Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on  19 December 2023          [on the report of the Second Committee (A/78/461, para. 53)]       78/144. Agricultural technology for sustainable development        The General Assembly,    Recalling its resolution 76/200 of 17 December 2021,    Reaffirming its resolution 70/1 of 25 September 2015, entitled “Transforming  our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, in which it adopted a  comprehensive, far-reaching and people-centred set of universal and transformative  Sustainable Development Goals and targets, its commitment to working tirelessly for  the full implementation of the Agenda by 2030, its recognition that eradicating  poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, is the greatest  global challenge and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development, and  its commitment to achieving sustainable development in its three dimensions –  economic, social and environmental – in a balanced and integrated manner, and to  building upon the achievements of the Millennium Development Goals and seeking  to address their unfinished business,    Reaffirming also its resolution 69/313 of 27 July 2015 on the Addis Ababa  Action Agenda of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development,  which is an integral part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, supports  and complements it, helps to contextualize its means of implementation targets with  concrete policies and actions, and reaffirms the strong political commitment to  address the challenge of financing and creating an enabling environment at all levels  for sustainable development in the spirit of global partnership and solidarity,    Expressing concern about the high level of global hunger, which affected  between 691 million and 783 million people in 2022,    Recognizing that sustainable, affordable and context-specific agricultural  technology has a beneficial impact on and an important role in the successful  implementation of the goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda, and in that regard taking  note with appreciation of the report of the Secretary-General on progress towards the   A/RES/78/144  Agricultural technology for sustainable development   23-25924 2/11    Sustainable Development Goals,1  the Global Sustainable Development Report and  the Secretary-General’s strategy on new technologies,    Recognizing also that the agriculture sector is inextricably linked with the entire  food system and that agricultural technologies, innovations and digitalization can be  enablers of efforts to make agrifood systems more efficient, inclusive, equitable,  resilient and sustainable and add value throughout the agrifood system by improving  the sustainability of production, harvesting, storage, transport, trade, processing,  transformation, retail, loss and waste reduction and recycling, as well as interactions  among these processes, and that it is necessary to identify and analyse opportunities,  risks and trade-offs associated with technologies and to ensure the availability,  accessibility and affordability of relevant technologies for small-scale producers,  family farmers and all actors of the agrifood system,    Recalling the Rome Declaration on Nutrition, adopted at the Second  International Conference on Nutrition, 2  the United Nations Decade of Action on  Nutrition (2016–2025)3  and the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration  (2021–2030),4 taking note of the Nutrition for Growth Summit held in Tokyo in 2021,  and looking forward to the Nutrition for Growth Summit to be held in Paris,    Recalling also the United Nations Decade of Family Farming (2019–2028),5  noting the report on its implementation,6 and that sustainable agricultural technology,  digitalization, as well as technological, social, economic and institutional  innovations, build on the knowledge, capacities and a science base to respond to the  needs and realities of smallholder and family farmers, in particular women and youth  and Indigenous Peoples in rural areas, and in that regard highlighting the importance  of innovation-driven development and support to entrepreneurship and innovation  that embraces both traditional good practices and innovations, secures access for  family farmers to sustainable, affordable and context-specific innovations,  technologies and connectivity, and leverages the potential for innovation among  young family farmers, and welcoming new sustainable agricultural technologies and  approaches that can increase productivity and food safety and resilience, contributing  to their transition from subsistence farming to innovative, commercial production and  helping them to increase in a sustainable manner their own food security and nutrition,  generate marketable surpluses and add value to their production,    Taking note with appreciation of the United Nations Food Systems Summit +2  Stocktaking Moment, convened by the Secretary-General from 24 to 26 July 2023 and  hosted by the Government of Italy at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the  United Nations in collaboration with the United Nations system in Rome,    Stressing the need to design sustainable agrifood systems that conserve the  natural resource base and enhance the provision of ecosystem services, while  increasing productivity, and that respond to the challenges posed by, inter alia, climate  change, the depletion and scarcity of natural resources, urbanization and  globalization, and recognizing that agricultural technology, innovation and  digitalization can contribute to food security and nutrition and help to build resilience,    Recognizing the need to further enhance the linkages and synergies between  agricultural technology and sustainable agricultural practices, including agroecological  and other innovative approaches, resource use efficiency, including sustainable use  __________________    1 A/78/80-E/2023/64.    