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The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) is urging youth across the Eastern Caribbean states to take advantage of a new educational opportunity\u2014AgriSTEAM. This complimentary training initiative is designed to provide the next generation with advanced digital skills aimed at revolutionizing the agri-food industry, said IICA in a media release.<\/p>\n
Accessible now through an online platform, the program offers a flexible, self-paced curriculum that allows learners to start at their convenience. IICA reports that the course specifically targets young individuals and women residing in rural communities\u2014groups recognized as vital to securing the region\u2019s future food supply, yet often hindered by limited access to technology and educational resources.<\/p>\n
Gregg Rawlins, IICA\u2019s representative for the Eastern Caribbean, highlighted the significance of the initiative, saying, \u201cover the years, IICA has placed great emphasis on the economic empowerment and engagement of youth in the agricultural sector in the Eastern Caribbean. We therefore view the AgriSTEAM programme as another important tool in our efforts to strengthen the capacity of youth. We are particularly excited about AgriSTEAM, as the programme focuses on digitisation in the agri-food sector, which is an area not only of great importance but one that we know will capture the interest of young people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Part of the larger \u201cTraining programme on digitalisation in the agri-food sector of the Americas and the Caribbean,\u201d AgriSTEAM directly addresses pressing global issues such as population growth, urban expansion, climate change, and rising inequality. The initiative seeks to narrow the digital gap by empowering young people to adopt sustainable practices, foster innovation, and lead the digital shift within their local agricultural communities, as outlined in the release.<\/p>\n
Andres Sanchez, Digital Agriculture Specialist at IICA, explained, \u201cAgriSTEAM was launched to drive a sustainable transformation of food production systems by reducing the digital divide among youth in Latin America and the Caribbean. Through this initiative, young people will be able to strengthen their competencies and lead the digital transformation of the agri-food sector.\u201d<\/p>\n
Spanning 25 weeks, the program comprises five comprehensive courses:
\n– Introduction to Digital Transformation in the Agri-Food Sector (4 weeks)
\n– Programming Logic (6 weeks)
\n– Sensing and IoT Applications (4 weeks)
\n– Geoinformatics (5 weeks)
\n– Data Analysis with Python (6 weeks)<\/p>\n
Participation is entirely free, with learners earning digital badges for each completed course. Those who complete all five modules will receive an official certificate from IICA. The program offers practical experience with tools like Tinkercad, QGIS, Copernicus Open Access Hub, and Python.<\/p>\n