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The role of e-agriculture in the context of global and regional challenges

The role of e-agriculture in the context of global and regional challenges. Dr. Nevena Alexandrova- S tefanova UN FAO Agricultural Innovation Systems and Knowledge Sharing Office Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (REU),

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The role of e-agriculture in the context of global and regional challenges

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  1. The role of e-agriculture in the context of global and regional challenges Dr. Nevena Alexandrova-Stefanova UN FAO Agricultural Innovation Systems and Knowledge Sharing Office Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (REU), The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) High Level Forum on e-agriculture “2gether 4 Strong Digital Agriculture” 18-20 April 2018, Sofia, Bulgaria

  2. Overview • Global and regional challenges in agriculture • A few milestones in e-agriculture and AISs • Why a national e-agriculture strategy • FAO’s approach • Take home messages

  3. 7.5 billion today 9.7 billion in 2050 By 2050 we will need 60% more food, 50% more energy and 40% more water 35 to 122 million more poor by 2030 if climate change not addressed Source: UNEP 2011, FAO SOFA 2016 “Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security”

  4. Challenges in Europe and Central Asia and SDGs In the 21st century, agriculture remains fundamental for poverty reduction, economic growth and environmental sustainability

  5. Land and water resources Arable land Crop and livestock sectors use 70 % of fresh water resources; Livestock alone uses 80% of global crop and pasture areas More land is needed for the fastest developing sector: aquaculture

  6. How to produce more with less? • More innovations (both technological and social) adding value to farmers and communities • Change in knowledge systems • Adjusting policies System level: the focus is on the functionalities and performance of the system as a whole. Innovation niche level: CD takes place around specific innovation agendas, in which actors of all types allocate time and resources to achieve change

  7. E-agriculture • E-agriculture refers to designing, developing and applying innovative ways to use information and communication technologies (ICTs) - including digital technologies - in the rural domain, with a primary focus on agriculture and food, including fisheries, forestry and livestock. • Technological application, facilitation, support of standards and norms, capacity development, education and extension belong to the broader concept of e-agriculture. • E-agriculture offer the unprecedented opportunities for accelerating agricultural development, however an appropriate enabling environment is needed to realize the technology potential. Source: FAO,2016

  8. World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Geneva, December 2003 Tunis, November 2005 Geneva Plan of Action WSIS Action Line C7. ICT applications: benefits in all aspects of life ‘e-agriculture’ www.fao.org/3/a-i4605e.pdf

  9. The Food System Wheel • E-agriculture can successfully leverage all components of the SFSs, such as: • improving people's livelihoods, • realize growth from production to consumption, • Facilitate agricultural trade and markets • improve natural resource management, • create jobs, • keep young people in rural areas, • adapt to and mitigate climate change • Contribute to social, financial and trade inclusion

  10. Agricultural Innovation System (AIS) As agriculture increasingly involves complex interactions among stakeholders at multiple levels, agricultural innovation needs a system perspective.

  11. How to transform the national AISs? 1. Improving enabling environment: policies and financial mechanisms 2. Enhancing capacities of the AISs actors 3. Experiment and learn

  12. FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia: Regional Initiatives Agricultural innovations and AISs

  13. Current and future challenges in e-agriculture Triple divide : digital, rural, gender Content Capacity development Gender and diversity Access and participation Partnerships Technologies Economic, social and environmental sustainability

  14. Face of vulnerability Business-as-usual not an option If challenges not addressed: 563 million people back to poverty

  15. Why a national e-agriculture strategy • Many diverse, small scale e-Agriculture applications, unable to communicate and share data • Avoid duplication of efforts, leading to waste and inability to integrate solutions • Prioritize and maximize return on (limited) investments • Move to national deployments rather than pilots: Kazakhstan, Russian Federation, Azerbaijan • Many issues can be better dealt with at national level(standards, legislations, evidence, infrastructure, capacity development, etc.) • Collaborate successfully with private sector • Communication and resource mobilisation tool for stakeholders, funding agencies, partners, etc. Guidance for national strategy development

  16. Approach to develop a national e-agriculture strategy National Agriculture Master plan Part 3 Part 1 Part 2 National e-agriculture Strategy ICT sector leverage opportunity Leveraging inter-sector The final outcome is a National Strategy on e-agriculture comprising of three parts.

  17. Establish the governance How to manage the vision development process

  18. Identify and work with stakeholders Farmers, Producers organizations, Associations, Community groups Academics, representatives of agriculture sector, ICT sector, advisors to steering committee members, other sectors, farmers organizations Agriculture development organizations, Research organizations, Service providers, Telecom services, Banking, Insurance, Investment management companies Steering Committee

  19. Components for the e-agriculture strategy

  20. A Roadmap for implementing e-Agriculture Strategy

  21. Globally, the food and agriculture are facing unprecedented challenges • A transition is needed towards more sustainable food systems (SFSs) for implementing the SDGs • Information and communication technologies can offer significant benefits and leverage the agriculture • However, not everyone can benefit equally from the technologies: enabling environment, strong institutions and enhanced capacities at all levels are needed • FAO advocates for a structured and participatory approach for a national e-agriculture strategy formulation and implementation to maximize benefits and minimize technological risks • No technology alone can resolve the problems in agriculture but the right combination of channels, processes and tools that include digital innovations- both technological and social, biological improvement and agroecology, can make a development change where it is most needed and create a crucial difference in the livelihoods of people involved in agriculture and related fields.

  22. Thank you!

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