STI Forum Side-event: Unpacking the potential of STI for enhancing agricultural productivity in LDCs and LLDCs

The LDCs and LLDCs continue to face critical challenges in eradicating hunger, achieving food security, improving nutrition, and promoting sustainable agriculture. 

LDCs and LLDCs are primarily agricultural economies with 50 percent of their populations engaged in the sector, but the share of agriculture value added in GDP in LDCs is 18 per cent on average. 

Low productivity is a major challenge because of limited access to markets, including agri-finance to invest in modern inputs and technologies.  

Low yields and weak market integration lead to fragmentation of production, low incomes, food insecurity, and pervasive poverty. 

Land degradation as a major problem, due to increasing population pressure, soil erosion, water scarcity and low soil fertility. 

Due to economic downturns, conflicts, and the climate crisis, as well as growing inequalities, food insecurity and extreme poverty in LDCs and LLDCs are high. 

The statistics on food security situation are not encouraging: 

• Over 270 million people in LDCs suffer from severe food insecurity and more than 51 million children are moderately or severely stunted in 2022.  
• The prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity was 57.9 per cent in 2022 in LLDCs.  

The role of science, technology, and innovation (STI) is increasingly recognized in increasing agricultural productivity and transforming agrifood systems in LDCs and LLDCs.  

Technology plays a critical role in the agricultural supply chain, spanning from production to post-harvest handling, storage, processing, and value addition.  

The digital divide in LDCs and LLDCs is growing:  

• In 2023, the proportion of internet users in LDCs stood at 35 per cent and in LLDCs at 39 per cent compared to 67 per cent globally. 

Investment is critical to improve innovation for farmers as well as improving farmers’ access to credit and agricultural insurance to enable them to recover from shocks.  

More and better public and private investment and finance, and other innovative solutions, are needed to accelerate the transformation of agrifood systems. 

There is a demand to provide adequate services to small- and medium-size enterprises (SMEs). 

In particular, we need to implement high-impact initiatives.  

Some indicative focus areas to achieve the transformation of agrifood systems, we need: 

• Data and Information: to guide decision-making based on scientific evidence, share experiences and build networks. 
• Innovation and technologies: to accelerate the development and upscaling of technologies, especially digital technologies such as mobile applications and data analytics, and ensure they are accessible to all. 
• Investment: we need increased, targeted, bold, smart, flexible and upfront investments – including public, private and blended finance - because building resilience mitigates negative impacts and reduces the need for costly emergency assistance. 
• Inclusivity: Over 80% of our food is produced by smallholder producers, with women playing a major role in food production and supply chains, yet they are often excludes from resources, credit, and decision-making processes. 

Thank you for your attention!