2 World Health Organization, document EB136/8, annex I.    3 See resolution 70/259.    4 See resolution 73/284.    5 See resolution 72/239.    6 A/78/233.   Agricultural technology for sustainable development  A/RES/78/144   3/11 23-25924    of existing domestic agricultural resources acknowledging diversity in circumstance,  circular economy, recycling, optimizing external inputs, integration, crop rotation and  diversification, no-tillage, soil health monitoring, agroforestry and regenerative  agricultural practices, by effectively combining safe use and appropriate  technologies, including biotechnologies, with traditional and Indigenous knowledge,  in order to design sustainable farming systems that strengthen the interactions  between plants, animals, humans and the environment for food security and nutrition  as well as promote the realization of the right to adequate food, enhance productivity,  increase adaptive capacity and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve nutrition,  conserve the natural resource base and attain more sustainable and innovative  agrifood systems,    Noting with concern the findings contained in the synthesis report of the  Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change sixth assessment report,    Reaffirming the Paris Agreement7 and its early entry into force, encouraging all  its parties to fully implement the Agreement, and parties to the United Nations  Framework Convention on Climate Change8 that have not yet done so to deposit their  instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession, where appropriate, as  soon as possible,    Seriously concerned about the findings of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy  Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, and stressing the urgent need to  step up efforts to prevent the loss of biological diversity and the degradation of land  and soil and promote efforts for their conservation and their sustainable use,    Welcoming the adoption on 19 December 2022 of the Kunming-Montreal Global  Biodiversity Framework, at the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to  the Convention on Biological Diversity,    Recalling the adoption of the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on  Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns by the United Nations Conference  on Sustainable Development in 2012,9    Taking note with appreciation of the United Nations Conference on the Midterm  Comprehensive Review of the Implementation of the Objectives of the International  Decade for Action, “Water for Sustainable Development”, 2018–2028, held in New  York from 22 to 24 March 2023, and the Sustainable Development Goals Summit  held in New York on 18 and 19 September 2023, noting the twenty-seventh session of  the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on  Climate Change, held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, from 6 to 20 November 2022, and  the adoption of its decision on the Sharm el-Sheikh joint work on the implementation  of climate action on agriculture and food security, and looking forward to the twenty- eighth session of the Conference of the Parties, to be held in Dubai, United Arab  Emirates, from 30 November to 12 December 2023,    Recalling the United Nations strategic plan for forests 2017–2030,10 taking note  of the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use, and acknowledging  that forests and trees outside forests provide essential ecosystem services, such as  timber, food, fuel, fodder, non-wood products and shelter, as well as soil and water  conservation and clean air, and that forests and trees outside forests contribute  substantially to climate change mitigation and adaptation and to the conservation of  __________________    7 Adopted under the UNFCCC in FCCC/CP/2015/10/Add.1, decision 1/CP.21.    8 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1771, No. 30822.    9 A/CONF.216/5, annex.    10 See resolution 71/285.   A/RES/78/144  Agricultural technology for sustainable development   23-25924 4/11    biodiversity, prevent land degradation and desertification and reduce the risk of  floods, landslides and avalanches, droughts, dust and sand storms and other disasters,    Taking note with appreciation of the activities of the Technology Bank for the  Least Developed Countries since its operationalization, and encouraging continued  support to the Bank,    Recognizing the rapid evolution in science and technological innovation and  digitalization, and that the development and open access to mega data and information  will bring about profound changes in agricultural research, agricultural extension and  rural development,    Stressing the importance of rapid technological change in ensuring food security  by 2030, and encouraging the adoption of the most advanced and appropriate  information technology in agriculture systems, and calling for enhanced international  cooperation to facilitate access and promote investment in research, technology and  infrastructure,    Recognizing the need to mobilize and scale up financing for science, technology  and innovation, especially in developing countries, in support of the Sustainable  Development Goals, particularly Goal 2,    Recognizing also that a systems approach to agricultural innovation is essential  to ensure that innovations, including technologies