SCIENCE AND INNOVATION FORUM 2022 Digitalization of Agrifood Systems Opening Remarks
by Dr QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General
21/10/2022
SCIENCE AND INNOVATION FORUM 2022
Digitalization of Agrifood Systems
Opening Remarks
By
Dr QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General
21 October 2022
Excellences,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
1. Welcome to all of you, those here with us, and those connected online.
2. This week’s discussions have highlighted the centrality of science, technology and innovation for agrifood systems transformation globally.
3. I think it is a good momentum for all of us.
4. All the key players are shareholders, and we need to all understand how science, technology and innovation can change our way of living, our way of production and our way of consumption.
5. Digital solutions are the real driving force to change mindsets, traditional ways of production and consumption, and even many traditional products.
6. Based on my 20 years’ experience in China, both in academia and in local and central government, and now 3 years at FAO, I can indeed say that all digital solutions started with digitalization.
7. Thirty years ago with the dawn of the internet, libraries started transforming their books into digital versions.
8. When I arrived at FAO, I found there were still colourful publications being printed.
9. My first question was do you know what is the environmental impact of these pages?
Dear Colleagues,
10. Digitalization of agrifood systems is essential!
11. For all key players across the whole value chain.
12. Traditionally, agriculture research and innovation started from 0 to 1; digitalization starts from 1 to 0 as it comes back re-modelling, re-thinking, re-proposing the business model.
13. I will give you a very simple example: how to improve the quality of tea.
14. First, you need to control the application of pesticides or insecticides.
15. For many years we have been following the norms for food safety, working from 0 to 1.
16. Now, with digitalization you have online control of trees, and you can order inputs through e-commerce. You can see your tea trees growing, control the quality of the soil and monitor irrigation. Finally, you can distribute your tea digitally from the tea farmers directly to the consumer.
17. Digitalization makes the business fit to the purpose, to the benefit of all.
18. It enables trust-building between consumers and producers, and it empowers governments to undertake quality control through digital governance systems.
19. Digital is not only how you use or enjoy your smartphone - digital is a smartphone for new tools of farming.
20. You can get information online, you can consult technical and regulation problems online, and you can find your business partners online and establish a direct selling, C2C or C2B, cutting out intermediaries.
21. Let us start an international movement of digitalization of agrifood systems!
22. That was my objective from Day 1, to build a Digital FAO.
23. Three years later we have reached this objective!
24. For many years, donors called for a transparent FAO. Now, all 194 Members can access all information online; all meetings are also held virtually and can be accessed by capitals across the world. This is full transparency!
25. The Digital FAO also allows us, for the first time, to hold Town Hall Meetings reaching 6 000 employees at one time globally.
Dear Friends,
26. Up to now, we have always classified the FAO Membership according to the classical definition of either developing or developed nations.
27. In the future, the classification will be Digital and Non-Digital Members!
28. Thank you.