The growth of ICTs have fostered a push towards introducing digital technologies to address some of the challenges in agriculture. However, without a strategic approach, mainstreaming and scaling up these solutions become a huge challenge. The FAO-ITU E-agriulture Strategy framework http://www.fao.org/3/a-i5564e.pdf assists countries to sustainably identify, design, develop and mainstream digital agriculture services and solutions.

1. Presentation for RNE
8 Dec 2019
Cairo, Egypt
Digital Agriculture
Trends & Challenges

2. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
17 Goals.
169 targets to achieve in less than 12 years!

3. AGRICULTURE & FOOD SECURITY
There is more than enough food produced
today to feed everyone in the world, yet more
than 820 million are chronically hungry (FAO SOFI
2019).
One in nine people on the planet still
suffer from hunger
Globally, around 14% of food produced is
lost from the post-harvest stage
Women make up almost half the agricultural
workforce, but they own less land and lack
access to resources.
A third of farmland is degraded, up to 75
percent of crop genetic diversity has been lost
and 22 percent of animal breeds are at risk.
Average age of farmers is increasing
Rising instances of obesity and malnutrition
Multiple burden of malnutrition despite
decades of economic growth.
Increasingly impacted by climatic
shocks
©news.sol.org.tr
Changing demographics and dietary
patterns

4. A MORE CONNECTED FUTURE
3D food printing
Connected Cow
Drones & GIS
Source: ITU
 50 Billion connected devices by 2020 – CISCO
 Broadband is increasingly mobile & more affordable - ITU

5. DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES IN AGRICULTURE
Artificial
Intelligence

6. ROLE OF ICTs IN AGRICULTURE

7. Source: FAO-ITU E-agriculture Strategy Guide

8. - Infrastructure
- Interoperability
- Reliable Data
- Data sharing/ privacy
- Policies & Regulations
- Digital Literacy
- Gender-Digital Divide
- Data Analytics
- Capacity Development
- Support to Innovations
ADDRESSING KEY BUILDING BLOCKS

9. E-AGRICULTURE STRATEGY GUIDEFAO-ITU
Download from (English) -
http://www.fao.org/3/a-i5564e.pdf
This framework is used to assist
countries to identify, design and
develop sustainable ICT
solutions/services to overcome
challenges faced in agriculture or to
accelerate achieving national
agricultural goals.
In Russian

10. DEVELOPING NATIONAL E-AGRICULTURE STRATEGY
National E-agriculture Strategy
Is a comprehensive framework to develop sustainable
e-agriculture services and solutions
National
E-agriculture
Strategy
Ministry of
Agriculture
Ministry of Industry
and Technology
Department of Agriculture,
Livestock, Fisheries,
Forestry
Department of Telecom,
IT, telecom regulator, e-
Gov agency
Agriculture Policy
IT/Digital or e-Gov
Policy

11. DEVELOPING THE NATIONAL E-AGRICULTURE STRATEGY
The National E-agriculture Strategy is an output of a
comprehensive multi-stakeholder consultative process.

12. FAO-ITU technical assistance to countries in developing their
NATIONAL E-AGRICULTURE STRATEGY
Asia-Pacific
• Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Lao PDR ICT masterplan, Philippines, Papua
New Guinea, Fiji, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Mongolia.
• Myanmar’s agriculture extension modernization strategy
Europe and Central Asia
• Armenia, Hungary, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo* (KPF),
North Macedonia, and Kazakhstan.
• Turkey
• Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan (requests)
Others
• Caribbean sub-regional strategy

13. KNOWLEDGE PRODUCTS
http://www.fao.org/3/
a-i6972e.pdf
http://www.fao.org/3/I849
4EN/i8494en.pdf
http://www.fao.org/3/CA
2906EN/ca2906en.pdf
http://www.fao.org/3/ca5
427en/ca5427en.pdf
http://www.fao.org/3/i86
70en/I8670EN.pdf -
English
http://www.fao.org/3/i83
03en/I8303EN.pdf
Bangkok, Thailand
Nanjing, China

14. THANK YOU
@thisisgerard
Gerard Sylvester
gerard.sylvester@fao.org
www.fao.org