New Edition of Digital Agriculture Week in Costa Rica Launched by IICA

The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) officially launched the third edition of Digital Agriculture Week (SAD in Spanish) during a webinar with participating partners. Scheduled for September, SAD will bring together key players from the agtech ecosystem across the Americas.

The launch event also marked the beginning of the Pre-Digital Agriculture Week. Over four days, this pre-event will explore relevant themes in agricultural digitalization, continuing discussions from previous editions and previewing topics for SAD 2024.

Since its inception in 2022, SAD has served as a strategic forum on agri-food digitalization and a catalyst for collaboration among agtech firms, investment funds, large corporations, farmer organizations, research institutes, ministries, and public and multilateral organizations.

Through SAD, IICA has established the Agtech Network of the Americas, comprising 30 leaders providing digital solutions for various challenges in the agri-food sector. These leaders have participated in previous editions of SAD.

SAD 2024 will take place from September 23 to 27 at IICA’s headquarters in San José, Costa Rica. Fifteen selected startups will attend in person with expenses covered. Agtech companies from the Americas with available digital solutions are encouraged to apply via the event’s website. The selection process, conducted by an IICA-appointed jury, will focus on the potential of digital solutions to enhance production, sustainability, and inclusivity in agri-food systems, with particular interest in women-led agtech companies. Non-selected companies can participate virtually and will be integrated into the IICA Network.

The Pre-Digital Agriculture Week featured speeches from IICA’s Deputy Director General, Lloyd Day; Director of Technical Cooperation, Muhammad Ibrahim; and Manager of the Agri-food Digitalization Program, Federico Bert.

Day emphasized the importance of digital revolution in agriculture, stating, “The world has changed completely in the last 30 years with the digital revolution, which is now reaching agriculture. This is crucial for the planet, which needs to produce more with fewer resources, especially for our region, the world’s food basket.”