“Digital Agriculture and Rural Transformation" (DART) is a three-year (2024—2027) project financed by the Digital Transformation Window call of the Joint SDG Fund with a total budget of USD 3.3 million. Officially launched in Tirana on the 8 November 2024, the project aims to achieve its objectives by developing a national digital agriculture strategy and action plan aligned with the European Union’s (EU) legal framework, by improving the delivery of digital public services through the Albanian Farmers’ Portal, and by developing digital capacities among small-scale farmers, students, technical vocational and educational training schools and centres, and public sector employees.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) are the co-implementing partners of the programme led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
ITU is contributing to the project by delivering an assessment of the pre-accession requirements in digital agriculture and developing a policy paper on closing the rural connectivity gap. Both outputs will serve as contributions to the development of the Digital Agriculture Strategy within the project. Moreover, ITU is committed to building the capacities of public officials be delivering the workshop on the rural connectivity, pre-accession requirements in the digital agriculture, the building block approach to digital services as well as by conducting the assessment of the digital skills of public sector workers.
“Robust ICT infrastructure is essential to drive progress across all economic sectors, including agriculture. Through this project, we aim to provide the expertise and resources needed to enhance rural connectivity and support rollout of a 'building blocks' approach to develop and deliver public services more effectively," said Dr Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava, Director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau.
DART implements actions under the priority areas of the UN Forum on Sustainability Standards and UN Secretary General's Call to Actions by investing in innovation and technology, deepening participatory design and implementation inclusive of women and young people, and by incorporating food systems strategies into national policies. It bridges the gap between vision and impact, propelling Albania's agricultural sector into a digitally-driven sustainable future while contributing to global SDGs.
All joint programmes of the Joint SDG fund are led by UN Resident Coordinators and implemented by the agencies, funds and programmes of the United Nations Development System (UNSDG). With appreciation for the contributions from the European Union and the governments of Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland to a transformative movement for achieving the SDGs by 2030.
