Summary of the study "Agricultural Technology Ecosystems in East Africa - Assessment in Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda"

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) launched an initiative to assess the existing impediments for scaling innovation and technology in food and agriculture (AgTech) and to identify options to improve the enabling environment for AgTech-focused businesses. The FAO tasked the Yield Lab Institute with building a framework tool for this important AgTech initiative.  The initiative offers a tool for decision makers to promote the uptake of AgTech, investment and entrepreneurship in Africa, ultimately to advance agricultural productivity and food security. The first cohort evaluates the AgTech ecosystems in three East African countries: Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda.

Considering the importance of promoting AgTech ecosystem development, this document proposes a methodological framework to analyze the composition and stage of innovation ecosystems, highlighting their contribution and value at each stage of their evolution. The following framework identifies the elements that enable the creation, development and acceleration of AgTech ecosystems. and provides a starting point for developing more detailed descriptions, maps and analyses of innovation ecosystems specific to the AgTech sector. We encourage ecosystem stakeholders to use this tool as a guide and resource that can be adapted and modified to fit the reality of their local context.

Dada la importancia de apoyar el desarrollo de ecosistemas AgTech, este documento propone un marco metodológico que permite evaluar la composición y el estadío por el que atraviesan los ecosistemas de innovación, resaltando el aporte y valor de los mismos en cada instancia de su evolución. El framework propuesto identifica los elementos que habilitan la creación, el desarrollo y la aceleración de ecosistemas AgTech y proporciona un punto de partida para desarrollar descripciones más detalladas, mapas y análisis de ecosistemas de innovación específicos del sector AgTech. Animamos a los interesados en los ecosistemas a utilizar esta herramienta como una guía y recurso que puede adaptarse y modificarse, ajustándose a la realidad de su contexto local.

This white paper is the result of a joint effort by The Yield Lab Institute, Universidad Austral (Argentina), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), along with support from the Global Opportunities for Sustainable Development Goals (GO4SDGs) initiative, who worked closely together to combine their complementary knowledge and experience on this broad, exciting, and novel topic. The report and the project were funded through contributions made to UNEP from the Government of Norway. Additionally, the final product embodied in this report has benefited from the input of numerous opinion leaders, subject matter experts and other organizations that supported the development of the Sustainable Agtech Challenge throughout 2021. The authors and organisations who supported the development of this report would like to thank every one of these individuals and organizations.

Este libro blanco es el resultado de un esfuerzo conjunto de The Yield Lab Institute, la Universidad Austral (Argentina) y el Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Medio Ambiente (PNUMA), junto con el apoyo de la iniciativa Oportunidades Globales para los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (GO4SDGs), quienes colaboraron estrechamente para combinar sus conocimientos y experiencias complementarias sobre este tema amplio, apasionante y novedoso. El informe y el proyecto se han financiado gracias a las contribuciones del Gobierno de Noruega al PNUMA. Además, el producto final plasmado en este informe se ha beneficiado de las aportaciones de numerosos líderes de opinión, expertos en la materia y otras organizaciones que apoyaron el desarrollo del Reto de la Agrotecnología Sostenible a lo largo de 2021. Los autores y las organizaciones que han apoyado el desarrollo de este informe quieren dar las gracias a cada una de estas personas y organizaciones.

Commissioned in partnership with Washington University's Olin School of Business, this report, “Foundations of Agricultural Ecosystems Piracicaba,” represents Phase 2 of a multi-layered process to define the Rules of Engagement for agtech. 

This study is intended to showcase the unique factors present in Brazil’s operating environment that have led to the thriving AgTech ecosystem present in Piracicaba, a designated “smart city” located in the southern territory of São Paulo state. The collection of top agriculture universities provides an unparalleled pipeline of talent for the ecosystem; as a result, Piracicaba has become a teeming intersection of entrepreneurs, nearby accelerators and incubators, business-people, and industry giants. This case study will describe these stakeholder entities and examine their connectivity, present the vast opportunities available for further investment and development, and identify areas where the ecosystem’s network can be further strengthened to enhance growth outcomes.

Commissioned in partnership with Universidad Austral and Washington University's Olin School of Business, this report, “Foundations of Agricultural Ecosystems,” represents Phase 1 of a multi-layered process to define the Rules of Engagement for agtech.

Innovation does not happen in a silo - it requires support from the community. Agtech innovation is crucial for sustainable food production into the future. Thus, we must work together in global collaborations such as this to better communicate and enable the creation of these communities.

An in-depth assessment was conducted of St. Louis, MO, USA - a relatively well-established and highly regarded agtech ecosystem. A high-level assessment was conducted of Rosario, Sante Fe, Argentina, an agricultural pole in the early stages of development to become an agtech hub. We sought to understand transposable elements from St. Louis’s success, and to identify areas for improvement in both regions.