NEC and IFAD Partner to Revolutionize African Agriculture with Digital Tech
This new partnership aims to enhance farm productivity, build resilience to weather and economic shocks, and support farmers in adapting to climate change.
In an effort to develop agriculture and boost rural development, NEC Corporation , a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies, together with the new window International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) , will tailor high-end digital technologies – remote sensing and secure digital platforms – to suit the unique needs of vulnerable small-scale producers in Africa.
A letter of intent was signed to forge the new partnership on the margins of the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9). This new partnership aims to enhance farm productivity, build resilience to weather and economic shocks, and support farmers in adapting to climate change. The initiative will also promote new economic opportunities through the implementation of technology solutions such as CropScope, NEC’s digital agricultural platform that will enhance the capabilities of decision-makers in farm management across IFAD’s investment portfolio.
Small-scale producers are central to global food systems, accounting for over 80% of farms worldwide, and playing a crucial role in ensuring food security and sustaining rural livelihoods. Yet, millions of small-scale producers lack access to real-time agricultural advisory services, climate-resilient technologies, financial services, and structured markets.
“We are excited to partner with NEC to implement solutions that integrate digital technologies into agricultural value chains. Scaling up digital public infrastructure with scalable digital services for rural development is key to boosting rural economies, creating new opportunities and raising incomes for millions of vulnerable producers. Addressing these persistent challenges is critical for achieving rural transformation, a core objective of IFAD.”
– Alvaro Lario, President, IFAD
“We are pleased to deepen our collaboration with IFAD toward the development of the African region through NEC’s strengths in digital agricultural solutions. At TICAD9, the active adoption of digital technologies by Japanese companies is being discussed as a key solution to the challenges faced by African countries. We believe that the initiatives under this Letter of Intent directly reflect TICAD9’s objectives, and we look forward to further strengthening the partnership between IFAD and NEC through this opportunity.”
– Shigehiro Tanaka, Corporate Senior Executive Vice President, NEC
