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Digital Agriculture Solutions Forum 2020 for Asia-Pacific

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Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) organised Digital Agriculture Solutions Forum (DASF) for Asia and the Pacific 2020 (formally called E-agriculture Solutions Forum) that held virtually from 30 November – 2 December 2020.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted several opportunities where digital technologies can help various stakeholders. In particular, big data analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, distributed ledger technologies (DLTs), mobile applications and other digital innovations have been found to offer solutions for several challenges facing agriculture and rural economy. However, these solutions require enabling conditions in the form of policy, investment, regulation and infrastructure among others. Capacity development is also needed to ensure that suitable, adapted and affordable technologies are identified and implemented by resource-poor, small-scale producers, traders and entrepreneurs throughout the food and agricultural value chain.

Following the success of the previous two E-agriculture Solutions Forum (Thailand 2016 and China 2018), The theme for this year virtual Digital Agriculture Solutions Forum (DASF) is “Bridging the digital divide and bringing digital agricultural innovations to smallholders and small scale enterprises”.

The main objectives of DASF 2020 is to share knowledge on:
(1) Building back better through sustainable digital interventions (or solutions) for agriculture
(2) Transforming agriculture and supporting rural communities livelihoods through sustainable digital solutions
(3) Sustaining digital solutions and promoting innovations by bridging the digital divide and fostering rural agripreneurs
(4) Showcasing successful solutions and identifying lessons learnt in the design, development and deployment of digital agriculture services and solutions and their broad-based access.

The Forum​ brought together stakeholders from the agriculture and ICT sectors involved in developing and deploying ICT solutions for agriculture. The three-day Forum would include keynote speakers and panelists from a wide-ranging spectrum of expertise on digital innovations, policies and technologies.

​We look forward to the active participation of your senior representatives in the Forum. The Forum is paperless, conducted in English and not required any participation fees. 

Know more about ITU and Digital Agriculture​​​.

E-agricultre in Action Series (past publications)​​

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​ Register and join the Forum​ (Click here)​​​

Day 1: Monday 30 Nov (1300-1415 Hrs BKK GMT+7)

​SESSION 1: Opening and Pre-launch of E-Agriculture in Action Publication 2020 

Inaugural session:

  • Mr. Jong-Jin​ Ki​m, Assistant Director General, FAO Regional Office for Asia-Pacific [Bio​]
  • Mr. Stephen Bereaux, Deputy to the Director and Chief, BDT, ITU​ [Bio​]
  • Ms. Ismahane Elouafi, Chief Scientist, FAO [Bio​]​​
  • Ms. Atsuko Okuda, Regional Director, ITU Regional Office for Asia-Pacific [Bio]

Pre-launch of the FAO-ITU publication “E-agriculture in Action: Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture” 

Moderator: Mr Dejan Jakovljevic, FAO [Bio​​]

Panelists: 
- Mr Justin Gong, Co-founder, XAG [Bio]​ [Presentation​]
- Mr Peeyush Kumar, Microsoft [Bio​][Presentation]
- Mr  Salah Sukkarieh, Aggeris [Bio​][Presentation​]
   Q&A 

Day 1: Monday, 30 Nov (1415-1530 Hrs BKK GMT+7)

SESSION 2: Digital innovations (Big data; Data platforms) in food agriculture: Innovations development, deployment and conditions for accessibility and for bridging digital divide 

This session will focus on enabling conditions to ensure that successful innovations and solutions are made accessible to broad-based users, especially farmers and small scale entrepreneurs, including youth and women and local communities and g​roups. Digital solutions to discuss to include applications of Big Data; Data governance; GIS/satellites; standards for zoonotic diseases information systems; early warning systems. Also to be di​​​​​scussed applications such as Farmers registration and digital ID; digital literacy, connectivity cost and benefit to small farmers

Moderator: Mr.​ Hani Eskandar, Senior Coordinator, Digital Services, BDT, ITU [Bio​​]

Panelists: 
-  Mr Itesh Dash, RIMES​ [B​io] [Presentation​​]
- Mr Walter H. Mayer, CEO, ProGIS 
[Bio​] [​ Presentation​​​]
-  Mr Sriganesh Lokanathan, Data Innovation & Policy Lead​, UN Pulse Lab [B​io] [Presentation​​]
- Mrs Regina Nukundj, Chief Livestock Officer, Actng Deputy Secretary, Department of Agriculture & LIvestock, Papua New Guinea [Bio] [Presentation] 

Q&A​

Day 2: 1 Dec (1300-1415 Hrs BKK GMT+7)

SESSION 3. Food product traceability, data platforms and e-commerce: Status of deployment readiness, inclusive access, interoperability and standards 

The session will focus on the digital solutions that strengthen agriculture marketing, supply chain and product traceability in agricultural value chains. The session brings out the issues of regulations and monitoring to ensure transparency and interoperability across different data platforms; as well as issue related to access and capacity development for small scale enterprises participating in these market platforms. The session will highlight examples of digital solutions addressing accessibility by small scale producers and traders.

