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Digital technologies in agriculture and rural areas

Status report

Copyright licence

Year of publication 2019

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 152 p.

Author Trendov, N. M., Varas, S., Zeng, M.

Publisher FAO ;

Category General interest book

ISBN 978-92-5-131546-0

Edition 1

Synopsis (short abstract) This report aims to identify the different scenarios where the process of digital transformation is taking place in agriculture. This identifies those aspects of basic conditions, such as those of infrastructure and networks, affordability, education and institutional support. In addition, enablers are identified, which are the factors that allow adopting and integrating changes in the production and decision-making processes. Finally identify through cases, existing literature and reports how substantive changes are taking place in the adoption of digital technologies in agriculture.

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Language English

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    Corporate general interest
    Digital technologies in agriculture and rural areas
    Briefing paper
    2019
    Also available in:
    Firstly, a significant challenge in understanding digital agricultural transformation is a lack of systematic, official data on the topic. Much of the data – for example on levels of e-literacy – are only available at the country level with no distinction for urban and rural areas. Meanwhile, data on networks focus only on coverage and do not provide information about the quality or affordability of services. There is also a lack of information about government support and regulatory frameworks for digital transformation; so far, this has been interpreted via proxies including the availability of government e-services and regulations about connectivity and data protection. A second consideration is that there are significant disparities in the adoption of digital agriculture technologies between developed and developing countries and between global companies and those at a local, community or family scale. Factors including financial resources and education levels influence the adoption of modern agricultural technologies. Small farmers in rural areas are disproportionately disadvantaged as well as facing problems of limited access to infrastructure, networks and technology. A final factor to consider is that digital agricultural technologies are affected by economies of scale. Adoption is easier for users who can implement them at large scale. Small-scale farmers face a disadvantage compared to large agribusiness actors. This creates disparity between large and small-scale farmers, with a corresponding inequality between developed and developing countries. Transformative digital innovations and technologies are often not designed for the scale at which smallholder farmers operate.
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    Policy analysis
    Chinese information technology experience on digitalization of rural areas and poverty alleviation 2025
    Also available in:
    This technical document provides information on the process of digitalization in agriculture, its challenges, and positive factors. It also highlights China's experience in this area, mainly the key role of the government and the participation of private investment. It further addresses the connection with markets, the improvement of agricultural productivity, and the use of agricultural digitalization technologies. Finally, it presents concrete examples and recommendations for Latin America and the Caribbean.
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