International seminar: “Digital hubs and economic and social coordination of rural territories and agro-industrial chains”

As a result of the pandemic, the process of digitizing the economy has intensified. During the quarantines, many small companies sought to maintain connection with their markets through digital networks, production chains were reorganized to reconfigure supply and redistribution strategies, and public institutions converted their face-to-face programs into virtual actions. Although face-to-face attendance has been restored, multiple efforts have been made in the region to accompany and accelerate digital processes, through digital literacy actions, support for the incorporation of new digital tools, research programs, among others.

Currently, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) is collaborating with different institutions linked to territorial development: Undersecretariat for Regional Development (SUBDERE) and Ministry of Agriculture – Foundation for Agrarian Innovation (TIC Table) in Chile, National Department of Planning (DNP) in Colombia and regional organizations interested in this area of ​​work, such as the Ibero-American Network for the Digitalization of Agriculture and Livestock (RIDAG), the Platform for Climate Action in Agriculture in Latin America and the Caribbean (PLACA) , the Latin American Network of Rural Extension Services (RELASER) and the Regional Cooperative Program for the Technological Development and Modernization of Coffee Growing (PROMECAFÉ).

This seminar seeks to reflect on digital technologies as tools for all economic actors in production processes at the level of companies, chains and territories. Therefore, with the aim of overcoming the health emergency and preparing for the post-pandemic stage, it is expected to contribute to accelerating the digitalization process of the regional agri-food system and the consolidation of new, more inclusive, efficient and sustainable models of productive development.