Webinar: Chinese experience on digitalization of rural areas: a reference for LAC

Live Broadcast

Background

The Project “Response and recovery to the impact of Covid-19 on rural livelihoods and food systems in countries of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) through South-South Cooperation” is working on 12 countries of the region. The project will prioritize actions that have clear potential to assist the most vulnerable populations, particularly in rural areas and in small and medium-sized towns and cities. The results will be made available to governments and all interested sectors through a series of dissemination tools to facilitate informed decision-making.

To achieve its expected outcome, the project is organized into three outputs:

• Governments of host countries have exchanged experiences on post-COVID-19 response, recovery policies and programs that facilitate better decision-making;
• host governments have a public-private road map for promoting digitalization and e-commerce strategies among family farmers and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, which is designed to include the implementation of territorial pilot solutions; and
• host national/local governments have initiated the digitalization in rural areas (1 000 digital village global initiative) as post COVID-19 recovery measure.

Through this project, actions to help the most vulnerable populations in rural territories will include sharing urgent and innovative solutions through South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC), such as digitalization of technologies, services, products, and skills. Digital agriculture and digital rural villages are fundamental engines for rural transformation; both improve social and economic inclusion, efficiency and reduces environmental impacts. Additionally, digitalization is particularly relevant for the inclusion of rural youth.

Based on China’s experience, the project will promote the exchange of knowledge and development solutions through SSTC, which could be adapted and institutionalized in CELAC countries, particularly those with investments already in place, serving as an opportunity for scaling up solutions.

Partnership with other international technical institutions, international financial institutions, the private sector, universities and civil society organizations will also be promoted.

In this way, the Chinese experience of digitalization in rural areas will be a valuable contribution to consider in the digitization processes for Latin America and the Caribbean, considering different approaches like gender, youth, the role of the government and cooperatives.

Contents

• 1.1 Introduction: rural digitalization in China and its impact on poverty alleviation
• 1.2 Practices of e-commerce towards inclusive development in rural China
• 1.3 Drivers, mechanism and Key factors
• 2.1 Successful experience cases: “Taobao village model”, & “XiuShan county model”
• 2.2 Recommendations for Latin America and the Caribbean
• Target: National Government’s focal points for the Project (12), tecnhical teams from FAO in the countries
• Place: RLC FAO, Santiago de Chile.
• Language: Spanish, English (simultaneous interpretation).

Main purpose

Showcase to the CELAC countries the Chinese experience on digitalization of rural areas and the role of e-commerce on poverty alleviation.