Summit Brings Farmer-Centred Data and Digital Infrastructure Together to Drive Scalable Impact

VICTORIA FALLS, Zimbabwe, Feb. 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Committee on Sustainability Assessment — The Agile Data & Digital Public Infrastructure Summit 2026 will convene policymakers, practitioners, researchers, civil society, private-sector leaders, and farmers themselves from Africa and beyond in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, from 1–4 March 2026, to address a central challenge in sustainable agriculture: how to ensure that data, digital systems, and policy frameworks work together to deliver real value at farm level.

For the first time, the Summit brings Agile Data approaches and Digital Public Infrastructure into one shared forum - connecting those generating farmer-centred insights and innovations with those designing the interoperable infrastructure, and enabling policies required to act on those insights at scale.

Across four days, participants will engage in a working convening designed to move beyond diagnosis toward alignment and action. by identifying pathways to overcome common barriers, and co-designing practical pathways that strengthen trust, coordination, and impact for farmers and other stakeholders. Rather than traditional panels, the Summit is structured around short inputs, interactive labs, and facilitated dialogue - enabling participants to work through real questions together.

"Across agriculture, we have no shortage of data - but we continue to struggle to translate insight into action," said Liam Brody, CEO of the Committee on Sustainability Assessment (COSA). "This Summit is designed to close that gap by aligning how data is generated, governed, and used - with farmers at the centre and systems built to support real decisions."

A defining feature of the Summit is the way it combines farmer experience and system-level decision-making, providing the space to think about the next steps forward to foster innovation and good practices together.

"DPI can be a powerful accelerator—but only if it's built with a clear line of sight to users and outcomes," said Richard Caldwell, Senior Program Officer, Agricultural Development, Gates Foundation. "By bringing farmer-centered insight together with system designers and decision-makers, this Summit is focused on the practical steps needed to make data systems work in the real world"

The Summit is supported by the Gates Foundation and GIZ, through the DIASCA Network which is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). COSA is organising and facilitating the Summit on behalf of these partners, bringing together stakeholders working at the intersection of agile data, digital public infrastructure, and farmer-centred system design.

"Impact depends on alignment — between technology, institutions, and policy," said Lars Kahnert, Advisor for Digitalisation at GIZ, working through DIASCA. "The Agile Data & DPI Summit creates space for governments, practitioners, funders, and farmers to work through these questions together and identify what it really takes to make systems work at scale."

As the Summit closes, the focus shifts to what will carry beyond the room. Participants will surface the priorities and next steps they are prepared to advance after the convening. The emphasis is on clarity and momentum: what has shifted, what will be acted on, and what carries forward.

More information and registration details are available at:
https://agiledpisummit.thecosa.org/

About COSA
The Committee on Sustainability Assessment (COSA) is a global non-profit that advances better decision-making in agriculture by generating trusted, farmer-centred data. COSA develops rigorous yet practical metrics, methods, tools and solutions that help partners understand real costs, incomes, risks, and outcomes - enabling evidence-based action at scale.

About DIASCA
The Digital Integration of Agricultural Supply Chains Alliance (DIASCA) is a global alliance transforming agriculture with digital public infrastructure that empowers farmers, unlocks data, and enables interoperability across supply chains. DIASCA is supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by GIZ.

About the Agile Data & DPI Summit
The Agile Data & Digital Public Infrastructure Summit is a global working convening focused on connecting farmer-centred insights with the systems, standards, and policies needed to achieve scale. It brings together diverse actors to strengthen alignment, trust, and real-world impact in agricultural data - so digital systems deliver better outcomes for smallholder farmers and sustainable supply chains.

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