Digitalization has become one of agriculture’s most exciting frontiers through advances in application technology and data science. It is a central element to solving one of agriculture’s most pressing issues: producing enough food for more people and doing so in a way that tackles climate change and protects the planet. Using digital farming tools farmers can work smarter, combining their expertise and knowledge of the land with digitally enabled tools that collect and make sense of data, providing them with actionable insights that allow for better decision-making. 

The digital transformation of agriculture has and will continue to have a fundamentally positive effect on how natural resources are used to grow more food. It provides opportunities for agri-food systems to monitor and manage global soil, climatic and genetic resources; and address information asymmetries among the stakeholders along the agri-food value chains. It serves as a foundation for more efficient, equitable, and environmentally sustainable economic development.  

Our goal is to harness digital technologies to make agriculture more sustainable, productive, inclusive, and resilient, addressing critical global challenges while promoting innovation and collaboration among all stakeholders.

Following the success of the previous rendition, in partnership with AgriFood Lithuania in November 2024 we again co-organized the Vilnius AgriFood Forum 2024 this year bringing it under the umbrella of our Field of the Future campaign. Held under the theme of Rethinking AgriFood for Resilience and Sustainability this year’s Forum focused on aligning with Ursula von der Leyen’s set 2024-2029 priorities. This aligns with the EU’s goals of fostering sustainability, digital transformation, and strengthening Europe’s competitiveness in the global market. The Forum touched upon a wide variety of relevant topics including data-driven climate resilience, digital technologies, the future of agriculture in the EU, global food security challenges, and opportunities for food-processing SMEs.

Read more about the event here

In 2024, the B20, under the Brazilian presidency has included a taskforce on Sustainable Food Systems & Agriculture, which prioritizes food security and sustainability in agriculture as central to its mission. Its discussions and policy recommendations focused on ensuring sustainable agricultural practices and value chains, resilient food systems,  biodiversity conservation, and equitable access to nutritious food. At this occasion, organized a Field of the Future Roundtable, back-to-back with the B20 Summit in Brazil, in the Fall of 2024. 

The digital transformation of agriculture is a foundational component of the Field of Future event series, centered on harnessing the power of digital innovation to support farmers in making data-driven, sustainable decisions that enhance productivity, profitability, and environmental stewardship. Data supporting the link between digital farming and sustainability is essential for building a compelling case for the widespread adoption of digital farming practices. It provides the necessary evidence to drive policy changes, investment decisions, and the scaling up of sustainable agricultural practices.

This event brought high profile speakers who shared their insights on how OECD can enhance Sustainable practices in agriculture, by supporting Digital Farming. B20 is contributed to this initiative, as the business forum of the G20, which plays a significant role in advocating for policies and initiatives that promote the adoption and advancement of digital farming practices, by knowledge sharing and collaboration among agricultural stakeholders, technology providers, and policymakers to exchange best practices and experiences related to digital farming. This can help in identifying barriers to adoption and developing strategies to overcome them and guide government on the National Strategies, public-private partnership and contribute on creating an enabling environment for the widespread adoption of digital farming, ultimately supporting the development of more sustainable, productive, and resilient agricultural systems globally that needs to be developed to enhance digital farming and the Field of the Future.

Event outcomes

• Build awareness, showcase and discuss solutions and examples of industry initiatives and public-private partnerships that are contributing or could contribute to agricultural innovation.
• Propose specific recommendations for:
  • OECD Trade and Agriculture (TAD) Directorate to conduct a study on the impact of digital farming on regenerative agriculture, investigating how digital technologies can enhance sustainable farming practices, and contribute with the Sustainability Goals. The study could also analyze the effect of digital farming on yield improvement and farmer profitability, exploring the potential for increased investment in digital farming to drive these outcomes.
  • The study could involve case studies from private sector in diverse regions and crops and provide actionable recommendations for policymakers and investors to support the integration of digital farming in regenerative agriculture practices.

• OECD Development Center, to conduct a comprehensive study on the funds and incentives required to support the development of digital farming, including public funding for connectivity, satellite infrastructure, data infrastructure and incentives for farmers.
  • The study could identify specific funding gaps and recommend innovative financing mechanisms to encourage international cooperation and public investment in digital agriculture. The study could also identify where international funding is addressing digital farming and where there is a need of more international cooperation.

Additional resources

• “Breaking down Barriers, Narrowing gaps: The key role of women and youth in digital technology adoption in rural areas of Latin America and the Caribbean”
• Digital Principles of the Digital Farming Association
• The Impact of Digitalization at Bayer Crop Science

In November 2023, we have organized a Digital Farming Roundtable at the OECD Conference Centre in Paris as our first event of the campaign. With representatives from various sectors within the agricultural and digital industries present, as well as government stakeholders, the event allowed for an opportunity to leverage the promises and opportunities of the digital transformation of agriculture, contributing also to solving climate change challenges, and exploring the role that international collaboration can play in propelling such policy recommendations. 

The event featured discussions on 1) the digital transformation of agriculture, 2) digital farming capabilities in regulatory environments, 3) inclusive digital agriculture and innovation, and 4) data sharing and interoperability of data. 

Browse event program here