FAO hails STI role in achieving the SDGs

“Science, technology and innovation play are critical in addressing global challenges and transforming food systems to sustainably feed the world’s growing population,” said Carla Mucavi, Director of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Liaison Office in New York, at the Science Technology and Innovation (STI) Digital Conference. 

Mucavi went on to give concrete examples of how the organization is using STI to build sustainable agriculture and food systems that produce more food, of greater nutritional value. For instance, in 2019 the organization launched the Hand-in-Hand Initiative, which uses big data and geospatial information systems to identify specific agricultural needs in developing countries. In addition, FAO in collaboration with Penn State, Cambridge University, Garmin, NASA and the Gates Foundation, has developed the E-Locust suite of tools to collect satellite data that help shape anticipatory action to tackle one of the worse pest outbreaks that Africa has seen in the last 70 years.

Mucavi also emphasized that the transformation of agriculture and food systems needs to take place gradually, taking into account the digital divide between countries and individuals, so as to leave no one behind –especially smallholders, women, and indigenous people. With that in mind, FAO is enabling a global network of hubs to empower all rural innovators and agripreneurs, and supporting the creation of an International Digital Council for Food and Agriculture to provide stakeholders with structured and strategic agricultural policy recommendations on digitalization.

The STI Digital Conference was held from 14 to 15 May, under the overarching theme SDGs in the era of COVID-19: the role of science, technology and innovation. It was organized by the Permanent Missions of Israel and Ghana, co-chairs of the 5th Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals (STI Forum), which was deferred to 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Carla Mucavi’s full statement is available here.