The NAgDI initiative is not a technology platform, but rather a framework that promotes a sectoral approach to digital public infrastructure for agriculture, fisheries, livestock, and forestry that combines technical systems with governance, principles, policies, and market-oriented business models. It provides a shared framework for countries to organise their existing national data platforms and systems, reduce fragmentation, and lay the foundation for scalable exchange at regional and global levels.

In support of this vision, the Commonwealth Secretariat developed the NAgDI Policy Guide, which describes a comprehensive framework and roadmap for action that outlines priority areas such as governance, interoperable technologies, independent oversight, and sustainable financing. The guide was developed collaboratively with countries and experts and validated through multi-stakeholder engagement.

The Dgroups Foundation supported the NAgDI process by enhancing knowledge exchange around country-level activities. The Foundation helped incubate national-based online groups to support preparation for country workshops and sustain discussion beyond in-person events. It also supported and facilitated two thematic webinars that brought together stakeholders from diverse contexts to share their experiences and insights on agricultural data management.

Following those events, an e-conversation on NAgDI-related themes emerged organically within the D4Ag online Dgroup, supported by the Digital Agri Hub, another Foundation partner. This follow-on discussion was co-organised by the partners of the Foundation using a mix of webinars and online exchanges, accompanied by summaries of the eConversations.

Although the Foundation was not directly involved throughout all those interactions, it is proudly associated with the collaborations amongst its partners, connecting their respective initiatives and collaboration spaces for the benefit of their communities of practice. This collaboration also experimented with the use of AI to summarise the conversations amongst contributors and the generation of podcasts based on these summaries.

Altogether, the workshops, webinars, and subsequent online discussions illustrate how collaboration across organisations and initiatives can grow when people engage through Dgroups Foundation-supported communities and platforms. By providing spaces for ongoing dialogue and exchange, the Dgroups Foundation helps create conditions where synergies between partners can emerge, deepen, and contribute to shared goals in agricultural data infrastructure. We look forward to reading more from the NAgDI Community.