AsiaDHRRA’s partner DHRRAs in Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines, and Vietnam conducted a validation workshop on Digital Village Ecosystem Assessment (DVEA), a component step of the Digital Village Initiative (DVI) programme to analyze and understand the current status of digitalization and readiness of selected villages. The workshop aims to validate the DVEA results by generating feedback on significant issues relating to digital services, technologies, needs, and challenges. Additionally, the meeting seeks cooperation to improve the draft recommendations with insights and reflections from local and national authorities, village leaders, the private sector, and other stakeholders.
DVEA validation workshop in Cambodia
CamboDHRRA organized the DVEA validation event on 15 December 2022 at the Sunway Hotel, Phnom Penh and was joined by representatives from government agencies, civil society organizations, farmers’ organizations, the private sector, and villagers. The participants provided concrete inputs to improve the assessment report, thus, establishing a proposed immediate action for 6-12 months with commitment and contribution to implementing the proposed measures.
DVEA online workshop organized by Bina Desa
During the workshop on 27 December 2022, Bina Desa (InDHRRA) identified the importance of expanding network coverages for a strong signal and using smartphones for chat applications. This is after research was conducted in two villages: Nglegi, Gunung Kidul District, and Cilimus, Pesawaran District, Lampung. As a result, youth can use internet access to promote tourism as a significant start for digitalization and women’s leadership in agricultural production up to the marketing process.
DVEA validation workshop organized by PhilDHRRA in Mindoro, Oriental, Philippines
Meanwhile, the Philippines undertook two DVEA workshops held separately in Barangay Concepcion in Zamboanga on 27 December 2022 and Barangay Matula tula in Mindoro Oriental on 28 December 2022. The validation process conducted by Xavier Agricultural Expansion Service Foundation Inc. (XAESFI) in Barangay Concepcion has learned digital village ecosystem development scenarios in the community through the development of a digital platform for marketing agri-fishery products and expansion of current municipal disaster risk reduction management early warning mechanism. On the other hand, in Barangay Matulatula in Mindoro Oriental, improved internet access is essential for farmers to engage in digital agriculture initiatives. In addition, an application to market access is equally important for farmers to inform the consumers of the available products in the area.
DVEA validation workshop participants in Lao Cai, Vietnam
Lastly, VietDHRRA and Lao Cai’s Farmer Union conducted the same workshop at Sa Xeng Village, Ta Phin Commune, Lao Cai, on 27-28 December 2022. The interventions needed to be based on the assessment are focused on the village’s infrastructure, building knowledge and skills, including application development on market information, forecast, product traceability, and public administrative services. The discussion was also participated by representatives from women farmers’ organizations, entrepreneurs, traders, and merchants who work on alternative tourism and herbal production as their main livelihood. In addition, digital transformation should consider businesses like sales management, online booking, and online marketing. To further realize the needs, it is essential to coordinate with the local government on the project activities of the latest Digital Transformation Program implemented in the area.
The DVI project is an initiative in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
