On September 10, 2026, the expert analytical Module on the Implementation of Digital Solutions to Ensure Food Sovereignty, developed with the support of Innopraktika, was presented at a special session of the HSE Center for African Studies Conference on Applied Research.

Nikolay Golovko, editorial coordinator of the Hub and moderator of the session, spoke about the conceptual foundations of food security. According to him, «the food situation in Africa is not getting worse, but rather is improving too slowly. A large part of the population still suffers from undernutrition. Countries in the region spend around $60–80 billion annually on food imports, meaning that they remain net food importers.»

He also emphasized the importance of moving from the traditional concept of food security toward food sovereignty. Its key components include the resilience of national food systems, the development of domestic production, reducing dependence on food and fertilizer imports, and developing domestic storage facilities and logistics chains.

«One of the ways to support this transition is to digitalise agriculture and agri-food management. Governments need reliable data on land, water, soil, livestock, expected harvests, and other key areas. The Food Sovereignty Module is based on this approach», the moderator noted.

The expert analytical resource was developed by experts of the HSE Center for African Studies with the support of Innopraktika and integrated into the e-Governance Knowledge Hub.

Based on expert analytical research on the food situation in African countries, the Module brings together the key challenges in this area and shows how digital solutions – including big data, AI, geographic information systems, remote sensing, and the Internet of Things – can be used to build independent infrastructure for ensuring food sovereignty.

The Module is structured around three main formats.

The first is country profiles, which provide an analysis of a specific country’s food system. They focus on its resource base, risks, production, dependence on imports, government policies, and digital infrastructure.

The second format is Challenge–Solution, which focuses on finding digital solutions to specific challenges in the food sector and highlighting real-world practical cases.

The third format is an interactive map. The map already features food profiles for Ethiopia and Egypt. They include infographics with key indicators showing the state of food security in each country, as well as examples of how digital tools can be used to strengthen the resilience of food systems and respond quickly to emerging challenges.

During the session, Dmitry Aveltsov, Head of the Center for Agroanalytics at the Russian Ministry of Agriculture, spoke about Russia’s experience in digitalising the agricultural sector and the potential for adapting it to the needs of African countries.

According to Dmitry Aveltsov, «Russia can offer its African partners not a copy of its Federal State Information Systems (FGIS) or off-the-shelf software, but rather a modular architecture of trust covering the entire agricultural value chain. The logic is as follows: field data confirms where agricultural products are produced; the seed registry verifies the legality of planting materials; the system for monitoring the use of agrochemicals, fertilizers, and plant protection products ensures compliance with regulations and the safety of agricultural practices during crop production; and phytosanitary certification confirms that shipments meet the requirements of the importing country.

We are ready to share our experience and explain how our systems are designed and operated, as well as what requirements and regulations prompted market participants to start using them. I can say that, at the Ministry of Agriculture level, we have almost complete information on the movement of agricultural raw materials within the country. This allows us to produce food more efficiently and safely, both for domestic consumption and for export».

Salis Karakotov, CEO of JSC Shchelkovo Agrohim, highlighted the competitive advantages of Russian plant breeding developments.

«Russian breeding achievements in a number of crops [corn, sorghum, millet] are competitive with local varieties, and these are precisely the crops that we can introduce and develop in Africa.

Cereal crops are also, of course, very important for African countries. Interest in spring wheat is growing in North African countries where it is cultivated, and Russia has tremendous potential when it comes to spring wheat.

These are the areas where we would like to cooperate with African countries. Our company has already planned to work with four countries, where we are gradually starting to test seeds and plant protection products. Russia has so many opportunities in Africa that even we are still only beginning to understand their full potential. That is why it is so useful and important to hold round-table discussions like this», Salis Karakotov said.

Alexander Yakuba, Advisor to the Head of the Federal State Budgetary Institution «Agroexport», spoke about the potential of digital technologies to improve soil fertility.

«The first step toward effective soil management is understanding and monitoring soil conditions. Digital solutions can help fill this gap by providing farmers, consultants, and government authorities with the data they need to make informed decisions.

For a long time, farmers faced a lack of reliable data. Today, high-resolution maps are becoming available, making it possible to assess the condition of specific soils down to the individual field level. This can increase crop yields by up to 40% and reduce excessive fertilizer use, which is extremely important from both an economic and environmental perspective.

Highly accurate recommendations also improve the cost-effectiveness of fertilizer use. When farmers know exactly which nutrients their soil needs, they can avoid unnecessary expenses.

Digital solutions can therefore serve as a tool that, when used effectively, can help address the challenges of African soils and improve their fertility. Russia has technologies that, when combined, can help tackle this issue». 

In this context, experts from the HSE Center for African Studies compiled a registry of technologies provided by Russian companies to support food sovereignty as part of the Module.

H.E. Mwebaze Gideon Rutazindwa, Counsellor-Envoy and Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of the Republic of Uganda to the Russian Federation, spoke about the role of digital technologies in the development of Uganda’s agricultural sector.

«When we talk about issues such as resource monitoring, production planning, and timely response to disasters and other threats, we need digital technologies. For example, we need early warning systems, geographic information systems, and predictive models for climate change. We also need to collect data from people and other stakeholders, including through crowdsourced data collection.

These are all digital solutions that we need, and obviously, as a country, we must move in this direction — not only to feed our own population, but also to increase exports», the Minister-Counsellor said.

Concluding the discussion, Rania Mashlab, Head of the Regional Delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus, gave examples of how digital technologies are being used to deliver humanitarian assistance. In Nigeria and Ethiopia, for example, a specialised platform called RedRose is being used.

«This tool makes the distribution of humanitarian assistance more efficient. It helps determine who should receive assistance, what exactly they should receive, and whether they have received it. This reduces paperwork, queues, and the time people have to spend waiting for assistance.

Before the system was introduced, the distribution process took at least four hours, and sometimes five to six hours per person. Now, thanks to this digital tool, people can receive the goods or cash assistance they need in approximately 35 minutes».

Following the discussion, the participants of the panel session emphasized the importance of further sharing experience and practical solutions between Russian and African partners. The proposals and expert insights presented during the session will be taken into account in the further development of the Food Sovereignty Module.