and effective approaches, are  evidence-based, are aligned towards common objectives, promote collaboration,  address problems relevant to farmers, and offer incentives to, and the means to  accelerate adoption by, smallholder and family farmers, and that it is essential to  enable interactions and knowledge flows among the different stakeholders in  agricultural innovation systems, including farmers’ organizations, national  agricultural research systems, extension and advisory services, governments,  international organizations, the private sector and civil society,    Recalling the report of the Secretary-General entitled “Road map for digital  cooperation”, presented on 11 June 2020,11    Noting the creation of the Secretary-General’s Scientific Advisory Board for  Independent Advice on Breakthroughs in Science and Technology,    Stressing the need to support and strengthen information systems and statistical  systems for better disaggregated data collection, including sex-disaggregated data,  processing and interoperability, which will be key in monitoring progress in the  adoption of sustainable agricultural technologies and their impact on improving food  security, nutrition and sustainable agriculture, and noting the Committee on World  Food Security policy recommendations on strengthening collection and use of food  security and nutrition data and related analysis tools to improve decision-making in  support of the progressive realization of the right to adequate food in the context of  national food security, adopted in October 2023,    Emphasizing that participatory research, in conjunction with effective,  pluralistic and demand-driven extension and rural advisory services, is critical in  order to ensure that agricultural technologies respond to the demands and needs of all  farmers, including women, smallholder and family farmers, especially in supporting  more efficient, inclusive, equitable, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems that  can deliver nutritious food,    Recalling the Sendai Declaration and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk  Reduction 2015–2030, adopted at the Third United Nations World Conference on  __________________    11 A/74/821.   Agricultural technology for sustainable development  A/RES/78/144   5/11 23-25924    Disaster Risk Reduction,12 and the convening of the high-level meeting of the General  Assembly on the midterm review of the implementation of the Sendai Framework for  Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030, at United Nations Headquarters in New York on  18 and 19 May 2023,    Recalling also the Buenos Aires outcome document of the second High-level  United Nations Conference on South-South Cooperation, held in Buenos Aires in  March 2019,13    Recalling further all relevant strategies and programmes of action for the least  developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing  States, including the Doha Programme of Action for Least Developed Countries,14 the  Vienna Programme of Action for Landlocked Developing Countries for the Decade  2014–202415 and the SIDS Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA) Pathway, 16  recalling the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, held  in Doha, looking forward to the convening of the third United Nations Conference on  Landlocked Developing Countries, in Kigali in June 2024, and the fourth United  Nations Conference on Small Island Developing States, in Antigua and Barbuda in  May 2024, reaffirming the importance of supporting Agenda 2063 of the African  Union and the programme of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development, 17 and  recognizing the major challenge to the achievement of durable peace and sustainable  development in countries in conflict and post-conflict situations,    Noting with great concern the severe negative impact on human health, safety  and well-being caused by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, as well as  the severe disruption to societies and economies and the devastating impact on lives  and livelihoods, and that the poorest and most vulnerable are the hardest hit by the  pandemic, reaffirming the ambition to get back on track to achieve the Sustainable  Development Goals by designing and implementing sustainable and inclusive  recovery strategies to accelerate progress towards the full implementation of the 2030  Agenda for Sustainable Development and to help to reduce the risk of and build  resilience to future shocks, crises and pandemics, including by strengthening health  systems and achieving universal health coverage, and recognizing that equitable and  timely access for all to safe, quality, effective and affordable COVID-19 vaccines,  therapeutics and diagnostics are an essential part of a global response based on unity,  solidarity, renewed multilateral cooperation and the principle of leaving no one  behind,    Recognizing that the COVID-19 pandemic and mitigation measures taken in  response exposed both strengths and vulnerabilities in agrifood systems, the latter of  which caused disruptions to both livelihoods and food supply chains, increased the  volatility of food prices and constrained access to food, and that sustainable  agricultural technologies, alongside other forms of innovation, can contribute to  efficient, inclusive, equitable, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems, which  promote healthy diets and improved nutrition,    Stressing the crucial and equal role of women in the agricultural sector and their  contribution to enhancing agricultural and rural development, improving food  security and nutrition and eradicating rural poverty, and underlining the fact that  meaningful progress in agricultural and agricultural technology development  necessitates, inter alia, closing the gender gap, introducing appropriate gender- __________________    12 Resolution 69/283, annexes I and II.    13 Resolution 73/291, annex.    