The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and the United Nations Food and Agriuclture Organization (FAO) signed on September 20, 2017, in New York a memorandum of understanding to promote ICT-driven innovation in agriculture. The two institutions will in this framework team up to facilitate the development of measures and regulations related to e-agriculture. The final objective of the partnership is to boost national and regional competitiveness of all countries, the poorest especially.

Director General of FAO, José Graziani da Silva (photo), said “ICT have a tremendous potential to support rural development, improve rural households’ resiliency, improve farmers’ access to markets and other services, make women and youth more autonomous. They will help insure that rural populations are not left out”.  

Truly, with ICT tools, mobile phones included, rural populations can abandon archaic farming methods which they inherited from their customs and traditions, and improve their production and subsequently their revenues. They will be able to identify the best agricultural inputs and sales outlets, access weather data to determine the best periods to plant and harvest, use the best agricultural practices to improve yields, etc.

According to FAO, improving agricultural output with ICT falls in line with the sustainable development goals of its 2030 agenda, to end poverty and hunger, among others.