FAO advances Digital Agriculture dialogue at WSIS+20 UN General Assembly high level meeting side event

On 16 December 2025, The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) played a leading role in the WSIS+20 UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting side event,  Harnessing AI, Digital Innovations, and STI for Sustainable and Advanced Agrifood Systems: Digital Agriculture and AI Roadmap and Knowledge & Partnership Gateways”., co-organized with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). This event was an integral part of the WSIS+20 program, held both virtually and at United Nations Headquarters from 15 to 17 December 2025. This side event was anchored in WSIS Action Line C7: e-Agriculture, for which FAO has served as facilitator for over two decades. 
The session reflected on the evolution of digital agriculture from basic ICT tools to advanced digital ecosystems integrating artificial intelligence, geospatial analytics, drones, robotics, and precision agriculture. FAO’s initiatives, such as the E-Agriculture Community of Practice, the Digital Villages Initiative, and the Global Network of Digital Agriculture Innovation Hubs, were highlighted as catalysts for innovation, knowledge sharing, and equitable access to digital tools, especially for smallholder farmers, women, youth, and marginalized communities. 

The event provided a strategic platform to advance global dialogue on the role of artificial intelligence and digital innovation in transforming agrifood systems in line with the Sustainable Development Goals. 

Led by FAO’s Office of Innovation, the session explores how artificial intelligence and digital technologies can support more sustainable, resilient and efficient agrifood systems worldwide. It presents key updates from FAO’s Digital Agriculture & AI Roadmap and the Knowledge & Partnership Gateway, highlighting emerging trends, practical applications and opportunities for collaboration across countries, institutions and the private sector. 

The session reaffirmed FAO’s commitment to WSIS Action Line C7 by prioritizing responsible, inclusive, and human-centered digital transformation, as well as capacity development, and multi-stakeholder collaboration. It emphasized that technological innovation must contribute to equitable agrifood systems and leaves no one behind.  
The discussion underscored the importance of making digital transformation in agriculture not only technologically advanced, but also inclusive, sustainable, and fully aligned with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 

Find the video recording of the session here.