Japan’s NEC Corporation and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) have announced a partnership to deploy high-end digital technologies tailored to the needs of vulnerable small-scale producers in Africa. Signed during the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9), the initiative aims to enhance farm productivity, build resilience to climate and economic shocks, and support farmers in adapting to climate change. By leveraging advanced digital platforms such as NEC’s CropScope, the partnership will provide farmers and decision-makers with improved tools for farm management across IFAD’s investment portfolio.
Small-scale producers, who account for over 80 percent of farms globally, are critical to food security and sustaining rural livelihoods. However, many lack access to real-time agricultural advisory services, climate-resilient technologies, financial services, and structured markets. The NEC–IFAD partnership seeks to address these gaps, promoting rural development, creating economic opportunities, and increasing incomes for vulnerable farmers.
The collaboration will pilot two key innovations. CropScope is a digital agriculture platform that integrates remote sensing, data analytics, and timely insights to enable precision farming and strengthen decision-making across the agricultural value chain. The e-Voucher system is an electronic platform designed to improve the targeting and efficiency of agricultural input delivery and subsidy distribution to smallholders. Together, these tools will accelerate digital transformation, enhance monitoring and adaptive management in IFAD programs, and provide scalable solutions for replication across other IFAD-funded projects.
The partnership aligns with IFAD’s ICT4D Strategy (2020–2030) and broader efforts to increase private sector engagement, scale up digital services, and empower rural communities. By combining NEC’s technological expertise with IFAD’s development experience, the initiative aims to transform agricultural value chains, strengthen climate resilience, and support sustainable rural development in Africa.
