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.

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. 

This year, 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 will look to ensure sustainable agricultural practices and value chains, resilient food systems,  biodiversity conservation, and equitable access to nutritious food. At this occasion, we are planning to hold our next Field of the Future Roundtable, back-to-back with the B20 Summit in Brazil, in the Fall of 2024.