This is one of the briefs produced by 30 digital agribusiness practitioners from CTA, its networks and partners to document and assess ways that digital solutions improve the performance, competitiveness and profitability of agribusinesses in ACP countries. Drawing on experiences and cases shared by participants during the workshop zoomed in on real cases to draw out critical insights and lessons – actionable knowledge – that can be used more widely ‘digital solutions improve the performance, competitiveness and profitability of agribusinesses in ACP countries

This brief draws on three cases to show how the private sector contributes to the conceptualisation, design, delivery and evaluation of climate-smart agricultural interventions and can help bring them to scale. Engaging the private sector in CSA interventions enhances the applicability – and thus the sustainability of interventions, increases uptake and delivers a triple win for donors, beneficiaries and the private sector.

El presente documento se enmarca en el Proyecto “Estrategia de Extensionismo, red de instituciones nacionales e internacionales para proveer el sustento científico y tecnológico para el desarrollo de capacidades y extensionismo rural” y corresponde al entregable del Objetivo Específico 2.1, Documento con lineamientos a nivel político, estratégico y operativo que permitan avanzar en la incorporación de la perspectiva de género en las estrategias de extensionismo de la SAGARPA.

On-farm agricultural innovation through incorporation of new technologies and practices requires access to resources such as knowledge, financial resources, training, and even emotional support, all of which require the support of different actors such as peers, advisors, and researchers. The literature has explored the support networks that farmers use and the overall importance ranking of different support actors, but it has not looked in detail at how these networks may differ for different farmers.

In this paper, is first described the design and development process of a modular ICT application system called GeoFarmer. Geofarmer was designed to provide a means by which farmers can communicate their experiences, both positive and negative, with each other and with experts and consequently better manage their crops and farms. We designed GeoFarmer in a collaborative, incremental and iterative process in which user needs and preferences were paramount.

This article presents programmatic lessons on scaling up research for development innovations that were implemented through the Canadian International Food Security Research Fund (CIFSRF). Co-funded by the International Development Research Center (IDRC) and Global Affairs Canada (GAC), CIFSRF was a nine-year, two-phased program (2009–2018) that supported applied research to develop, test and scale proven food and nutrition security innovations. The outline of this paper is as follows.

Dairy extension specialists must adapt to meet the challenges of a dairy industry that is increasingly adopting technology to assist with daily management activities as well as to make long-term decisions. Specialists typically work with youth programs to provide educational opportunities for young people that will attract new people into the dairy industry.

In this paper, is introduced an integrated supply chain planning tool for fresh vegetables that takes into consideration the characteristics and resources of three specific states in Mexico, to make recommendations in terms of the crops to be planted, the timing of planting and harvesting, and what markets to target such that the farmers’ profits are maximized. Also relevant is the selection of the appropriate agriculture technology level (e.g. open field, shade structures, or greenhouse) within each region analyzed.

Relatively little information is known about research and extension within peri-urban environments concerning soil health and management. Ethnopedological work has contributed to ethno-scientific knowledge by bridging the communication gap between scientists and locals concerning soil taxonomies, soil health, and soil fertility management. This study explores mental models of farmers and experts, examining the communication gap concerning soil health and food security. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from farmers (n = 19) and experts (n = 13).

This paper presents the results of an exploratory case-study analysis of a corn stover value-chain development process in two regions: Ontario (Canada) and Flanders (Belgium). Applying an integrated analytical framework and comparing the results with literature, we identified a number of barriers for novel value-chain development and state seven concrete actions that value-chain actors can take to overcome these barriers.