A spotlight on the FAO Digital Services Portfolio

The FAO Digital Services Portfolio is a project that was started in November 2016 in Rulindo, Rwanda and Tambacounda, Senegal.The project included the development and distribution of 4 mobile applications to smallholder farmers.

This project comes as a realisation that digital services are changing how farmers work and also from the understanding that ICTs can maximise various social support services for farmers – such services include rural advisory services, financial services and social protection programmes, access to market information and disease control.

The four apps were the

• Cure and Feed your livestock –provides real time information on animal diseases control and animal feeding strategies.
• Weather and Crop Calendar –combines information on weather forecasts, crop calendars and alert systems.
• AgriMarketplace – connects producers, traders and consumers to facilitate trade and access to inputs
• E-Nutrifood – provides information on production, conservation and consumption of nutritious foods