Informes

The sustainable development of family farming is strongly conditioned by the economic, social and institutional context in which it is carried out, but also by factors specific to production units themselves. The latter include not only limitations with respect to the quality and quantity of resources, but also the manner in which the production system is organized and functions in order to meet its objectives.

It is possible to increase the productivity of family farming systems by adjusting their management and, at the same time, increasing their resilience to climate variability, without this involving an increase in costs. This has been demonstrated, for instance, by co-innovation processes carried out by the National Agricultural Research Institute (INIA) of Uruguay for the family livestock farms of organizations tied to the National Commission for Rural Development (CNFR) of Uruguay. 

From the Forum of the Americas for Agricultural Research and Technological Development (FORAGRO), in partnership with IICA, CNFR and INIA of Uruguay, we invite you to learn about the characteristics and potential of this methodological option.

This paper explores the possibilities for strengthening agriculture, in particular small agriculture, often represented by family farming, with the use of digital technologies. Within the framework of an initiative of the Global Forum on Agricultural Research and Innovation (GFAR), the Forum of the Americas for Agricultural Research and Technological Development (FORAGRO),with its secretariat at the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), and the Confederation of Family Producer Organizations of the Expanded Mercosur (COPROFAM), in collaboration with international partners AgGateway and Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition (GODAN), the approach of putting small-scale producers at the center of digital solution design has been adopted, called “inclusive digital agriculture” (IDA).

This document is divided into three sections. The first section explores the topic of Digital Agriculture, from secondary sources, with an emphasis on inclusion. The second is an analysis of a regional survey that was conducted within the framework of the project on the basic uses of digital technologies by small producers. In the last section, conclusions and recommendations are proposed in relation to the next phases of the project.

Farmers in general, and small farmers in particular, are not harnessing the benefits of the ongoing and accelerating digital transformation. To address these challenges, Partners in GFAR have started an action on Inclusive Digital Transformation of Agriculture. The first phase was launched in August 2021 in Latin America and the Caribbean, led by the Forum of the Americas for Agricultural Research and Technology Development (FORAGRO) and in partnership with the Confederation of Family Producers Organizations of the Expanded Mercosur (COPROFAM), the Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition (GODAN) initiative, and the AgGateway consortium of digital agriculture solution providers.

The application of digital technologies in agriculture with the aim of improving efficiency, productivity and resilience to climate change, is growing exponentially in the world and in our region. But these technological developments are not among the usual issues addressed by the actors of agricultural innovation systems. For this reason, their emergence should be analyzed by agricultural RDI (research, development and innovation) institutions and organizations in the hemisphere to define how they affect their priorities and agendas. In general, efforts are required by all actors, both public and private, to overcome the connectivity gaps, meet the need for appropriate digital developments for different types of producers in different regions, improve clarity in the regulation information privacy, and strengthen the capacities of producers, of other actors in agricultural chains and of agricultural support services, to develop and take advantage of options based on digital technologies.

Technical brief prepared as an input for the virtual consultation convened by FORAGRO to analyze the priorities that must be incorporated into the hemispheric RDI agenda with the objective of achieving an inclusive and equitable use of digital agriculture, that leaves no one behind. Efforts are required by all actors, both public and private, to bridge the connectivity gaps; meet the need for appropriate digital developments for different types of producers in different regions; improve clarity in the regulation of information privacy; and strengthen the capacities of producers, of other actors in the agricultural chains and of the agriculture support services, to develop and take advantage of options based on digital technologies

The new Steering Committee (SC) of the Forum of the Americas for Agricultural Research and Technological Development (FORAGRO) held its first meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina from April 12 to 13, 2018, during an event that also included a “Workshop to Define FORAGRO’s Needs and Vision.” The present report, which refers specifically to the SC meeting, summarizes matters addressed as well as agreements reached by the Committee, for the information of FORAGRO’s members, who may subsequently submit any relevant observations. As part of a process aimed at improving the forum, the SC has replaced FORAGRO’s Executive Committee, as set forth in the FORAGRO Charter approved by the Assembly in 2017.