In most developing countries due to rural-urban migration, rural communities are losing young people and agriculture is robbed of the needed workforce. The result has been that many smallholder farms have more women and girls remaining on the farms providing bulk of the labour force. Advances in agricultural innovation are important to support rural livelihoods and are poised to support the role of women in our food systems. Furthermore, the digital revolution has changed the way we work and offers opportunities when implemented fairly. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in...
As the WSIS Forum 2019 , a multistakeholder platform facilitating the implementation of the WSIS Action Lines for advancing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the FAO Director-General Mr. José Graziano da Silva has delivered a video message to International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and delegates ahead of the meeting to be held on the 8th to the 12th of April 2019. The message confirms FAO commitment to ending hunger through using digital technologies to bridge the rural-urban divide; and most importantly he pledged FAO’s commitment to WSIS and FAO's co-facilitation to the E-...
In an opinion piece on CNN Business , the WorldBank Group CEO and interim presidents noted that automation and artificial intelligence (and other disruptive technologies) could revolutionize the industrialized world, and with great potential to the developing world. O n her tweeter account , Ms Kristalina Georgieva noted in order to support Africa’s digital transformation, the WorldBank Group will invest $25 billion between now and 2030 and is aiming to mobilize $25 billion more from the private sector. How can African countries leapfrog themselves for this challenge? In the above mentioned...
The sixty-third session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW63) will take place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 11 to 22 March 2019. Representatives of Member States, UN entities, and ECOSOC-accredited non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from all regions of the world...
The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Co-operation (CTAs) project, ‘ Transforming Africa’s Agriculture: Eyes in the Sky, Smart Techs on the Ground ” was this week showcased at FAO headquarters in Rome, at the IFAD Governing Council Meeting. Besides the stand display, there was a presentation on the last day where drones for agriculture were presented. This project was nominated for the WSIS Prizes 2019, category AL C7 – E-agriculture , whose voting is underway at the time of writing. About the project CTA is assisting African start-ups in acquiring capacity to deliver Unmanned...
The Humanitarian Hackathon is a two-day event, taking place in Egmont Palace. It is designed to create technology-driven solutions for the most pressing humanitarian challenges. International and Belgian humanitarian organisations, donors, large companies, startups, scientists and engineers will be...
The Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition (GODAN), invites interested person to join the webinar on 23rd January 2019. They published the following details To register Click this link https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4323913435173576193 About the webinar Blockchain has the potential to provide answers to a number of issues in agriculture, from farmer IDs to smart contracts, from traceability and improving certification, digital payments, insurance, consumer feedback and improved logistics. For example, to improve traceability in agriculture value chains, a decentralized...
The CTA led project, ‘ Transforming Africa’s Agriculture: Eyes in the Sky, Smart Techs on the ground ’ has been nominated for voting under the WSIS Prizes 2019, category AL C7 – E-agriculture. This projects seeks to create employment opportunities for young graduates and the youth in rural areas, and aptly it states, “CTA’s transforming Africa’s agriculture project aims to establish business-oriented and youth-led UAS service providers in countries where enabling UAV regulations are already in place”. This project, CTA’s project will run from 2017 to 2019 will support the UAS service sector...
The Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) is organized by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (Germany) and is hosted by the European Commission and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The theme of GFFA 2019 is “ Agriculture Goes Digital – Smart...
Theme: “Engagement for impact in agricultural development. Experiences of the African youth” Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) and the Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD) have launched an essay competition targeted at the youth to express their experiences in youth engagement initiatives across the region, especially in the context of agri-preneurship. The contributions will inform FARA and its constituents better on how to effectively engage with and feature youth and women in agriculture in the context of implementing FARA’s new strategy. A selection of...
The sixty-third session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW63) will take place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 11 to 22 March 2019. Representatives of Member States, UN entities, and ECOSOC-accredited non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from all regions of the world...
The Humanitarian Hackathon is a two-day event, taking place in Egmont Palace. It is designed to create technology-driven solutions for the most pressing humanitarian challenges. International and Belgian humanitarian organisations, donors, large companies, startups, scientists and engineers will be...
The Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) is organized by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (Germany) and is hosted by the European Commission and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The theme of GFFA 2019 is “ Agriculture Goes Digital – Smart...