Digitalization of Agrifood Systems

The introduction of digital technologies into agrifood systems involves transforming these systems in response to the growing demands and challenges facing humanity. In this regard, digital transformation entails a series of potential benefits that address the new concerns of global society, including increasing production and resilience, reducing environmental impacts and other negative externalities, improving transparency, facilitating integration and cooperation, and improving living and working conditions in rural areas. Given these benefits, digital technologies will become one of the main tools for climate action and for improving the manner in which agricultural policies are drafted and implemented. On the other hand, however, digital advances could have a negative impact on those who are unable to adapt to the new era and the speed of these changes. Digital transformation requires a series of factors (cybernetic infrastructure, access to technologies, skills to manipulate them, etc.) in which there are considerable gaps; as a result, it could become a contributing factor to inequality, conflict and exclusion.

The digital transformation of agrifood systems has accelerated due to the growing supply of digital solutions and increased digitalization resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the time is ripe to drive the digital transformation of agrifood systems in order to harness its benefits and mitigate its threats.

Within this context, the Digitalization of Agrifood Systems Program has been created, based on the understanding that digital agriculture is a key element for the dynamic and inclusive transformation of agrifood systems in the Americas. The program’s actions will be aimed at achieving the following objectives:

• Establish and disseminate the need to drive digital transformation, as well as to support the creation of an institutional framework and the development of policy initiatives. Actions will be carried out to raise awareness of the benefits and threats of digital transformation, to map out and analyze policy initiatives that foster digital transformation, and to provide support to member countries in the development of initiatives.
• Coordinate and provide skills training. Actions will be geared towards identifying needs or opportunities with respect to skills training, as well as coordinating, together with educational and research institutions and technology providers, the development of concrete skills training initiatives.
• Detect and support the implementation of successful digitalization experiences and the development of solutions adapted to specific contexts. Promising digital technologies will be identified, successful pilot experiences in the digitalization of agrifood systems will be generated, and efforts will be undertaken to foster their replication and adaptation in other contexts.