Digital innovations are already contributing to solve several challenges facing agriculture and rural economy. The future potential for such technologies to promote sustainable economic growth in agriculture has also been noted by numerous development agencies and researchers.

Asian Development Bank has been working with MAFRA in selected Asian countries to help them to overcome the constraints to agricultural value chains development, identify the main investment areas, and formulate country-specific recommendations for agricultural and rural development based on the experiences of the Republic of Korea. Likewise, IFAD has been working under the aegis of MAFRA as part of the SEEDS project to jumpstart digital agriculture in developing Asian countries such as Philippines, Cambodia, and Viet Nam.

Recognizing the digital technologies as an enabler of agricultural development, IFAD has been increasingly supporting the use of ICTs and digital tools among smallholders in rural and remote areas. In December 2019, IFAD’s Executive Board approved its first Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D) Strategy 2020-2030. Within that context, the Asia and the Pacific Division (APR) created a regionally specific strategy and action plan that align with IFAD’s corporate efforts and meet the more precise needs of countries in the region. The overall goal is for APR to become a digital agriculture leader within IFAD by 2024, with demonstrable models of impactful ICT4D solutions for smallholder agriculture and allied sectors, making IFAD the go-to institution for ICT4D solutions in agriculture and rural development.

Against this backdrop, the proposed symposium was organized to share the findings and recommendations to promote agricultural and rural development through the application of digital solutions, improving value chains, and applying the lessons learnt from Korean experiences.