14 Resolution 76/258, annex.    15 Resolution 69/137, annex I.    16 Resolution 69/15, annex.    17 A/57/304, annex.   A/RES/78/144  Agricultural technology for sustainable development   23-25924 6/11    responsive interventions at all stages in agricultural innovation processes, including  at the policy level, and ensuring that women have equal access to agricultural  technologies, related services and inputs and all necessary productive resources,  including tenure rights and access to land, fisheries and forests, as well as to  affordable education and training, social services, social protection, health care,  health services and financial services, and full, equal and meaningful access to and  participation in local, regional and international markets,    Recognizing that young people play a significant role in supporting sustainable  economic growth and that agricultural technology, innovation and digitalization have  an essential role to play in facilitating access to agricultural skills for young women  and men, improving the livelihoods of youth, creating quality and decent jobs and  contributing to the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour,  strengthening progress towards achieving the realization of the Sustainable  Development Goals,    Acknowledging the role and work of civil society, the private sector and  academia in furthering progress in developing countries and promoting sustainable  agriculture and management practices, including through the use of appropriate  agricultural technology, digitalization and the training of smallholder and family  farmers, in particular rural women and Indigenous Peoples, and that multi-stakeholder  partnerships can contribute to the financing of food security and nutrition as well as  sustainable development by mobilizing additional resources through advocacy and  innovative funding mechanisms and facilitating the coordinated and targeted use of  existing resources, aligning them more effectively with global and national public  priorities,    1.  Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General;18    2.  Calls upon Member States to include sustainable agricultural development  as an integral part of their national policies and strategies, acknowledges the positive  impact of international development cooperation, including North-South, triangular  and South-South cooperation, as a complement to, not a substitute for, North-South  cooperation, and urges the relevant bodies of the United Nations system to include  elements of agricultural technology, innovation, research and extension in efforts to  realize the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, 19 with a focus on the research  and development of technology that is affordable, durable and sustainable and that  can be easily used by and disseminated to smallholder and family farmers, in  particular rural women, young and ageing farmers;    3.  Underlines the importance of supporting sustainable agriculture including  agroecology and other innovative approaches and advancing research in improving  and diversifying crop varieties and seed systems, as well as supporting the  establishment of sustainable and resilient agricultural systems, sustainable  management practices and the use of new and existing technologies, such as  conservation agriculture, integrated soil fertility management, integrated farming  systems, animal disease prevention and control and integrated pest management,  precision agriculture, irrigation, livestock husbandry and biotechnologies, in order to  make agriculture more sustainable and productive, make food more nutritious and, in  particular, make crops and farm animals more resistant to diseases, including drug- resistant infections, considering international standards in this regard, pests and  environmental stresses, including the impacts of climate change, drought and extreme  rainfall events, in accordance with national regulations and relevant international  agreements;  __________________    18 A/78/228.    19 Resolution 70/1.   Agricultural technology for sustainable development  A/RES/78/144   7/11 23-25924      4.  Recognizes the important role of family farming and smallholder farming  in adapting and developing sustainable, affordable and context-specific innovations  and technologies while helping to preserve and promote traditional products, and in  contributing to global food security, poverty eradication and sustainability, as well as  job creation, and in ending chronic child malnutrition, and in this regard calls upon  Member States, academia, the private sector and other relevant stakeholders to adapt  agricultural technologies to the needs of small- and medium-scale family farmers and  combine them with credit access for sustainable production and significant  investment in rural infrastructure as well as the training and education of those who  would most benefit from them;    5.  Also recognizes that strengthening urban-rural linkages can improve both  rural and urban food security and nutrition, and in this regard highlights the need for  integrated urban and rural agricultural land planning, improved rural-urban  transportation links, food processing and packaging technology and cold chain  development to reduce food loss, and for effective trade links across the urban-rural  continuum, which will contribute to ensuring that small-scale farmers and fishers are  linked to local, subnational, national, regional and global value chains and markets;    6.  