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Digital Innovation Accelerator Programme

Transforming high-potential ideas into large-scale digital services to empower rural farmers and democratize food and agriculture solutions

Year of publication 2019

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 2p.

Author FAO

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Brochure, flyer, fact-sheet

Edition 1

Synopsis (short abstract) Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and digital innovation are key catalysts for sustainable development and socioeconomic growth in developing countries. However, even though ICT innovations are being rapidly adopted globally, their vital contribution to lifting people out of extreme poverty and hunger, as well further promoting sustainable agriculture, has yet to be realized. FAO’s Digital Innovation Accelerator Programme aims to play a vital role in ensuring that digital innovation and new technologies reach and better serve rural farmers and small-scale producers, who are often among the poorest in society. The programme will seed-fund, pilot and scale up innovative ICT solutions with high potential for impact on food and agriculture, transforming digital solutions and services into global public goods, making them accessible to smallholders. The programme operates a tiered financing model (idea, pilot, scale-up) to identify innovations and ensure responsible risk management: (1) Idea: FAO launches open innovation challenges to source local and global high-potential ideas; (2) Pilot: FAO provides the most promising innovations with seed money for small-scale field pilots; and (3) Scale-up: FAO provides further funds for upscaling innovations with strong evidence of success. The programme will also contribute to FAO’s current Digital Services Portfolio and ongoing work vetting frontier technologies, such as blockchain, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things. FAO’s Digital Services Portfolio currently includes innovative digital solutions for farmers to detect plant pests and diseases, provide market prices and weather forecasts linked to agro-advisory services, and real-time information on animal disease control and nutritious foods. 

Language English

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