Case Study 2 – ICT innovation and value chain development for building resilient Pacific Island agri-food systems

Year of Publication: 2020

     Download resource file

Description

‘ICT innovation and value chain development for building resilient Pacific Island agri-food systems’ is the second of 6 case studies as part of our ‘Building Capacity for Change – Innov4AgPacific Lessons Learned and Advocacy Series’.

These feature the lessons that we have learned through our journey with our Pacific partners in Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Marshall Islands, and Vanuatu.

What is in it for you?

(i)                 Knowledge on innovative approaches and ideas that you have revealed.

(ii)                Evidence-based policy recommendations to support informed decision making

(iii)               Strategies for replicating certain approaches and actions to maximise return on investments

Key Messages

• Never invest in the idea, invest in the people behind the idea. Never invest in an individual, invest in a team and provide support for the individual who pulls the team together.
• ICTs are about empowering end-users – An enabling environment is critical for wider adoption of ICTs and agri-food system transformation in Pacific Island countries. Intellectual property rights (IPR) legislation, high internet and mobile penetration, affordable internet prices, access to training for farmers and other end-users are among the issues that constitute the enabling environment for increasing ICT uptake.
• ICT agri-hackathons, grant funding, expert training on viable business models and investment readiness, as well as provision of business mentorship and coaching, motivate ICT innovators, especially young tech-savvy entrepreneurs, to prioritise the real needs of the primary end-users and scale up their ICT solutions.
• Online communities of practice are effective in bringing together multiple stakeholders who are scattered over large distances to exchange knowledge, learn and reach consensus on key actions. They need to be nurtured. The Innov4AgPacific Agricultural Innovation/Value Chain Coordinating platform engages with 450 members from the public and private sectors across seven Pacific Islands and the community is growing.