The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) will leverage synergies to support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals through the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs).
A telecommunications antenna in a rural village in Niger
The principals of the two organizations, Houlin Zhao (ITU) and José Graziano da Silva (FAO), signed today a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that seeks to facilitate the development of e-Agriculture policies and regulations as well as ICT-centric innovation clusters that strengthen national and regional agricultural competitiveness.
The MoU is also aimed at enhancing the capacity of rural communities to adopt and use ICTs in agriculture, climate change monitoring and disaster-prevention.
"ICTs have a huge potential to support rural development, increase the resilience of rural families, improve access of farmers to markets and other services, and empower women and youth. ICTs will help ensure that the rural population is not left behind," said FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva.
"ITU looks forward to working more closely with FAO to promote and facilitate the development of valuable e-Agriculture policies, strategies and plans, as well as the development and sharing of ideas, resources and ICT solutions aimed to increase livelihood of rural communities. A priority will be the fostering of digital skills among women and youth in the agriculture sector," said ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao.
The MoU builds upon the ongoing collaboration between ITU and FAO to assist member states in adopting a strategic approach to make the best use of ICT developments for agriculture. In 2016, the two institutions jointly developed the E-agriculture Strategy Guide that suggests a framework for countries to develop their national e-agriculture strategy and master plan, while also jointly organizing the FAO-ITU e-Agriculture Solutions Forum in Bangkok in August 2016.
FAO has a longstanding history of fostering exchanges of ideas and best practices in ICT for sustainable agriculture and rural development. In 2007, FAO and a group of founding partners launched the e-Agriculture Community of Practice - an online space with over 12,000 members from 170 countries and territories.
Source: FAO
Announcements
Vacancies
- Head Grower – High Technology Organic Greenhouse
- Import and Export Sales Manager
- Sales Manager - US
- Grower | Cannabis
- Key Account Manager (f/m/d) - Full-time
- Vice President of Growing Operations
- Account Manager - Canada
- Account Manager - United States
- Procurement Manager Blueberries
- International Fruit Trader
Partnership between ITU and FAO to bolster ICT innovation in agriculture
Publication date:
Receive the daily newsletter in your email for free | Click here
Other news in this sector:
- 2023-11-28 Canada: Vertical integration allows to have a farm set up on-site within 3-6 weeks
- 2023-11-27 Egypt: Growers transitioning to soilless farming to counter water scarcity
- 2023-11-24 "The surging berry demand, and the North American market growth are our focus points"
- 2023-11-24 Why do crops grow better with more light?
- 2023-11-24 Addressing labor shortage and preserving heritage through AI farming
- 2023-11-23 Smart farming seen as the solution in Japan’s ageing society
- 2023-11-23 Google's GraphCast can predict weather with 'unprecedented accuracy'
- 2023-11-23 Asia sees growing need for high-quality produce and leafy greens
- 2023-11-22 Netting cages offer a solution for easy insect inspection of new plant material
- 2023-11-22 Bosman Van Zaal now official dealer of Elpress
- 2023-11-22 How AI-led climate modelling could save millions of dollars
- 2023-11-22 Viscon continues development Honest AgTech autonomous driving horticultural robot
- 2023-11-22 Uniform measurement protocol with focus on data-driven cultivation
- 2023-11-21 New cover film integrates fluorescent technology
- 2023-11-21 "Tune CO2 dosage based on greenhouse conditions"
- 2023-11-20 Hungary: Hungarian minority launches aquaponics greenhouse in Lendava
