Digital Agri Co-Lab: Fostering research, collaboration & skills for enabling digital innovation in agri-food systems

Digital innovation continues to offer opportunities for a transformative shift in the Global South's agrifood sector, but it also faces significant challenges. Known for its diverse agricultural practices and smallscale farming, the Global South requires customized solutions to enhance productivity...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Nagaraji, Satish, Gardeazabal Monsalve, Andrea, Gopalan, Padmavati
Formato: Brochure
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: CGIAR 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/138474
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author Nagaraji, Satish
Gardeazabal Monsalve, Andrea
Gopalan, Padmavati
author_browse Gardeazabal Monsalve, Andrea
Gopalan, Padmavati
Nagaraji, Satish
author_facet Nagaraji, Satish
Gardeazabal Monsalve, Andrea
Gopalan, Padmavati
author_sort Nagaraji, Satish
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Digital innovation continues to offer opportunities for a transformative shift in the Global South's agrifood sector, but it also faces significant challenges. Known for its diverse agricultural practices and smallscale farming, the Global South requires customized solutions to enhance productivity and sustainability and ensure scaling. Obstacles like the increasing digital divide, weak information systems and infrastructure, and limited digital capabilities, particularly among marginalized rural populations, hinder progress. This white paper highlights why and how collaboration is required among diverse stakeholders, systems and digital solutions to address key emerging challenges such as interoperability, standardization, data privacy and ethics in AI. The Co-Lab (https://co-lab.cgiar.org), a collaborative platform developed by the Digital Innovation Initiative of CGIAR, could help overcome these problems. Co-Lab is designed to catalyze innovation in the agricultural and food sectors through collaboration and partnership, addressing key issues like lack of experimental spaces, validation processes, and knowledge sharing. Its primary objective is to co-create impactful, context-specific solutions that resonate with the unique needs of agricultural systems, particularly in the Global South. The Co-Lab platform's unique approach aims to bridge existing gaps in digital innovation by promoting a collaborative environment for the actors. In this space, different actors, including AgTech companies, private sector entities, governments, research institutes, academic institutes, civil society organizations and farmer organizations, can come together to leverage their collective expertise to address shared challenges in the agricultural ecosystem. By fostering a culture of peer-to-peer knowledge exchange, Co-Lab enables stakeholders to share insights, experiment, collaborate and validate new ideas, thereby avoiding the pitfalls of working in isolation. Through its efforts, Co-Lab aspires to overcome the fragmentation in digital innovation, paving the way for a more cohesive, collaborative, and impactful transformation of agri-food systems in the Global South. Co-Lab’s vision is embodied in its structure, featuring four foundational pillars: a virtual collaborative space that facilitates robust discussions and the sharing of ideas; an innovation repository acting as a comprehensive directory of the latest digital agricultural technologies; a Digital Innovation Navigation Assistant (DINA), an advanced tool powered by Generative AI, that guides stakeholders through the complex terrain of agricultural technologies; and a Learning Network dedicated to capacity development through tailored training courses offered both online and via WhatsApp Bots. Through its comprehensive approach and commitment to inclusivity, Co-Lab will be a key driver in the digital transformation of agrifood systems in the regions of the Global South.
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spelling CGSpace1384742025-01-10T06:36:29Z Digital Agri Co-Lab: Fostering research, collaboration & skills for enabling digital innovation in agri-food systems Nagaraji, Satish Gardeazabal Monsalve, Andrea Gopalan, Padmavati agrifood systems agricultural innovation digital agriculture collaboration Digital innovation continues to offer opportunities for a transformative shift in the Global South's agrifood sector, but it also faces significant challenges. Known for its diverse agricultural practices and smallscale farming, the Global South requires customized solutions to enhance productivity and sustainability and ensure scaling. Obstacles like the increasing digital divide, weak information systems and infrastructure, and limited digital capabilities, particularly among marginalized rural populations, hinder progress. This white paper highlights why and how collaboration is required among diverse stakeholders, systems and digital solutions to address key emerging challenges such as interoperability, standardization, data privacy and ethics in AI. The Co-Lab (https://co-lab.cgiar.org), a collaborative platform developed by the Digital Innovation Initiative of CGIAR, could help overcome these problems. Co-Lab is designed to catalyze innovation in the agricultural and food sectors through collaboration and partnership, addressing key issues like lack of experimental spaces, validation processes, and knowledge sharing. Its primary objective is to co-create impactful, context-specific solutions that resonate with the unique needs of agricultural systems, particularly in the Global South. The Co-Lab platform's unique approach aims to bridge existing gaps in digital innovation by promoting a collaborative environment for the actors. In this space, different actors, including AgTech companies, private sector entities, governments, research institutes, academic institutes, civil society organizations and farmer organizations, can come together to leverage their collective expertise to address shared challenges in the agricultural ecosystem. By fostering a culture of peer-to-peer knowledge exchange, Co-Lab enables stakeholders to share insights, experiment, collaborate and validate new ideas, thereby avoiding the pitfalls of working in isolation. Through its efforts, Co-Lab aspires to overcome the fragmentation in digital innovation, paving the way for a more cohesive, collaborative, and impactful transformation of agri-food systems in the Global South. Co-Lab’s vision is embodied in its structure, featuring four foundational pillars: a virtual collaborative space that facilitates robust discussions and the sharing of ideas; an innovation repository acting as a comprehensive directory of the latest digital agricultural technologies; a Digital Innovation Navigation Assistant (DINA), an advanced tool powered by Generative AI, that guides stakeholders through the complex terrain of agricultural technologies; and a Learning Network dedicated to capacity development through tailored training courses offered both online and via WhatsApp Bots. Through its comprehensive approach and commitment to inclusivity, Co-Lab will be a key driver in the digital transformation of agrifood systems in the regions of the Global South. 2023-12 2024-01-25T14:46:23Z 2024-01-25T14:46:23Z Brochure https://hdl.handle.net/10568/138474 en Open Access application/pdf CGIAR International Food Policy Research Institute Nagaraji, S., Gardeazabal Monsalve, A., & Gopalan, P. (2023). Digital Agri Co-Lab: Fostering research, collaboration & skills for enabling digital innovation in agri-food systems. CGIAR & IFPRI. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/138474
spellingShingle agrifood systems
agricultural innovation
digital agriculture
collaboration
Nagaraji, Satish
Gardeazabal Monsalve, Andrea
Gopalan, Padmavati
Digital Agri Co-Lab: Fostering research, collaboration & skills for enabling digital innovation in agri-food systems
title Digital Agri Co-Lab: Fostering research, collaboration & skills for enabling digital innovation in agri-food systems
title_full Digital Agri Co-Lab: Fostering research, collaboration & skills for enabling digital innovation in agri-food systems
title_fullStr Digital Agri Co-Lab: Fostering research, collaboration & skills for enabling digital innovation in agri-food systems
title_full_unstemmed Digital Agri Co-Lab: Fostering research, collaboration & skills for enabling digital innovation in agri-food systems
title_short Digital Agri Co-Lab: Fostering research, collaboration & skills for enabling digital innovation in agri-food systems
title_sort digital agri co lab fostering research collaboration skills for enabling digital innovation in agri food systems
topic agrifood systems
agricultural innovation
digital agriculture
collaboration
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/138474
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