This post is written by Alana McGinty, DAI. This post first appeared on Digital@DAI.

Opportunity type: Request for proposals.

Application deadline: 5 p.m. on May 31, 2021.

Link to application: Digital Agriculture Ecosystem Assessments RFP.

Despite the incredible progress made over the last decade by the U.S. government’s global hunger and food security Feed the Future initiative, continued shocks, including the COVID-19 pandemic, make the work towards a more resilient global population and improved food security more relevant than ever. COVID’s impact on food security continues to be revealed, but it’s estimated that 124 million more people experienced long-lasting poverty and hunger in 2020, and that 2.6 million more children will face stunting due to the effects of the pandemic. Across the globe, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is working to address these impacts.

Digital development is one of the key ways that USAID is working to improve development and humanitarian assistance outcomes. This work has been outlined in the agency’s first Digital Strategy, released in 2020 — a guiding strategy that has become even more relevant in the context of COVID-19. Working at the intersection of digital and agriculture-led growth, resilience, nutrition and water security, sanitation and hygiene is the Digital for Resilience and Food Security work on the USAID Digital Frontiers project.

Digital Frontiers is supporting the USAID Bureau for Resilience and Food Security to implement Digital Agriculture Ecosystem Assessments in support of up to six USAID Missions to better understand, work with and support the country’s respective digital agriculture ecosystem to meet their development objectives. These assessments will focus on supporting the USAID Missions in Haiti, Honduras, Malawi, Mali, Tajikistan and Uganda. Ultimately, each assessment will seek to identify key challenges and opportunities for more effectively leveraging digital technologies in the agriculture and aligned sectors among the different stakeholders within each country’s ecosystem, consistent with each Mission’s priorities.

Apply Now

To learn more about this opportunity and apply to the Digital Agriculture Ecosystem Assessments, please download the request for proposals and register your interest in this opportunity by emailing [email protected].