Requests relevant United Nations organizations, including the Food and  Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the International Fund for  Agricultural Development and the United Nations Conference on Trade and  Development, to promote, support and facilitate the exchange of experience among  Member States through, inter alia, recommendations and other public goods related  to ways to promote sustainable agriculture and increase the productivity and adaptive  capacity of agriculture and the use of a broad range of agricultural technologies that  support more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems, build  long-term fertility, healthy and resilient agroecosystems and secure livelihoods and  have a positive impact on the entire value chain, including technology for post-harvest  crop storage, processing, handling and transportation, including in pressing  environmental circumstances;    7.  Stresses the importance of indicators that can be used to formulate targeted  policies towards the development and adoption of, access to and use of agricultural  technology and to measure their impact on the Sustainable Development Goals, and  in this regard encourages Member States, in cooperation with all relevant  stakeholders, to continue to contribute to the ongoing work of the Statistical  Commission on the global indicator framework;    8.  Notes the need to analyse the potential impacts of agricultural technologies  before their implementation, to ensure that agrifood systems are more inclusive,  equitable, efficient, resilient and sustainable that can deliver nutritious food, and that  fostering synergies between government departments, research institutions, national  and international organizations, alliances and coalitions can accelerate the  development and adoption of technologies;    9.  Also notes that the development of and access to new technologies should  be combined with the preservation and promotion of traditional knowledge, where  relevant, to attract Indigenous Peoples and local communities and enable young  people to be drivers of more efficient, inclusive, equitable, resilient and sustainable  agrifood systems, that investments are needed to improve inclusive digital literacy  and build the digital competencies of young rural people, and that relevant and  effective policy frameworks and incentives, regulatory measures and economic and  legal instruments should be promoted to ensure equity and inclusion in the  development of and access to technologies;    10. Stresses the urgent need to enhance adaptive capacity, strengthen  resilience and reduce vulnerability to climate change, and urges Member States to   A/RES/78/144  Agricultural technology for sustainable development   23-25924 8/11    continue to engage in adaptation planning processes and the implementation of  mitigation actions;    11.  Also stresses the need to significantly reduce pre-harvest, post-harvest and  other food losses and waste throughout the food supply chain through, inter alia,  improved production planning, the promotion of resource-efficient production and  processing practices, improved processing, preservation and packing technologies,  improved transportation and logistics management and enhanced household and  business awareness of food losses and waste prevention, to help all actors in the value  chain to enjoy greater benefits and to contribute to environmental protection;    12. Recognizes that energy-efficient agrifood systems represent a key  component in transitioning to sustainable food and agriculture;    13. Underlines the importance of the sustainable use and management of water  resources to increase and contribute to agricultural productivity, calls upon  stakeholders to promote integrated water resources management in agriculture and  adapt agricultural systems to improve their overall water efficiency and water  productivity, and their resilience to water stresses, inter alia, by developing and  implementing adaptive water and agricultural strategies and action plans based on a  comprehensive approach to the long-term availability and variability of all water  sources, reducing water scarcity risks through integrated water resources management  options, designing and implementing agricultural and landscape management  practices that increase the resilience of agricultural systems to water stress and reduce  pollution, making rain-fed agriculture systems a more reliable option, investing in an  enabling environment and mobilizing the full set of tools available to them, and calls  for further efforts to develop and strengthen irrigation facilities and water-saving  technology, which can also enhance resilience to the current and projected adverse  impacts of climate change;    14. Calls upon Member States, academia, the private sector and other  stakeholders to harness science, technology and innovation, including co-innovation,  by promoting coherent and integrated agricultural innovation systems through  participatory research, demand-driven extension and rural advisory services and  increased, responsible and inclusive public and private investment, building human  capacity, encouraging entrepreneurship, creating an enabling economic and  institutional environment and strengthening knowledge flows, in particular between  scientists and farmers, taking into account local and traditional knowledge systems,  in combination with new sources of knowledge;    15. Invites the United Nations system and all relevant stakeholders to consider  ways to make available, on