Development models show the most promise for enabling digital agriculture solutions to thrive independently of ongoing donor support. This is contrasted with examples of outdated approaches that have mostly perpetuated the cycle of donor dependency that has filled the digital graveyard with countless donor-supported digital agriculture interventions over the past two decades.

This session at ICTforAg 2022 co-created by USAID explored how to avoid the traps that ultimately lead to unsustainable solutions and presented participants with ideas on how they can structure their engagement with digital agriculture providers with an eye towards business models that are both viable and inclusive.

Speakers:

• Josh Woodard, Senior Digital Advisor, Bureau for Resilience and Food Security, USAID

• Sieka Gatabaki, Interim Program Director, Mercy Corps AgriFin

• Tamer El-Raghy, Managing Director, Acumen Resilient Agriculture Fund (ARAF)

• Rema Subramanian, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Ankur Capital

• Abi Taylor, Innovation Manager, Elrha