Moderator: Mr, Paul Voutier, Director - Knowledge and Innovation, Grow Asia 

​Panelists: 

- Mr. Pascal Leytens, Sales Director, Traceverified [B​io]  [Presentation​]
- Dr. Atip Asvanund, Head of Sustainability Development: Social Activities and Academics, CP Group [B​io] [Presentation​​]
- Mr. Sanny Gaddafi, Founder, 8Villages
 [Bio]  [Presentation​]​
- Miss Wipada Saengkham, Computer Technical Officer, National Bureau of Agricultural Commodity and Food Standards, Thailand [Presentation​​]

Q&A​


Day 2: 1 Dec (1415-1530 Hrs BKK GMT+7)

​SESSION 4. ​ Accelerating rural digitalization and bridging the digital divide through the “Digital Village" Approach: Examples from Asia

 

The pace of digitalization and its penetration within the food and agricultural systems and rural sector is accelerating. The domain of digital agriculture applications is practically unlimited. Digitalization is critical to enabling better access to agricultural information, resources and markets, more revitalized rural areas confronted with rural depopulation and ageing. Digitalization also offers the promise of bringing back the youth to locate and work in rural areas and contribute to their economies and communities. More and more governments are committed to rural digitalization, especially after COVID, and the concept of digital village is increasingly embraced as a mechanism to achieve rural transformation. This session will introduce the “digital village" model and showcase several examples of successful initiatives from three countries in the region. The aim is to stimulate discussion on this emerging concept and exchange best practices and experiences towards its further development​

Moderator: Mr Aziz Elbehri, Senior Economist and Group Leader , Socio-Economic Development & Policy Support Group, FAO Regional Office Asia-Pacific 

Panelists:

- Bangladesh: Digital village case study; Mr. Imanun Nabi Khan  [Presentation​]
- Indonesia: Aruna - An exemplary integrated digital platform serving fisherman communities; Ms. Utavi Octavianty​​, Aruna (Co-Founder) 

- Vietnam: Digital transformation in marginal Vi Huong commune. Mr. Nguyễn Anh Phong, Director IPSARD.   [Presentation]
- Q&A

Day 3: 2 Dec (1300-1415 Hrs BKK GMT+7)

SESSION 5. How digital financial services can support farming, rural enterprises and benefit the poor through safety net programs and financial inclusion

This session will showcase innovative digital financial services (including e-finance, e-services), and their roles in expanding social protection, and meeting financial needs of rural women, SMEs and young entrepreneurs. The session will also address the solutions for reducing gap between the availability of finance, its accessibility and use. The session will showcase solutions aimed at rural retail customers, agribusinesses and/or financial service providers (e-commerce, data service management, agribusiness for SMEs), including solutions that lowers effective barriers for women access to digital services (like supporting digitization of women-centric institutions like SHGs). The session will also address emerging business models including through Fintech and new innovations around block chain and artificial intelligence (and associated infrastructure and interoperability) are contributing to the digitalization of agricultural and rural finance.  

Moderator: 

Panellists
- Mr Jagdeep Dahiya, Country Lead, Papua New Guinea, UNCDF [Bio​]  [Presentation​]
- Mr Sanjay Shrivastava, Chief, Disaster Risk Reduction, UNESCAP [Bio] [Presentation​​]
- Mr Atique-Ur-Rehman Siddiqi, Telenor, Pakistan [B​io​]​ [Presentation​]
 


Day 3: 2 Dec (1415-1500 Hrs BKK GMT+7)

SESSION 6. Moving Forward and Closing 

Final wrap up final session

Closing speech from FAO 
Closing speech from ITU 


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ORGANIZERS


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Information

Event concept note
Registration link​

Contact

 
 ITU Contacts

 - Ashish Narayan
   ashish [dot]narayan[at]itu[dot]int
-  Wachira Woramanakul
   wachira [dot] woramanakul[at]itu[dot]int

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