Digital Agriculture week opened with an appeal to place new technologies in the hands of all players in the Latin American and Caribbean rural sector

San Jose, 31 May 2023 (IICA) – High-level policy decision makers, international organizations, representatives of agrifood companies, AgTechs working to bolster production, researchers and farmers associations, attended the opening of a major forum focusing on the digitalization of the agrifood sector in Latin America and the Caribbean. 
 
The event is the second edition of Digital Agriculture Week, held at the Headquarters of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), in San Jose, Costa Rica. A wide range of public and private sector stakeholders were in attendance, both in person and virtually.
 
The event is organized by IICA, in conjunction with seven strategic partners. Of them, three are international organizations, namely the Development Bank of Latin America - CAF, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the IDB Lab, which is the innovation lab of the Inter-American Development Bank Group. The final four are companies operating in the food sector: Bayer, Microsoft, the Yield Lab and Veolia.
 
In recognition of their leading role in the development of digital technologies, 15 AgTechs that are already providing solutions for use in agriculture are participating in the face-to-face component of the Week’s activities. The companies were selected by a special judging panel from among 75 applicants, based on their relevant contributions to agrifood system production, sustainability and inclusion. Other Agtechs are participating virtually.
 
Digital Agriculture Week is a discussion forum, but even more so a forum for collective action, aiming to spur dynamic and inclusive agrifood digitalization. It is part of a series of activities on priority areas in agrifood system transformation, which IICA is promoting to create a hemispheric partnership for food security and sustainable development.
 
In presenting the activities, Federico Bert, who heads the Institute’s Digitalization of Agrifood Systems Program, explained that, “By organizing these digital conferences, IICA is ratifying its commitment to digitalization in agriculture, which is the most important and transformative process taking place in food production”.
 
Innovation for small farmers 
 
William Ernest Mondol, Senior IDB Lab Specialist in Costa Rica, pointed out that technology is the answer to the challenges facing agriculture. “We think that innovation and digital transformation can help us to reduce productivity gaps, apply new regenerative agriculture paradigms and provide nature-based solutions to tackle the climate crisis”.
 
According to René Orellana, Regional Manager for Mexico and Central America at the Development Bank of Latin America-CAF, Digital Agriculture Week is important in providing solutions that are in the reach of small farmers, as a means of contributing to the difficult process of agricultural digitalization. “There is a gap in access to information and technology use. We are committed to working in these areas in order to expand digitalization in rural areas”.
 
Brandon Day, CEO of The Yield Lab explained that the organization is a federation of investment funds with an extensive presence in Latin America. The company is investing in the initial development stages of startups that demonstrate immense potential. “We believe in a systemic focus to support innovation in agriculture”, he explained. “My organization is offering initiatives and we are pleased to work with partners to support innovation efforts in Latin America”.
 
Enrique Hennings, Lead Technical Specialist in Rural Markets and Enterprises at IFAD, stressed that improving the efficiency and productivity of small farmers is critical in ensuring them access to digitalization. “Less than 20% of small farmers have a basic aptitude in digital technology use. For digitalization to become dynamic and inclusive it will depend on the actions that we take from now”.
“It is more important than ever that we empower the farmers who must sustainably produce food for the world”, said Ineke Geesink, Country Manager of Microsoft Costa Rica. “We are living at a unique time, given the explosion of technologies that are creating a world of opportunities and benefits. The democratization of these technologies is essential.

Tools for greater sustainability
 
Carlos Serrano, representative of Veolia, provided details on the activities of his organization, which is involved in sectors such as water, waste and energy. Serrano said that agriculture “is an art and the artists are the persons who rise early every day to grow our food. We could do nothing better than equip them with tools that will allow them to do their work efficiently and sustainably”.
 
Beatriz Arrieta, Regional Manager for Food Value Chains at Bayer expressed her firm belief that the most sustainable way to produce food is through digitalization. “The great challenge—she emphasized—is to be able to help not only large companies but also to reach small farmers”.
 
Also participating in the opening was IICA Director General, Manuel Otero, who outlined the policies and actions that the specialized agency for rural and agricultural development in the Inter-American system is undertaking to promote agricultural digitalization, which has become a core part of its agenda. 
 
Otero explained that, “In 2022, we adjusted our Medium-term Plan and created the Digitalization of Agrifood Systems Program, with the aim of building bridges to promote dynamic and inclusive digitalization”.
 
The IICA Director General also indicated that Digital Agriculture Week seeks to “identify concrete actions and build bridges to spur the growth of digitalization, ensuring that no one is left behind. IICA is increasing its commitment to ensure that digitalization becomes an effective vector for agricultural transformation – spurring greater sustainability, resilience and inclusion, promoting the strengthening of women and men in agriculture and ensuring that they become leading players in this new era for agriculture in the hemisphere”.

More information:
Institutional Communication Division.
comunicacion.institucional@iica.int