A wave of rural innovation: FAO recognizes ten Digital Villages in Europe and Central Asia
© FAO/Davit Khelashvili
19/03/2026
Smooth honey and glossy chestnuts in the Tropoja villages of the Albanian Alps. The Marneuli villages in Georgia, a safe haven for ecological migrants from the increasing threat of landslides and avalanches. Prized mohair from the Angora goats browsing the hills of Boyali village in Türkiye.
The common denominator among these scenes? The digital solutions that help advance them.
Rural communities have always found ways to adapt. Through a changing climate, shifting markets and demographic transitions, generations of farmers have persisted through hard work. And today, smallholder farmers, honey producers and mountain shepherds from ten rural communities across Europe and Central Asia are gradually adopting new tools that support their resilience: digital technologies. From simple battery-powered devices to complex sensor networks, from social media pages to advisory platforms powered by artificial intelligence (AI), these tools are helping solve everyday challenges.
These communities are part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Digital Villages Initiative (DVI). Building on their local strengths, they have embarked on a journey of digital rural transformation with a shared goal of utilizing digital technologies for better agricultural productivity, wider access to services and strengthened rural livelihoods.
What began as a series of pilots has now reached a major milestone: these ten villages and rural areas have been officially recognized under FAO’s Village Recognition Initiative. This recognition reflects the shared work and dedication of local communities, governments and partners (private-sector companies, universities and local civil society organizations) brought together to conserve natural heritage and biodiversity, sustain food traditions and link food culture and rural heritage with education, hospitality and tourism, advancing rural development.
The achievements of these villages reflect a commitment to digital transformation for more resilient and sustainable agrifood systems. Each tells a story of innovative perseverance. © FAO/Danil Dolidze (L), © FAO/TelAgri (R)
Digital solutions for agritourism and local value chains in Tropoja, Albania
Located in the Albanian Alps, Tropoja villages are rich in culture and unique agricultural products such as chestnuts and honey.
It is a place characterized by a rich cultural tapestry and bewitching beauty. However, Tropoja also faces adversaries, including pest pressures, weak infrastructure, limited digital services and low digital literacy. Under the DVI, local digital innovation is supported through training and tools that enhance agritourism and the marketing of local products, and digital technologies are being integrated into chestnut forest monitoring to strengthen rural livelihoods and people’s resilience.
Smart beekeeping and digital marketing in Mokro and Brežani-Tršće, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Surrounded by fertile green hills, the rural communities of Mokro and Brežani-Tršće in Bosnia and Herzegovina thrive on greenhouse vegetable production, beekeeping and agritourism.
Through DVI, these nature-based livelihoods are being strengthened with smart hive scales, greenhouse automation and digital tools that connect local producers to new opportunities. Using digital scales, beekeepers can make informed decisions about hive management, protecting the well-being of their bees while also optimizing honey yields.
Digital technologies for climate-smart agriculture in Maradisi and Dioknisi, Georgia
The Marneuli villages (Maradisi and Dioknisi) in Georgia were built by eco-migrants who fled climate-related landslides and avalanches in the Adjara region in search of safer ground.
Droughts, floods and harsh winters continue to challenge their greenhouse and open-field vegetable production, but through the DVI, farmers are turning to digital tools – agrometeorology stations, greenhouse sensors and smart irrigation systems – to better adapt to the changing climate and combat issues such as decreased harvests (caused by prolonged winter and frosts) and drying rivers (affected by increasingly hot summers) and the resulting shortages of irrigation water.
Smart sensors for smart water management in Kochkor, Kyrgyzstan
In the high-altitude district of Kochkor, Kyrgyzstan, glacier-fed pastures sustain the sheep, cattle, goats and horses that define the local way of life. But the mountainous terrain makes water access and fair distribution a constant challenge for farmers. Through the DVI, villages in Kochkor are using smart water sensors that provide real-time data on irrigation flows, helping water authorities manage resources more transparently and ensure fair access for all users.
Preserving cultural heritage with digital tools in Lolazor, Tajikistan
In Lolazor, a mountain village in Tajikistan, centuries-old traditions of grape cultivation and pastoralism form part of a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System. Thanks to the DVI, villagers are using digital tools to protect their heritage while building new economic opportunities – for example, by promoting agritourism with digital maps and social media, hosting tourists and raising awareness of their unique cultural heritage.
Digital goat farming in Boyalı, Türkiye
In the hills of Boyalı village in Türkiye, Angora goats have long shaped the local economy and cultural identity, producing the prized mohair that sustains many households.
Through the DVI, farmers are modernizing traditional goat farming with digital tools – weather stations, barn sensors, drones and an AI-powered mobile app that provides real-time advisory data.
By combining tradition with technology, goat farmers in Boyalı are building a more productive and resilient future. © FAO/Kaan Caglayan
Youth driving digital transformation in agriculture in Novkent and Yuksalish, Uzbekistan
In the neighboring villages of Novkent and Yuksalish in the fertile Fergana Valley of Uzbekistan, agriculture is at the heart of community life, and a new generation is stepping in to shape its future. Through the DVI, young innovators are working side by side with farmers to develop smart greenhouse sensors, prototype digital tools and turn ideas into practical solutions that respond to real needs in the field. Fergana’s rural youth are becoming drivers of digital transformation in agriculture.
All these communities are proving that the future of rural areas lies in the hands of the people who live there. With the right digital tools, farming and rural life can thrive and become more resilient, turning challenges into opportunities and tradition into innovation.