academics, as well as the private sector. It is only when we work together that real transformation can occur”, explains Chief Scientist Ismahane Elouafi, who will deliver the opening speech at the event.

FAO has facilitated WSIS Action Line C7: e-agriculture since 2005, “I am very happy to see that our organizations have a clear and common focus on finding sustainable solutions in the field of food and agriculture. This highlights the crucial role of innovation that is also supported strongly by WSIS Action Line”, notes CSI Director Dejan Jakovjlevic.

The joint session at the WSIS Forum will be held virtually on Friday, 7 May, 15:00-16:00 (Rome time). Register here to attend.

During this session, and following on from the MoU signed between FAO and the School of Public Affairs of Zhejiang University in December 2019, the Digital Agriculture Report will be presented, based on the experiences of successful business models and results of technology applications in the field of e-commerce in China.“The report will contribute to the discussion on the e-commerce for agriculture and rural development at the international community level and help us to better understand how to empower small and family farmers and improve the efficiency of distribution of the entire food system, from farm to table”, points out Zeng Meng (Information Technology Officer) who has coordinated the publication.

FAO has been focusing its efforts over the last years on promoting the digital transformation of world agriculture and rural areas with digital solutions, through its support of digital agriculture innovation hubs. It has established key partnerships with Zhejiang University, Wageningen University, ITU, and other private sector entities.

The Organization’s International Platform for Digital Food and Agriculture is another initiative created to enhance awareness on issues specific to the digitalisation of the food and agriculture sectors and provide policy recommendations to governments to support decision-making at higher levels. All these efforts intend to further develop e-agriculture with ICT applications and create a truly enabling ecosystem for international and regional exchanges and cooperation in the field of digital agriculture.

FAO and Zhejiang University also organized the Digital Agriculture Forum and a Global AgriInno Challenge last December to enhance practice exchanges and empower young agripreneurs.Establishing a new market information circulation model with updated standards and an efficient circulation of agricultural products is needed more than ever in these pandemic times as it enables the switch to more modern tools and techniques. E-commerce may provide mature and advanced technical conditions that can contribute providing effective solutions to the above problems, necessary for the next century.

• For more information, contact [email protected].   
• To attend the WSIS Forum session on Friday, 7 May, 15:00-16:00 (Rome time) register here.