The Forum, NaijaAgroNet reports was supported by the European Union and organized by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), made this call in its outcome document.
The Forum also made a strong case for greater investment in innovation, stressing that digital technologies are transforming every sector of the global economy, including agriculture.
While the private sector is largely driving the development of such technologies, the public sector can help facilitate their adoption and keep an eye on technologies that have the power to bring positive outcomes, especially to small-scale farmers and small-to-medium enterprises. That means understanding the different technologies - and obstacles hindering their uptake, especially by small-scale producers - and identifying the necessary policies, regulations, incentive frameworks and capacity development.
Other discussions at the Forum focused on the private sector's views on investing in emerging markets and managing risks in value chain financing, and on the importance of making agrifood systems greener as well as more inclusive, especially for women and youth.
Isaac Oyimah/GEE
... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology