ICT and agriculture in the context of "green growth"

5-16 March 2012. This year's Sustainable Development Network (SDN) Forum, titled Green Growth for All, was held at the World Bank headquarters in late February. Panel discussions and training sessions focused on operations centered on green growth. The sessions highlighted the profound threats and opportunities created by both climate change and increased environmental awareness, making a discussion on "green growth" in agriculture urgent and critical.

Information and communication technologies hold real promise to meet these threats and opportunities in two particular areas: 1) as tools for land use planning and management, and 2) as risk management tools for climate change adaptation.

Given the importance of green growth in the agriculture sector—and the potential for ICT to contribute—ARD hosted the second e-forum on “ICT Innovation for Green Growth” in partnership with FAO and the e-agriculture community. This forum will explore how ICT is being used to reduce the climate effects that stem from agriculture. It also explores how ICT can increase climate-smart agricultural practices. Subject matter experts, who will respond to questions and provide insights on this topic, include:

• Bruce Campbell: Director of Climate Change, Agriculture, and Food Security Program (CGIAR)
• Marjory-Ann Bromhead: Adviser on Natural Resource Management (World Bank)
• Ademola Braimoh: Soil scientist and GIS Specialist (World Bank)
• Rodomiro Ortiz: Professor of Genetics and Plant Breeding (Swedish University of Agriculture Sciences)
• Elizabeth Dodsworth: Global Director for Knowledge Management (CABI)
• Eric Seuret: Technology Consultant (Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture)
• Pierre C. Sibiry Traore: Remote Sensing Scientist & Head of GIS (ICRISAT)
• Pai-Yei Whung: Environmental Adviser (World Bank)

http://www.e-agriculture.org/forums/current-forum

This forum serves as a continuation of the on-going debates during SDN week and at the World Bank, and will be linked to the content of the "ICT in Agriculture" Sourcebook.

Jamal Saghir, Director of the Sustainable Development Department (Africa Region) at the World Bank, highlights the importance of climate-smart agriculture in addressing climate change in Africa specifically in the following video: