FAO training on agricultural value chains for Pacific SIDS experts

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are striving to achieve sustainable development, especially in the face of significant long-term and rapid on-set changes and challenges, such as the effects of climate change and their economic vulnerability caused by geographic and economic isolation. The impact of the conflict in Ukraine and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic have magnified these challenges in many SIDS around the world.

To effectively address these challenges, SIDS governments and peoples explore new and innovative ways to use digital technologies to transform agri-food systems and achieve sustainable development. While finding and scaling up digital solutions is an important development everywhere, it is of great importance to remote areas such as SIDS. Digital innovation holds the potential to unlock employment opportunities, bridge the rural divide and empower youth and women to access information, technology, and markets.

The expansion of mobile technologies, remote-sensing services, and distributed computing are already improving smallholders’ access to information, inputs, and markets, increasing production and productivity, streamlining supply chains, and reducing operational costs.

To support Pacific SIDSs in their pursuit to utilise digital technologies to transform agri-food systems, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is carrying out capacity-development programmes, inviting relevant SIDS-based stakeholders to learn and discuss their main challenges and solutions for achieving their goals.

The programmes have been designed to enhance small-scale producers and family farmers’ competencies in the areas of agricultural value chains and provide technical support in developing an effective agricultural value chain for major crops based on the Republic of Korea experience and systems to build the capacity of SIDS for the sustainable agri-food systems.

Funded by the Republic of Korea, the work is being led by the FAO Partnership and Liaison Office in the Republic of Korea and the FAO Subregional Office for the Pacific Islands in critical partnership with Kangwon National University (KNU).

The activities included various learning programmes to support SIDSs in establishing strong partnerships and exchanging ideas with developed countries experienced in the use of high technologies in the field of agriculture and food. The Republic of Korea, with its extensive experience in digital innovation and capacity development programmes, was identified as a key partner to support the knowledge-sharing process.

The first part of the series featured an e-learning programme that was designed and delivered to cover four main areas of the agricultural value chain: production and pest management; post-harvest management; processing, and marketing.

Training recording are available below:

Section 1:

FAO training for Pacific SIDS - Feature of food market