On August 16th, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) officially closed the call for the Nexus Rural Award with a total of 281 applications from across Latin America and the Caribbean. Behind these figures is a whole generation that is already leading Agriculture 4.0 through the use of digital technologies.
Below, we present an exclusive technical, demographic, and territorial overview of the young people who are transforming the countryside.
The analysis of the applications reveals the high educational capital of young rural men and women to lead the digital transition (79.4% have university or postgraduate studies).
However, structural gaps persist, such as a lower participation of women, the inclusion of indigenous and afro-descendant communities, and the lack of financial instruments adapted to rural innovation, which is reflected in the fact that 69% of the applicants depend on their own resources.
There is a lower participation of women and a high percentage of participants older than 25 years, also highlighting the degree of inclusion of native communities.
The initiatives show a high use of digital platforms and technologies mostly focused on stages of “Digital Development” (51.6%), showing a dynamic ecosystem but still transitioning towards scaling.
41.6% state that there are no similar solutions in their territory, while 22.8% declare that the existing supply does not address their specific conditions.
A highly participatory process stands out; 54.8% of the projects rate the level of involvement of family farmers in the design with excellent scores (8 to 10).
