A letter of intent was signed today to forge the new partnership on the margins of the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9). This new partnership aims to enhance farm productivity, build resilience to weather and economic shocks, and support farmers in adapting to climate change. The initiative will also promote new economic opportunities through the implementation of technology solutions such as CropScope, NEC's digital agricultural platform that will enhance the capabilities of decision- makers in farm management across IFAD's investment portfolio.

Small-scale producers are central to global food systems, accounting for over 80 per cent of farms worldwide, and playing a crucial role in ensuring food security and sustaining rural livelihoods. Yet, millions of small-scale producers lack access to real-time agricultural advisory services, climate-resilient technologies, financial services, and structured markets.

"We are excited to partner with NEC to implement solutions that integrate digital technologies into agricultural value chains. Scaling up digital public infrastructure with scalable digital services for rural development is key to boosting rural economies, creating new opportunities and raising incomes for millions of vulnerable producers," said Alvaro Lario, President of IFAD. "Addressing these persistent challenges is critical for achieving rural transformation, a core objective of IFAD," he added. 

"We are pleased to deepen our collaboration with IFAD toward the development of the African region through NEC's strengths in digital agricultural solutions. At TICAD9, the active adoption of digital technologies by Japanese companies is being discussed as a key solution to the challenges faced by African countries. We believe that the initiatives under this Letter of Intent directly reflect TICAD9's objectives, and we look forward to further strengthening the partnership between IFAD and NEC through this opportunity," said Shigehiro Tanaka, Corporate Senior Executive Vice President of NEC, a major Japanese multinational provider of information technology services and products.

The partnership will pilot two NEC innovations:

CropScope is a digital agriculture platform that leverages remote sensing, data analytics, and timely insights to support data-driven precision farming and enhance the capabilities of decision-makers in farm management across the value chain.

e-Voucher is an electronic voucher system that improves targeting and efficiency in the access and delivery of agricultural inputs and subsidies to smallholders. The collaboration seeks to:

    Accelerate digital transformation across IFAD's portfolio through the deployment of NEC's advanced technologies, directly contributing to its strategic priorities on innovation and digital inclusion.
    Pilot cost-effective, cutting-edge solutions through NEC's contributions, with potential for replication across other IFAD-funded projects.
    Enhance targeting, monitoring, and adaptive management in IFAD programmes through data-driven insights.

The partnership aligns with IFAD's Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D)  Strategy (2020–2030) and broader efforts to increase private sector engagement and scale up digital services that empower rural communities.