CGIAR launched the CGIAR Platform for Big Data in Agriculture, a new initiative that aims to convene researchers to use big data in order to help improve food security, resilience in the face climate change as well as encouraging rural development. Big data are immense stocks of information collected in computers worldwide, and it can be a potential resource for planning and decision-making. Applied to agriculture and rural development it can help give robust responses to some of the most important challenges of our time: climate change, food insecurity and environmental degradation. For this...
AMAN (Avian-Diseases Monitoring and Awareness Network) mobile app and web platform has been developed by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as a communication tool for early warning, reporting, monitoring and awareness services for small poultry farmers in Egypt (a country with 2.5 million small poultry farms). Through the AMAN app, a rapid, real time, efficient and highly open and confidential communication channel is guaranteed, allowing for an effective and immediate action during the occurrence of a poultry disease outbreak from detection, reporting and response...
The FAO in Emergencies app allows you to follow the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations top news and recent highlights covering response to disasters, emergencies and food security crises all over the world. This new tool will allow you to keep up with FAO’s continued efforts to increase the resilience of people and their livelihoods to threats and crises. The app is divided in six categories: the " Crises " section allows the user to learn more on the current crises in the world, the " Open projects " section showcase ongoing FAO's or partner's projects to tackle those...
Realizing the potential of ICTs in developing countries' agriculture, the Agriculture and Rural Development Department (ARD) of the World Bank in collaboration with InfoDev (part of the World Bank Group) embarked in an effort to explore and capture the expanding knowledge and use of ICT tools in agrarian livelihoods. The ICT in Agriculture e-sourcebook is intended to offer agriculture and other development practitioners a set of tested solutions, good practices, and methodologies, along with promising applications, that enable them to leverage ICT and harness innovation for more effective...
The new ICT Update, Issue 85 is now available online. The issue is entitled "Applications for Agricultue" reporting CTA's work in covering the growth and proliferation of digital and mobile phone technologies for agriculture. CTA is now moving forward by developing the Apps4Ag database - which is envisaged as a comprehensive, up-to-date and responsive database of ICTs including mobile, web, animation, audio, and video applications involved in the food value chains. CTA has a clear approach in integrating ICTs into the food value chains and is now working on building a sustainable platform for...
Youth employment should be at the center of any strategy to face economic and demographic challenges in Africa, the Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization José Graziano da Silva told a joint African Union - European Union meeting, hosted at FAO headquarters in Rome on July 2nd, 2017. In 2014 alone, about 11 million young people entered the labor market in Africa. Fostering sustainable agriculture and rural development is essential to absorb these millions of youth looking for a job. The problem is that young people see few opportunities in remaining in the traditional...
Four new videos on four different areas (mango seedlings, making soumbala from soya beans, sheep & goats, and pumpkins) have been posted on the platform www.accessagriculture.org . They are currently available in English and French for the one on soya while in English, French, and Bangla for the other three. They are freely downloadable, also in 3gp format for mobile phone viewing. Four new videos Grafting mango seedlings : The benefit of grafting is that from grafted trees we can get fruits within two to four years. Making condiment from soya beans : In West Africa, women prepare a...
FAO, along with several partners, is involved in the implementation of ICT initiatives in Africa The majority of family farmers in developing countries live rural areas and in most cases don't have access to technology and digital agricultural services. Through the use of ICTs, farmers have more access to information on markets, weather and nutrition. The digital service project is part of FAO's Digital Strategy and is aimed at people in the field, local governments, community leaders and extension workers. The project aims to develop four apps designed to help farmers have better...
Harnessing Research and Innovation for FOOD 2030: A Science Policy Dialogue Date 16 October 2017 Location Brussels, EU Commission, CHARLEMAGNE building Description This one day conference will serve to disseminate successful European Research and Innovation (R&I) initiatives and contribute to...
Agribusiness TV, has been awarded the 2017 United Nations World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Project Prize in the “Media” category. Agribusiness TV is a web TV whose mission is to use video as a promotional tool and (re)valorisation of the agricultural sector to young eyes, showing the successful course of young agricultural entrepreneurs and their innovations in Africa. The web TV has been promoting stories of innovative African youth agripreneurs and inspiring young people interested in agribusiness entrepreneurship in the whole world. The web and mobile application receive a...
Harnessing Research and Innovation for FOOD 2030: A Science Policy Dialogue Date 16 October 2017 Location Brussels, EU Commission, CHARLEMAGNE building Description This one day conference will serve to disseminate successful European Research and Innovation (R&I) initiatives and contribute to...