mutually agreed terms, data and information relating to  agrifood systems, including meteorology, big data, the Internet of things, satellite  imagery, early warning systems and other data-based technologies, that could help to  build the resilience of smallholder and family farmers, optimize yields and support  rural livelihoods;    16. Recognizes that weather forecasting and climate services and products  allow farmers to better plan agricultural activities, optimize production, manage  climate-related risks and integrate climate change adaptation into their decisions, and  therefore encourages governments and meteorological agencies to improve the  collection, dissemination and analysis of agrometeorological and agroclimatological  data and information;    17. Also recognizes that advanced technologies, such as big data, the Internet  of things, artificial intelligence and machine learning, distributed ledgers, remote  sensing and geospatial analysis, have the potential to increase agricultural  productivity, improve access to markets and efficiency of inputs, and ensure timely   Agricultural technology for sustainable development  A/RES/78/144   9/11 23-25924    communication for informed decision-making, while acknowledging that this should  be examined carefully to maximize benefits and minimize downsides;    18. Further recognizes that sustainable agricultural mechanization can have  potential drawbacks but could also help address shortages of labour, ease drudgery,  increase incomes, enhance productivity and the timeliness of agricultural activities,  promote efficient resource use, enable better market access and attract new  investment and talent into agriculture, thereby creating better prospects for  sustainable growth and support measures to mitigate climate- and weather-related  hazards, and acknowledges that mechanization and digitalization can also create new  and higher-paying jobs in agricultural value chains, making it more attractive for  youth to stay in rural areas, and in this regard, welcomes the convening of the Global  Conference on Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization, organized by the Food and  Agriculture Organization, from 27 to 29 September 2023 in Rome;    19.  Recognizes the important role of information and communications  technology, as well as digitalization and e-agriculture, in achieving the Sustainable  Development Goals and in improving agricultural productivity, practices and  smallholder livelihoods, strengthening agricultural markets and institutions,  improving agricultural extension and rural advisory services, empowering farmer  communities, keeping farmers and rural entrepreneurs informed about agricultural  innovations, weather conditions, input availability, financial services and market  prices and connecting them with buyers, and stresses the need to ensure that women  and youth and Indigenous Peoples have equitable access to information and  communications technology, digitalization and e-agriculture, especially in rural areas,  and to close digital divides within and between countries, as well as the gender digital  divide, to accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals;    20. Underlines the instrumental role of agricultural technology, agricultural  research and innovation and technology transfer on mutually agreed terms and the  sharing of knowledge and practices in furthering sustainable development and in  achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, calls, therefore, upon Member States,  and encourages relevant international bodies, to support sustainable agricultural  research and development, emphasizes that research outputs should be appropriate to  the needs of and accessible to end users, including governments, water managers,  large-scale private sector enterprises and women, smallholder and family farmers,  and in this regard calls for continued support to the international agricultural research  system, including the research centres of CGIAR and other relevant international  organizations and initiatives;    21. Recognizes that agricultural biotechnologies can be harnessed and scaled  up to enhance the productivity of agrifood systems, notes with concern that national  agricultural research systems in developing countries face barriers such as restricted  access, limited funding and regulatory frameworks to use advanced biotechnologies,  and in this regard reiterates the need to accelerate the transfer of environmentally  sound technologies to developing countries on mutually agreed terms;    22. Notes that, according to World Bank estimates, at least 300 billion United  States dollars in investments are needed annually to promote sustainable food systems  and that many developing countries, particularly low-income countries, are grappling  with multiple crises, including extreme weather disasters, constrained fiscal  conditions, and escalating interest rates, making it challenging to finance emergency  responses while simultaneously investing in sustainable food systems, and in this  regard calls upon Member States to promote a concerted effort to jointly mobilize  public and private capital, to achieve high-performing food systems;    23. Urges Member States, relevant United Nations organizations and other  stakeholders to strengthen efforts to improve the development of sustainable   A/RES/78/144  Agricultural technology for sustainable development   23-25924 10/11    agricultural technologies and their transfer and dissemination on mutually agreed  terms to developing countries, especially the least developed countries, in particular  at the bilateral and regional levels, and encourages international, regional