Zhejiang University and FAO renew partnership for digital agriculture innovation

Zhejiang University (ZJU) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reaffirmed their collaboration in August 2024 by signing a renewed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The partnership aims to contribute to innovation and digital transformation in agrifood systems globally.

The agreement focuses on four key areas of cooperation: leveraging digital agriculture solutions to build efficient and resilient agrifood systems, empowering individuals and organizations in digitalization and innovation in digital agriculture solutions, enhancing the digital skills of FAO staff, and promoting digital agriculture solutions in developing countries through South-South and Triangular Cooperation.

As part of the partnership, ZJU and FAO will co-organise the Annual Digital Agriculture Forum, a common space for creating and sharing successful knowledge and practice in digital agriculture with the aim of boosting global awareness and engagement in agricultural digitization. They will also organize the Annual Global AgriInno Challenge (GAC), which supports youth-led innovative business models and technical solutions, as well as a Digital Agriculture Bootcamp to equip young people with skills in digitalization, entrepreneurship and leadership in agrifood systems.

The partnership builds on a successful collaboration that began in 2019, marked by notable achievements documented in a partnership brief titled Empowering Youth Through Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship. By renewing the partnership agreement, ZJU and FAO aim to scale up their impact and further contribute to sustainable transformation in agrifood systems worldwide.

As part of their partnership, the parties held GAC 2024 in September, recognizing innovative agricultural solutions addressing critical challenges, with the event supported by the Foreign Economic Cooperation Centre, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China, and Pinduoduo. The Gold Award went to Agrayu from Peru for its digital identity platform, which enables rural farmers to access financial services and markets. The Silver Award was presented to Tanzania’s Climate Smart Irrigator for its climate-resilient irrigation system that optimizes water use and boosts yields in unpredictable weather. China’s Smart Tomato earned the Bronze Award for its AI and IoT-powered monitoring system, improving the efficiency of tomato cultivation while minimizing waste.

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations