Digital Villages in action in Europe and Central Asia - LAUNCH EVENT

THURSDAY, 18 MAY 2023 | Zoom | 09:30-12:00 (CEST) | English and Russian 

FAO in Europe and Central Asia (REU), along with its partners in Albania, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Türkiye, and Uzbekistan, is taking action to accelerate the digital transformation of agriculture and rural areas through the Digital Villages Initiative (DVI). 

Join us for the “Digital Villages in Action in Europe and Central Asia” virtual event, where we will launch DVI actions in eight countries, bringing together policy actors, stakeholders, partners, and beneficiaries. The event will be held on Zoom on May 18th, 2023, from 09.30 to 12.00 (CEST) with English-Russian interpretation. 

DVI is a corporate initiative of FAO that aims to convert at least 1000 villages around the world into Digital Villages. With DVI, FAO is supporting a digital rural transformation process to address agrifood systems’ challenges and improve the livelihoods and resilience of rural communities.  

The vision of DVI in Europe and Central Asia is to empower every rural community to utilize digital technologies, leveraging their local strengths. It takes a participatory approach, co-creating interventions with rural communities to enhance their capacities and build resilience, ensuring long-term sustainability. Additionally, DVI aims to foster linkages and cooperation across villages and institutions through "DVI twinning", encouraging the exchange of knowledge, best practices, and technology transfer at the national, regional or international level.  

During this event, high-level officials and technical experts will share their vision for promoting DVI in their respective countries. Additionally, it will showcase past achievements, interim results, and best practices in digital agriculture that provide solid grounds for the implementation of DVI. The event will also feature a live session from the field in Uzbekistan's future Digital Village Novkent, where FAO brings IoT smart devices into smallholders’ greenhouses, develops digital literacy, and stimulates innovation. 

With the participation of: 

Welcome and Opening Remarks by Vladimir Olegovich Rakhmanin, Regional Representative,  FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (REU), and Maximo Torero, FAO Chief Economist  

Introducing DVI in Europe and Central Asia by Daniela Di Gianantonio, Digital Agriculture Team Leader at FAO REU 

Ministerial roundtables where Deputy Ministers and high-level officials from Albania, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Türkiye, and Uzbekistan will share their vision for promoting DVI in their respective countries and region:  

• Sarvan Jafarov, Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Azerbaijan   
• Slobodan Cvijanović, Assistant Minister at the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina   
• Nurdin Alisherov Kuvanychbekovich, Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the Kyrgyz Republic   
• Metin Türker, Director General of Agricultural Research and Policies of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of the Republic of Türkiye    
• Ramin Gasanov Alievich, Director of Investment and Grants Department of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Uzbekistan   
• Other high-level representatives from Albania, Tajikistan, and Georgia 
• With the moderation of Viorel Gutu, Subregional Coordinator, FAO SEC, and Nabil Gangi, Deputy Regional Representative, FAO REU 

Experiences from project countries will showcase results, best practices, and achievements in the field of digital agriculture that are providing solid grounds for the implementation of DVI, with: 

• Albania - Barbara Battioni Romanelli, UN Fellow, FAO Albania
• Azerbaijan - Elmaddin Namazov, Programme Coordinator, FAO Azerbaijan    
• Bosnia and Herzegovina - Grujica Vico, Digital Villages Specialist, FAO Bosnia and Herzegovina    
• Georgia - Dragan Angelovski, Technical Adviser, FAO Georgia 
• Tajikistan - Veronika Sherova, Digital Agriculture Analyst, FAO REU  
• Türkiye - Frank Hollinger, FAO Senior Rural Finance Officer
• Uzbekistan - Fenton Beed, Senior Agricultural Officer, FAO NSP & Katerina Antanevich, Digital Agriculture Specialist and Sociologist, FAO REU, who will join the session live from the village of Novkent
• Regional experience and moderation - Daniela Di Gianantonio, Digital Agriculture Team Leader, FAO REU   

Closing remarks by Dejan Jakovljevic, Chief Information Officer, FAO CSI, and Raimund Jehle, Regional Programme Leader, FAO REU 

• Read more about the event and its agenda here 
• Register for the event here 

Join us to learn about DVI in the region! Together, we can advance the digitalization of agriculture and rural areas across Europe and Central Asia.