The Asia-Pacific Federation for Information Technology in Agriculture 2019 (APFITA 2019) was held in Feng Chia University in Taichung, Taiwan from October 30 to 31, 2019. The event was organized by the Taiwan Agriculture Information Technology Association (TAITA) and was supported by the Council of Agriculture (COA). The APFITA is the foremost agricultural innovative technology information exchange platform in the Asia-Pacific region, where world agricultural experts and researchers share the latest advances in agricultural ICT applications, which foster global innovative development of agriculture. In his remarks at the opening ceremony, COA deputy minister Chen Junne-jih introduced the transitions of Taiwan’s agricultural ICT technologies, and the practical applications of smart agriculture in Taiwan to the world.

The COA pointed out that more than 200 agricultural ICT experts and scholars from 17 countries participated in the event, including USA, Canada, Germany, South Africa, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, and India among others. There were more than a hundred papers published at the event, from which more than 50 papers were contributed by relevant agencies and researchers of the COA and other Taiwanese institutions, making Taiwan the biggest contributor. The said researches conducted by Taiwan encompassed smart agricultural production management, agricultural geography information system application, big data analytic technology in precision agriculture, etc. The achievements of the aforementioned researches are a testament to the technological prowess and the importance of Taiwanese agriculture in the world.

In recent years the development of applied agricultural ICT has become a global trend. The COA has also listed the integral application of ICT as top priority, to develop Smart Production and Digital Service from such technology, which aim to assist small-scale farmers in elevating overall agricultural production efficiency and volume. Establish a proactive comprehensive digital agriculture service in order to increase public confidence in agri-product safety. The ultimate goal is to advance towards an efficient, safe, and low-risk new era of agriculture by setting new standards for the industry through the integration of all domestic public–private-academic resources, and the creation of superb farming environment.

The COA stated that the objective of APFITA 2019 is to incite more inspirations, ideas, and suggestions by encouraging international and interdisciplinary discussions among experts, so as to implement cooperation and development of agricultural ICT in the Asia-Pacific region in order to increase production for traditional agriculture. Moreover, the COA expects to achieve sustainability and bring new value to agricultural technology through industrial upgrade.