IICA, Bayer, Microsoft, GSMA, the Barbados Prime Minister and the Honduran Secretary of Agriculture will launch a study on rural connectivity, focusing on the role of women and youth in digital technology adoption in family farming.

San Jose, 14 October 2024 (IICA) – The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and its partners Bayer, Microsoft and GSMA will launch a new study on the status of rural connectivity in Latin America and the Caribbean, this time from the family farming perspective. The event will feature the participation of the Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley; the Secretary of Agriculture of Honduras, Laura Suazo; and Manuel Otero, the Director General of the international organization.

The document— “Breaking Down Barriers, Narrowing Gaps - The Key Role of Women and Youth in Digital Technology Adoption in Rural Areas of Latin America and the Caribbean”—was produced by IICA, with the support of Bayer, Microsoft and GSMA. It presents the results of thirty-one interviews conducted in fourteen countries of the region and statistical data from three previous studies undertaken by IICA and its partners.

It also provides recommendations on the development of policies for the public and private sectors to foster the incorporation of digital technologies in family farming. The presentation will take place on Tuesday, 15 October, in commemoration of International Day of Rural Women.

Joining Prime Minister Mottley and Director General Otero at the event will be Laura Suazo Torres, Secretary of Agriculture and Livestock of Honduras; Nancy Andrea Moreno Lozano, Director of the Directorate of Rural Women in the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Colombia; and María Eduarda de Lima Vasconcelos, General Coordinator of Rural Youth in the Ministry of Agricultural Development and Family Farming of Brazil.   

Other featured speakers will include Alejandra Castro, Vice- President of International Affairs and Sustainability Strategy at Bayer; Lucas Gallitto, Head of Latin America for GSMA—the organization that represents the interests of mobile network operators and promotes public policies to guarantee connectivity—and Germán Otálora, Business Operations and Program Management Leader at Microsoft Latin America.   

Sandra Ziegler, IICA Specialist in Connectivity and Education, who authored the study, will present the results. On the other hand, Trigidia Jiménez will offer the perspective of family farmers. Jiménez is a Bolivian rural leader who has been recognized by IICA and who is a member of “Red Nacional de Saberes y Conocimientos” – a knowledge network focusing on the traditional crop, cañahua. 

With this new document, IICA and its partners are aiming to continue driving inclusive digital transformation in agriculture, ensuring that the most vulnerable sectors are not left behind and recognizing that an unprecedented technological revolution is taking place that is reshaping the development of societies at the global level.

These developments in the digital field offer new possibilities for the spectrum of social, productive and recreational activities that impact human actions, which are increasing influenced by the information and communication technologies.
According to an IICA study in December 2022, approximately 72 million rural dwellers in Latin America and the Caribbean are unable to access internet services that satisfy minimal quality standards.

As such, the document to be presented will revisit the perspective of family farmers, with a special emphasis on women and youth, in a bid to highlight the issue of digital technologies in the countryside and their potential to enhance agricultural and sustainable development.

It also compiles quantitative information on access to and the benefits of digital technology.

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