1.
Digital Innovations for
Managing Climate Risks
Presented by Jawoo Koo (IFPRI) // 1 December 2022

2.
www.cgiar.org
Agenda
1. Potential of digital
innovations to manage
climate risks in food
systems
2. Key challenges to address
to realize the potential
3. Policy recommendations
gfpr.ifpri.info

3.
www.cgiar.org
Digital tools provide food
producers with timely insights
and services that support
improvements in agricultural
productivity and profitability.
POTENTIAL 1
 Increased adoption of digital
farmer services across LMICs.
 Evidence of increased adoption
of improved technologies.
 Evidence of beneficial impacts
on farmers’ income.

4.
www.cgiar.org
Digital technologies can be a
powerful tool for managing
climate risks across the food
systems from producers to
markets and value-chain
services to policymakers.
POTENTIAL 2
 Access localized weather and
climate information services.
 Optimize farm management
decisions in real-time.
 Weather index-based insurance
schemes protect from losses.

5.
www.cgiar.org
Digital innovations in climate
forecasting support climate
science with information on
climate change, playing a vital
role in supporting food system
resilience to weather extremes.
POTENTIAL 3
 High accuracy in weather
forecasts for up to two weeks.
 Enhanced seasonal climate
forecasting skills.
 Improved early detection of
floods and droughts.

6.
www.cgiar.org
Rural food production areas,
especially in the global South,
are underserved by the
enabling digital infrastructure
that connects all agrifood
system actors.
CHALLENGE 1
 Globally, 60% of small farms are
not covered by mobile internet.
 In SSA, 600 million people are
not covered by mobile networks.
 Poor connectivity correlates with
an agriculture-based economy.

7.
www.cgiar.org
Complex socio-technical
dimensions of the digital
divide exist, particularly related
to gender, and hinders a
broader adoption of digital
solutions.
CHALLENGE 2
 Across LIMCs, 7% fewer women
own mobile phones than men.
 Women are 15% less likely to use
mobile internet.
 Gender digital divide widens as
technologies become expensive.

8.
www.cgiar.org
Invest in bridging the digital
divide to addressing
inequalities in access to digital
infrastructure, digital literacy,
and the gender digital divide.
RECOMMENDATION 1
 SDG 9.C targets universal and
affordable internet access to all.
 Incentivize the private sector to
invest in digital infrastructure.
 Prioritize regulations on
responsible data management
and equitable access to
technologies.

9.
storybasedstrategy.org/the4thbox

10.
www.cgiar.org
Invest in strengthening
agrifood information systems
across food value chains for
early detection of systemic risks
and making timely decisions
for implementing measures.
RECOMMENDATION 2
 Information systems should
cover different policy areas.
 Weak information systems
misguide and waste budgets.
 Digital technologies can be cost-
effective for capturing data and
generating timely insights.

11.
Zambian gov’t introduced a precautionary export ban (Dec ‘15)
July 2015 – February 2016 Export ban remained and depressed prices by 24%

12.
www.cgiar.org
Coordinate with food system
actors to cultivate digital
capabilities and “soft”
infrastructure to find
information and make
informed decisions.
RECOMMENDATION 3
 Ensure digital climate services
reach all vulnerable people.
 Communicate timely, localized,
and actionable information.
 Make digital financial services
accessible to all food system
actors, especially women.

13.
READ MORE
Koo, Jawoo; Kramer, Berber; Langan, Simon;
Ghosh, Aniruddha; Monsalue, Andrea Gardeazabal;
and Luni, Tobias. 2022. Digital innovations: Using
data and technology for sustainable food systems.
In 2022 Global Food Policy Report: Climate Change
and Food Systems. Chapter 12, Pp. 106-113.
Washington, DC: International Food Policy
Research Institute (IFPRI).
https://doi.org/10.2499/9780896294257_12