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Published: 11.04.2020

Webinar on Digital Technology Applications for Agricultural Water Productivity Improvements

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Background

The 2030 Water Resources Group (2030 WRG) is a public, private, civil society partnership hosted by the World Bank Group. The partnership supports country-level collaboration designed to unite diverse groups with a common interest in the sustainable management of water resources, with the aim of helping countries close the gap between water demand and supply by 2030. Transforming Value Chains (TVC) is a strategic priority for 2030 WRG, which has a strong focus in developing public-private partnerships (PPPs) to enhance the productive use of agricultural water, reduce runoff pollution, and increase farm productivity and income.

In addition, 2030 WRG is supporting a suite of Disruptive Technology (DT) applications in the water sector, supporting early-detection of issues, operational cost savings, continuous monitoring, and productivity gains. Such solutions support sustainable water resources management for sectors such as agriculture in partnership with the private sector, public sector, investors, entrepreneurs, academia, as well as enabling institutions.

About the Webinar

2030 WRG is supporting innovations across the agricultural value chain, covering water source security, on-farm water-use efficiency, post-harvest infrastructure, market linkages, as well as other areas, through its collective action approaches. Select interventions catalyzed by 2030 WRG include digital solutions for water accounting, agricultural water productivity enhancement, soil moisture management, and traceability.

The 2030 WRG TVC and DT Taskforces organized a webinar on digital technology applications across the agricultural supply chain with an emphasis on linkages between water and agriculture. This webinar provided an overview of the opportunities for agricultural innovations and critical factors to support testing, implementation, and mainstreaming of digital approaches relevant to water security. Through case study examples of private sector, practitioners, and academics, the webinar deep dived into the role that digital technologies can play in addressing the water-agriculture nexus. For more info, kindly refer to the detailed agenda.

Agenda
Welcome and Introduction
2030 WRG’s Vision for Disruptive Technologies
Global Case Study Examples
Facilitated Q&A Discussion
Closing Remarks and Next Steps
Event Information
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November 5, 2020

08:45 – 10:00 AM EST (Washington, DC time)
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Watch the video recording here,
and access the presentations here.
Additional Q&As can be found here.

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Spread the word about this learning experience by sharing this announcement!
For additional information, please contact 2030wrg@worldbank.org.

Detailed Program

Welcome and Introduction
Karin Krchnak, Program Manager, 2030 WRG

2030 WRG’s Vision for Disruptive Technologies
Rochi Khemka, Global Partnerships Coordinator, 2030 WRG

Global Case Study Examples

  • Irrigation scheduling and guidance to farmers based on daily satellite images
    • Demonstrating an App for farmers and Portal for decision-makers
    • Speaker: Prof. Dr. Wim Bastiaanssen, Earth Observations for Water Resources Management, TU Delft; CEO, IrriWatch
  • Precision Agriculture and Cloud Computing
  • Risk Reduction and Analytic Support for Farmers
    • Alternative credit scoring for smallholder farmers
    • Speaker: Peris Bosire, Co-founder and CEO, FarmDrive 

Discussants

  • Biswajit Datta, Head of Water Utilities and Jal Jeevan Mission Project, Tata Consultancy Services
  • Nagaraja Rao Harshadeep (Harsh), Global Lead on Watersheds, Environment and Natural Resources Global Practice, World Bank

Facilitated Q&A Discussion
Moderated by Mahesh Patankar, Senior Advisor, Disruptive Technologies, 2030 WRG

Closing Remarks and Next Steps
Joy Busolo, Senior Water Resources Management Specialist, 2030 WRG Africa