Digital Development for Feed the Future

This rapid expansion in mobile penetration has created opportunities for digital development in agriculture. The Feed the Future initiative, a US government program aimed at reducing poverty and hunger in developing countries, has recognized the potential of digital technologies to improve agricultural productivity and market access. The collaboration between the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the US Department of State's Bureau of Foreign Service (BFS) has been instrumental in promoting digital development in agriculture. The two bureaus have worked together to produce in-depth country reports and a guide on digital financial services (DFS) and agriculture. The DFS Workshop, held in Ghana and Uganda, brought together Feed the Future implementing partners and mission stakeholders to discuss the potential of DFS in agriculture. The growth in mobile phone subscribership has been accompanied by an increase in smartphone adoption, with a 675% growth in Cambodia, 758% in Uganda, and 1010% in Honduras from 2010 to 2015. This rapid expansion in mobile adoption has created opportunities for digital development in agriculture, including the use of mobile money and digital financial services. The Feed the Future initiative has recognized the potential of digital technologies to improve agricultural productivity and market access, and has been working to promote digital development in agriculture through its implementing partners. The collaboration between USAID and BFS has resulted in the development of a guide on the use of DFS in agriculture, which was finalized and launched publicly. The guide provides a framework for implementing DFS in agriculture, including the use of mobile money and digital financial services. The collaboration has also resulted in the signing of terms of reference by BFS/AA and Lab/ED, outlining the scope and objectives of the collaboration. The Feed the Future initiative has identified several key focus countries in East and West Africa, including Ghana, Mali, Nepal, Cambodia, Uganda, Honduras, and others. These countries have experienced significant growth in mobile phone subscribership and smartphone adoption, creating opportunities for digital development in agriculture. The initiative has been working to promote digital development in agriculture through its implementing partners, with a focus on improving agricultural productivity and market access.