RAHIM YAR KHAN/ISLAMABAD: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with the Punjab government has launched a ‘Digital Village Initiative’ to bridge the technological divide and empower rural communities with access to digital resources, education, and opportunities.

Under the ‘1000 Digital Village Initiative’ in Asia-Pacific region under the FAO’s global initiative, two sites have been selected in Pakistan. The Digital Village Initiative has been launched in Rahim Yar Khan and Sargodha after detailed assessment conducted in seven districts of Punjab and Sindh with the support of the provincial governments.

A ceremony was held at the Food Security and Agriculture Centre of Excellence (FACE), Ahmadpur Lamma, Sadiqabad, some 40 kms from here.

Simultaneously, Hyper Localized Weather Stations were also inaugurated on the occasion.

FAO Pakistan representative Florence Rolle, assistant representative Dr Aamer Irshad, project manager Rana Wajid, south Punjab additional secretary (agriculture) Imtiaz Ahmed, FACE CEO Hassan Akram, FAO national consultant for digital transformation and agriculture innovation Atif Ahmed Khan and IUB VC Dr Athar Mehboob were the key speakers at the event.

Florence Rolle said this pilot launch is the FAO’s global initiative under the 1,000 digital village initiative in Asia and the Pacific to bridge the technological divide and empower rural communities with access to digital resources, education, and opportunities.

Rolle said the DVI represents a significant step towards building a more connected and prosperous future for rural Pakistan.

By harnessing the power of technology and fostering digital inclusivity, this initiative promises to bring about a positive socio-economic change and uplift communities that have long been under-served, Rolle said.

The stations were set up along with the provision of necessary equipment installed at training hall for virtual training of farmers.

The stations will provide customised weather advisory, forecast pest and disease models and other information to farmers of 10 kilometres range from its vicinity.

The weather stations facilities are also equipped to arrange online training for farmers on the latest innovations in agriculture. Male and female farmers of selected pilot site received training on different features of the weather station. Through the stations, farmers will be able to get customised and specific information to their farmland, accurate data and information which will help them in reducing costs related to inputs and taking measures for crop protection.

The data will also help Punjab Agriculture Extension 2.0 Project, water management department and start-up companies to offer customised, farm-specific services to farmers.

Booths were also set up at the launching ceremony by the digital service provider, which served as an avenue to connect the farmers with services available to them. At the inauguration of weather station at Rahimyar Khan on Wednesday, lead female farmers from the pilot site received 10 tablets to use the agriculture-related applications on which they were already trained by FAO.

Published in Dawn, July 6th, 2023