Thumbnail Image

1,000 Digital Village Initiative

An initiative to expand digital innovations in rural villages for inclusive rural and agrifood systems transformation

Year of publication 2022

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 9p.

Author FAO

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Brochure, flyer, fact-sheet

Synopsis (short abstract) Digitalization and internet use are transforming every aspect of our lives. Digital technologies are profoundly changing how we grow food, pack it, transport it and even shop for food. Digitalization and use of digital data, applications, and platforms are opening new possibilities for developing and restructuring the agrifood system. Digital agriculture is turning to digitalizing agrifood, rural economy, and rural societies. This report introduces the FAO Digital Village Initiative, which aims to facilitate through knowledge and information. It approaches countries and communities to develop, accelerate and deploy digital technologies in rural villages and communities. The report introduces the Digital Village Ecosystem approach. It describes an instrument (tool) to gather information and provide a village ecosystem assessment to help generate recommendations for future interventions to deploy beneficial, inclusive, and affordable digital innovations by rural residents. The DVE approach identifies five core attributes: basic infrastructure, demand and needs of digital services (from end-user), enabling services, digital supply possibilities, economic and business sustainability, and finally, local ownership of the proposed or piloted digital village innovations. The DVE approach is currently being implemented in 8 countries covering over 100 digital villages (covering a wide range of digital readiness statuses from emerging up to smart villages). The report provides a summary of a sample of digital village cases under DVE assessment. Results of the DVE assessments and recommended follow-up action by country will be released in future reports.

Language English

Also available in:
No results found.

Related items

Showing items related by metadata.

  • Thumbnail Image
    Brochure, flyer, fact-sheet
    Digital Villages In Europe and Central Asia 2024
    Also available in:
    The Digital Village Initiative (DVI) aims to transform rural life in Europe and Central Asia by deploying digital technologies. This project focuses on three key objectives: to deliver increased agricultural productivity by introducing advanced technologies to farmers, to connect rural communities through digital platforms that enhance access to essential services, and to foster sustainable and resilient rural economies for long-term growth and prosperity. Nations such as Albania, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Türkiye, and Uzbekistan are actively participating, turning their rural areas into hubs of innovation. The initiative represents a significant step in redefining rural life across multiple sectors, including agriculture, education, and healthcare.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Brochure, flyer, fact-sheet
    Digital Villages in Uzbekistan 2024
    Also available in:
    In Uzbekistan's Ferghana Valley, the rural communities of Novkent and Yuksalish are at the forefront of a remarkable transformation into Digital Villages. This leaflet explores how these areas are harnessing technology to revolutionize agriculture and empower youth. The Digital Villages Initiative in Uzbekistan introduces smart sensors, assembled by trained local youth, to provide farmers with real-time data on greenhouse conditions via a Telegram bot, significantly improving agricultural decision-making. Additionally, it leverages digital platforms like Telegram and YouTube to disseminate essential agricultural knowledge and practices. The project also emphasizes youth empowerment, with training in social media management, IoT, and coding, culminating in a hackathon that fosters innovation and entrepreneurship. Living Labs further enhance this transformation, where community members collaborate with experts and stakeholders to co-create solutions to local challenges. This story is a compelling example of how digital technology can drive agricultural advancements, youth empowerment, and community-led innovation in rural settings, making it a valuable document for those interested in technology's role in rural development in Uzbekistan.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Book (stand-alone)
    Pilot Digital Villages Initiative in Africa
    Findings of country assessments and recommendations for effective implementation
    2023
    Also available in:
    No results found.
    The Digital Villages Initiative (DVI) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is a corporate programme aiming to combat hunger, poverty and inequality by fostering digital rural transformation. This is being carried out through the establishment of, or support to 1 000 smart rural villages supplied with the digital services needed for agrifood systems and rural transformation to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The DVI supports the FAO Strategic Framework 2022–2031, which responds to key global challenges, including those engendered by COVID-19, “a global crisis, which highlighted the critical mandate of FAO to ensure functioning and sustainable agrifood systems that allow for sufficient production and consumption of food” (FAO, 2021). The programme is being implemented in various regions of the world, including Africa. In sub-Africa, it is led by the Regional Office for Africa (RAF) of FAO and is being deployed on a pilot basis in a few countries. Lessons learned will be shared while opportunities for scaling up/replication in other countries will be explored. A call for expressions of interest was made to identify which countries were interested in participating in the initiative. Seven countries responded positively and have been preselected to be part of the initial pilot: Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Somalia.
Show more

Users also downloaded

Showing related downloaded files

No results found.