News Overview

ICTforAg 2024: Localizing Impact announced to take place 28-30 May, both in-person and online. Confirmed locations: India (New Delhi), Kenya (Nairobi), Mexico (Texcoco), Philippines (TBD), Washington DC. We are already collecting session suggestions! Apply here: https://www.ictforag.com/events/submit-a-session/ ICTforAg is annual event bringing together agrifood system stakeholders, technology experts, and enthusiasts to share knowledge, find solutions, and form partnerships to address challenges

Top photo credit: IWMI/Prashanth Vishwanathan By Shalini Gakhar, Sheetal Sharma and Rabi Sahoo. Since October 2022, India has embarked on the fastest rollout of 5G mobile data in the world, with average download speeds nearing 100 megabits per second. Agriculture is one of the fields set to be impacted: here we share five ways in which 5G can enable more

To explore the advantages and disadvantages of customized chatbots, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) researchers have created a virtual food policy expert using ChatGPT and a customizable AI system using training literature drawn from about two dozen food policy research reports or food policy documents. Once the virtual food policy expert was created, a range of questions that one

A new platform offering training to farmers via the WhatsApp mobile application has just been launched by the CGIAR Digital Innovation Initiative. As part of the Digital Innovation CO-LAB learning network, over 70 micro-courses are under development, starting with an initial course in basic digital skills. The potential for services such as WhatsApp in agricultural extension has been of great

Top photo: Usability Test for DQQ in WhatsApp with women from La Puente , Chiquimula. Credit: Marcelo Godoy Authors: Melissa Bonilla, Anna Müller & Andrea Borrayo. Sometimes, as researchers, we unknowingly make assumptions that can cause our innovations to fail. This is especially true when it comes to scale out a technology; what works in one context may not in

Enthusiasm for the potential of ICTs to transform agricultural markets in Africa has motivated considerable investment in market-oriented digital tool development. However, new research shows that progress made thus far has been limited to small-scale experiments that often fail to scale up. The paper provides an inventory of the main ICT solutions and recommendations for scaling. In sub-Saharan Africa, most

By Jawoo Koo, CGIAR Initiative on Digital Innovation Lead.  Photo credit: Prashanth Vishwanathan / CCAFS Agricultural extension services play a crucial role in supporting 570 million small-scale farmers worldwide, contributing to food security and rural development through the dissemination of technical advice and best practices. These vital services, however, often face significant challenges, including weak institutional capacity, inadequate reach, and

A proposed framework and innovative digital inclusivity index aim to address marginalization. By Felix Ouko Opola, Simon Langan, Indika Arulingam, Niyati Singaraju, Deepa Joshi, Charlotte Schumann, Inga Jacobs-Mata and Karen Nortje. Originally posted at IWMI.cgiar.org Who gets left behind in the digital transformation? If you are reading this, you have access to a smart digital device and have the ways