ITALY – FAO, a United Nation’s agency with exemplary efforts to fight hunger, has entered into a partnership with Spain’s Telefonica to unveil Internet of Things and Big Data to improve access to information related to climate and water management.
The partnership involved an agreement signed between FAO Director General, José Graziano da Silva, and Telefonica’s Global Director of Public Affairs Strategy, Trinidad Jiménez.
As part of the agreement, FAO and Telefonica were going to start off initiatives that would enhance innovation; digitalization, data analysis and systems giving farmers access to vital information that will not only improve their yields but also improve their living standards.
The two partners through collaboration will use the platform to offer sophisticated technologies for agricultural development, food security and nutrition.
All these efforts outline FAO’s plan to help farmers in developing countries be in a position to mitigate challenges and execute resilient measures to climate and weather changes.
“This partnership will help us face one of the greatest current challenges in the fight against hunger, poverty and the effects of climate change in agriculture.
Access to reliable information, including that related to changing weather patterns, is essential to empower farmers, especially those who live in developing countries,” said Graziano da Silva.
Trinidad Jiménez said that they’ll use their data, knowledge and technologies to contribute to the development of the society and add value to organisations like FAO in their effort to achieve food security and ensure high quality food for active and healthier lives.
The agreement included application of the Internet of Things to the agricultural sector where FAO and Telefonica will initiate a water efficiency project in El Salvador and Colombia to address issues around irrigation to ensure proper management of natural resources.
FAO and Telefonica will also make use of Big Data with an aim to establish early warning based on weather patterns and climate change analysis to help curb disasters like El Nino and La Nina.
Part of FAO’s educational content will be incorporated into Telefonica’s open training platforms to enhance capacity building and education on food systems, nutrition and agricultural development.
