The ICTforAg 2022 Conference will take place virtually from March 9 to 10, 2022, and convene the leading stakeholders from the agri-tech and agri-Food space across Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs). Sponsored by Feed the Future and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, ICTforAg 2022 is implemented by DAI and Intellecap. This interactive virtual experience is focused on technical dialogue and fostering collaboration across the digital agriculture ecosystem to build resilient communities.
Given the growing emphasis on digital interventions in agriculture, ICTforAg 2022 will provide the ideal platform for the community at large to share valuable insights and catalyze partnerships that unlock ground-breaking solutions.
ICTforAg 2022 will focus on four cross-cutting themes woven throughout the conference, to explore how data, technologies, and digital innovations are remaking the agri-food space around the world, and what collectively we can do to ensure that the potential of digital technologies benefits all market actors and countries. These are:
- Locally led Development: Creating grassroots impact requires a deep understanding of local challenges, contexts and resource availability. This theme will focus on local actors leading the charge in the design, deployment and uptake of digital agriculture solutions, content, and enabling policies.
- Climate: Agriculture and food systems have been severely disrupted by climate change across the globe, with the most vulnerable facing the brunt. This theme will focus on the benefits of adopting digital technologies that promote climate-friendly solutions, and help to mitigate the impact of climate change in LMICs.
- Digital Inclusion: Even as the penetration of digital technologies continues to grow rapidly in much of the world, inequities in access and adoption continue to exist. This theme will focus on approaches and solutions that are helping to bridge the digital divide, particularly amongst vulnerable and marginalized populations so that all agri-food system actors can benefit from the digital economy.
- Digital & Data Sovereignty: The digitization of the agriculture sector has expanded significantly in recent years, bringing with it increased collection of farmer and agriculture data, often without strong consideration of issues of sovereignty. This theme will focus on solutions and approaches that put farmers and other agri-food system actors in control over how their data is used, as well as giving them an increased stake in the governance and decision-making of digital solutions they use.
Commenting on the need for a platform like ICTforAg, Katie Shipley, Digital Frontiers Project Director at DAI said, “ICTforAg facilitates opportunities for more effective collaboration and sustained global partnerships, which are essential cornerstones of successful digital development. When adopting more holistic and local approaches, platforms like ICTforAg are especially invaluable.”
Echoing her thoughts, Mukund Prasad, Associate Director at Intellecap said “ICTforAg2022 is a catalyst for showcasing innovative practices, and encouraging digital adoption of technology and tools that has a significant impact to promote inclusion in the agri-food sector. This conference will bring to the fore diverse solutions from multiple stakeholders to support the rapid growth of food and agriculture systems across the globe. By fostering conversations and catalyzing cross—border partnerships, we aim to maximize the impetus on entrepreneurial ecosystem building and spur sustainable development”
