The selected proposals for DAW 2025 should demonstrate their potential to drive the development of a more efficient, resilient and inclusive agriculture sector in the Americas.
San Jose, 12 May 2025 (IICA) -The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) has announced the fourth edition of its Digital Agriculture Week (DAW), scheduled to take place from September 22 – 25 in San Jose, Costa Rica. The initiative aims to foster greater coordination among AgTech startups; public and private financial organizations, national research institutes, technology companies and public authorities, to fast-track the digital transformation of agrifood systems in the Americas.
The guiding principle of this year’s edition is the strengthening of digital innovation ecosystems in the Americas. Thus, the call for proposals prioritizes the participation of AgTech entrepreneurs who present digital solutions that address six strategic areas in agriculture: trade digitalization and agrifood markets; the recording and management of field data; traceability and regulatory oversight of products; modernization of technical assistance and rural extension services; provision of digital climate services; and strengthening of financial services targeting the agriculture sector.
Selected proposals should demonstrate their potential to make a tangible impact in these areas, contributing to developing a more efficient, resilient and inclusive agriculture sector in the Americas.
AgTech candidates for Digital Agriculture Week 2025 should offer digital technologies for agriculture, be in the growth phase (with a demonstrated number of users) and should originate in countries in the Americas.
The call for proposals will be open from May 6th to June 30th and the startups may apply by completing a simple form, available at www.semanaad.iica.int.
At the end of this period, a panel of experts, chosen by IICA, will select the entrants who will enjoy all-expense-paid participation in the 4th edition of Digital Agriculture Week at IICA Headquarters, San Jose, Costa Rica.
This year’s edition, unlike its predecessors, will feature digital agriculture events in various IICA member countries, prior to Digital Agriculture Week. These Digital Agriculture Days will be conducted by the various IICA delegations, who will work with key players in their respective country’s digital ecosystem. More than fifteen countries are already organizing their events (the relevant information will be announced on social media).
In partnership with the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF), Bayer Crop Science, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Amazon Web Services (AWS), the University of Córdoba (Spain) and the Cooperative Program for Agrifood and Agroindustrial Technology Development in the Southern Cone (PROCISUR), IICA is aiming to cement the status of Digital Agriculture Week as a model forum for the main stakeholders in the digital agriculture innovation ecosystem, as a means of promoting the dynamic and inclusive digitalization of agrifood systems in the Americas.
Speaking at the launch of DAW 2024, IICA Director General, Manuel Otero, explained that IICA would like digital technologies to effectively contribute to building a more productive, sustainable agriculture sector that provides individuals with genuine opportunities for development.
“Digital agriculture cannot progress in isolation. We need collaborative ecosystems in which technological innovation, financing and public policies work together,” he stated.
Mentioning various initiatives introduced by IICA for this purpose, Otero maintained that, “Not only does this event showcase innovation, but it is also a forum for networking, learning and shared inspiration. IICA is totally committed to the development of a new, knowledge-intensive agriculture sector. Thus, we have spearheaded initiatives such as CIMAG (Interpretive Center for Tomorrow’s Agriculture), the FabLab (Agricultural Innovation Laboratory), the AgTech Accelerator Program, in partnership with Endeavor, and our soon-to-be-launched Agrobiobusiness Center”.
Carolina Rueda, CAF Representative in Costa Rica, indicated that the Bank considers agricultural digital transformation to be essential in tackling current and future challenges in the region. Moreover, she argued that the digitalization of production sectors, including agriculture, is key to improving competitiveness, sustainability and productivity.
On the other hand, Federico Garat, Head of Industrial Affairs for the Southern Cone at BAYER Crop Science, pointed out that digitalization requires a solid ecosystem and stressed that it fosters sustainability, productivity and efficient resource use.
“The evidence is clear”, said Romina Ordoñez, Senior Rural Specialist at IDB. “Smart digitalization of key processes, such as rural extension services, data collection and technology adoption can transform agriculture, particularly for small- and medium-scale farmers”.
Gabriel Puppo, who is in charge of Business Development at Amazon Web Services (AWS), explained that AWS is seeking to work very closely with the entrepreneurial ecosystem and emphasized that this private entity is aiming to mentor startups from the initial stages to assist them to scale up, innovate and grow, with the support of the cloud.
“Agricultural digitalization is a priority for us. We are seeing more and more startups in Latin America working to resolve agricultural challenges with technology and we want to help them to succeed”, Puppo said in closing.
Mónica Rodrigues, Economic Affairs Officer of ECLAC’s Agricultural Development Unit, stressed the fact that the challenge for the 2025 edition of DAW would be to provide an in-depth look at “how to implement effective policies, overcome territorial barriers and accelerate processes in specific production chains”.
According to Rosa Gallardo, Director of the International Chair of Artificial Intelligence and Agriculture at the University of Córdoba, “Agricultural digital transformation will depend on people. We need to train professionals, foster dialogue with the sector and respect the diversity of production contexts and cultures”.
More information:
Institutional Communication Division.
comunicacion.institucional@iica.int
