IICA and Microsoft define a roadmap for the digital transformation of agriculture in America
The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and Microsoft today defined the priority actions that they will implement together as part of their digital educational alliance.
IICA indicated in a press release that the strategic relationship seeks to accelerate the digital transformation of agriculture in the Americas through the dissemination of knowledge and the internet of things, big data and artificial intelligence in the sector.
The partnership between Microsoft and IICA will provide technology to transform American agriculture through innovation, mainly benefiting young people and women working in the field, and through tools that capture and disseminate data related to crops, production, use and availability of water resources and climatic conditions for better decision making.
"Digital technology is fundamental to help close productivity gaps, taking into account the dimensions of sustainability and inclusion," said IICA Director General Manuel Otero after meeting with a team of experts. the company headed by the director of Education of Microsoft Latin America, Luciano Braverman.
The agreement proposes the implementation of numerous initiatives in the field of the digitalization of agriculture using Microsoft's broad technological platform to address the key needs of innovation in the value chain of actors and the ecosystem within the agricultural sector.
The focus on young people and women working in the field as the main beneficiaries of this alliance will in turn minimize the exodus of this segment of the population to urban areas.
"We have a great experience in education and we are leaders in technology, we see IICA as a great partner to bring that enormous experience to such an important area as the agricultural sector and we are extremely enthusiastic about the opportunities that this alliance opens", said Braverman.
The alliance between both entities will promote platforms in the cloud with state-of-the-art technology to offer training solutions, virtual reality and the internet of things.
As part of the joint work agenda, Microsoft and IICA will create an interactive virtual museum of agriculture that will highlight the fundamental role of this activity for human life and the sustainability of the planet and will transmit a vision of the future of the activity.
The museum, which will be available to all American countries, will be the starting point for the implementation of joint work programs that will incorporate dimensions such as the use of artificial intelligence applied to the agriculture of drones and satellites.
They also contemplate the distribution of specific contents for the sector through the internet and the creation of certifications in sanitary matters for agricultural exporters, among other initiatives.
The pilot programs will be executed in Brazil and Argentina, according to the definition of priorities to implement the agreement that both organizations signed in October to work for the benefit of rural areas in the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.