and national  efforts to strengthen capacity and foster the utilization of local know-how in  developing countries, especially that of smallholder and family farmers, in particular  rural women and youth, in order to enhance agricultural productivity and the  nutritional quality of agricultural products, promote sustainable practices in  pre-harvest and post-harvest agricultural activities and enhance food security and  nutrition-related programmes and policies that take into consideration the specific  needs of women, young children and youth, with particular attention to securing the  prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, strengthening progress  towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals;    24. Recognizes that recovery efforts from the COVID-19 pandemic present an  opportunity to promote sustainability and increase resilience of agriculture and food  systems to the impact of the pandemic and future crises, including through the use of  technology and innovation in all its forms, including digital services that can increase  access to financial services for small-scale producers and family farmers, that are  gender-responsive, including in rural areas, to address mobility restrictions and bank  closures, agricultural extension services, weather and climate services, and online  platforms that can enable producers to sell directly to consumers, leading to increased  profits, improved supply chain efficiency, reduced wastage and better financial  inclusion, leveraging artificial intelligence in supporting sustainable agriculture,  which can help to improve the overall harvest quality and accuracy, and calls upon  all relevant stakeholders to continue to develop policies, investments and partnerships  that help to realize the potential of technologies to transform agriculture and food  systems, while tackling the persistent digital divides, including the gender digital  divide, in order to build back better and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals;    25. Calls upon Member States and relevant United Nations organizations and  other stakeholders to mainstream gender perspectives into agricultural policies and  projects and to focus on closing the gender gap by, inter alia, encouraging gender- balanced investments and innovation in small-scale agricultural production and  distribution, and a gender-responsive value chain supported by integrated and  multisectoral policies, in order to improve women’s productive capacity and incomes,  strengthen their resilience and achieve equitable access to all forms of financing,  markets and networks, labour-saving technologies and agricultural technology  information and know-how, equipment, decision-making forums and associated  agricultural resources to ensure that agriculture, food security and nutrition-related  programmes and policies take into consideration the specific needs of women and the  barriers that women face in accessing agricultural inputs and resources;    26. Encourages Governments to develop and implement youth-focused  agricultural development projects and programmes, including through training,  education, financial inclusion services, including microcredit services, and capacity- building, including with regard to innovation, in association with the private sector, in  order to stimulate the interest and the involvement of youth in sustainable agriculture;    27. Remains concerned that agricultural innovations and technologies often  bypass ageing farmers, and in particular ageing women farmers, as many do not  possess the financial resources or the skills to adopt new practices, and in this regard  stresses the need to strengthen the capacity of ageing farmers through continued  access to financial and infrastructure services and training for improved farming  techniques and technologies;    28. Acknowledges that technological innovations can be supported by  financial innovations and financial support, such as de-risking strategies and blended   Agricultural technology for sustainable development  A/RES/78/144   11/11 23-25924    finance options, and that blended finance mechanisms are new institutional models  that link public and private financing and patient capital with equity investments and  promote schemes that more effectively distribute investments to small-scale  enterprises and producers;    29. Encourages Member States, civil society and public and private  institutions to develop partnerships to support financial and market services,  including training, capacity-building, infrastructure and extension and rural advisory  services, and calls for further efforts by all stakeholders to include smallholder and  family farmers, in particular rural women and youth, in planning and in taking  decisions about making appropriate sustainable agricultural technologies and  practices accessible and affordable to them, and strengthen the links between  community-based initiatives and financial institutions, including through the  promotion of financing tools that foster agricultural sustainability;    30. Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at its  eightieth session, within existing resources, an action-oriented report that examines the  current technological trends and key advances in agricultural technologies, provides  illustrative examples of the transformative use of technologies at scale and includes  recommendations that assist Member States in accelerating their efforts to implement  the relevant goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda, and decides to include in the  provisional agenda of its eightieth session the item entitled “Sustainable development”.