Agenda

 As food security, famine, malnutrition and climate change, continue to be global issues compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic impacting the lives of millions of people around the world, emergency efforts are being made to build resilience at the grassroots level across the entire value chain agriculture sector.

In that context, there is burgeoning pressure on governments, businesses and development agencies around the world to address the disruptions across the agriculture value chain and ecosystem caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and resource constraints. This is consequently impacting food production, distribution, provision and consumption.

As a result, multiple initiatives are being initiated by various governments, development banks and UN agencies to build greater resilience at the grassroots by integrating SMART digital technologies, providing real-time information regarding weather and market systems and by building clusters of excellence across the agriculture and food supply chain ecosystems. This has resulted in the growth of new MSMEs, SMEs, and Agric. Entrepreneurs and Agric. Technopreneurs which eventually leads to the overall economic growth of the countries.

Consequently, this has also created an aptitude and desire among the farmers for the acceleration and adoption of innovative digital technologies, integrated information systems and practical use of sophisticated satellite technology, which is building resilience at the grassroots level for farmers, particularly for smallholder farmers and micro - traders. Therefore, it is vital for governments to create integrated and holistic strategies, policies, multi-sector partnerships and evidence-based initiatives that create an enabling environment to nurture this type of development across the entire agriculture ecosystem and value chain.

This session present and discuss practical transformational case studies that integrate innovative SMART technologies, AIS and big data solutions that have been integrated in a localized manner to sustainably transform and build resilience in the lives of farmers, and in the process holistically empowering rural women and strengthening the global agriculture value chain.

During this session, case studies from Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Sudan, Palestine, Pakistan and Nigeria will be presenting demonstrating practical applications and the informational power delivered through digital technology. It will also provide insight and opportunities for governments and development practitioners for reflection, possible adoption and localization based on their challenges and priorities, which will also fast track their performance towards multiple SDGs.