The CIHEAM WATCH LETTER n°38 in February 2017 on "Rural innovation and digital revolution in agriculture" wishes to provide a regional Mediterranean overview in terms of innovation in rural areas and the role of ICT in agriculture. This issue is resolutely prospective and rich in the presentation of various experiences in order to contribute to the analysis of the major ongoing agricultural and territorial developments in this strategic area of the world, where the progress and the growth of digital technology and human inventiveness exist outside urban worlds.

ARTICLES

• Table of contentsEditorial Présentation d'Agreenuim, l'Institut agronomique, vétérinaire et forestier de France The European Union “multi-actor” approach to agricultural innovation: first steps and major challenges - Angelo di Mambro, Journalist, BrusselsBig data : a cultural and technical challenge for which agriculture has strong assets - Christian Huyghe, Muriel Mambrini-Doudet, Odile Hologne, INRA and Pascal Bergeret, CIHEAM – MontpellierPromoting Rural Innovation in the Mediterranean through the Development of Entrepreneurial Culture in Favor of Young People - Damiano Petruzzella, Laura Scivetti, Annarita Antonelli and Jocelyne Jawhar, CIHEAM – BariQuelle place pour l’élevage de précision dans le contexte du bassin méditerranéen ? - François Bocquier et Magali Jouven, Montpellier Supagro, FranceLe numérique pour faire de l’aliment un créateur de lien - Hervé Pillaud, AgronuméricusFormer pour et par le numérique tout au long de la vie professionnelle dans les métiers de l’agriculture - Philippe Prévost, Agreenium, l’Institut agronomique, vétérinaire et forestier de France et Christian Germain, Bordeaux Sciences AgroMultifunctional agriculture and ICT: Incompatibility or a recipe for territorial development? - Athanasios Ragkos, Vagis Samathrakis, Alexander Technological Educational Institute of Thessaloniki, Greece ; Alexandros Theodoridis, Christos Batzios, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GreeceThe Digital Economy: the Silent Revolution that Will Change the Region - Javier Albarracín, European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed), SpainSharing and Pooling Resources in Common Infrastructures is Essential to Accelerate Research and Diffusion of Digital Innovations in Agriculture - Veronique Bellon-Maurel, Bruno Tisseyre, Thomas Crestey and Pierre Maurel, Montpellier Supagro-IRSTEA, FranceApplication des nouvelles technologies dans l’agriculture intensive espagnole - Eduardo Pardo Martínez, Javier Rodríguez Sánchez, Centro Tecnologico Tecnova, Spain New communication methodologies in an innovative digital extension system in Egypt - Mahmoud Medany, Climate Change Information Center and Renewable Energy (CCICRE), Sahar Zayan, Plant Pathology Research Institute et Dorra Fiani, Knowledge Economy FoundationFood and Nutrition Security and Data Gaps in Lebanon - Rachel A. Bhan, Food Security Program, American University of Beirut, LebanonUn exemple de l’utilisation des drones dans la gestion technique d’un verger de pêcher en Tunisie - Hatem Mabrouk, Fatma Ben Jemaa, Institut National Agronomique de Tunisie (INAT), Tunisie et Denis Feurer, Sylvain Massuel, Institut de recherche pour le développement, Montpellier, France      Integrated Smart Decision Support Tool for ECO-efficient Inputs Management of MENA region Farming Systems (ECO-FARM) - Redouane Choukr-Allah, Abdelaziz Hirich, International center for Biosaline Agriculture, Dubai, UAEImproving irrigation efficiency in the Bekaa Valley - Ilhab Jomaa, Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute, Lebanon and Ronald Jaubert, Graduate Institute of Geneva, SwitzerlandL’accès aux données pour la recherche et l’innovation en agriculture - Acta, Réseau Numérique et Agriculture (ACTA)The Future of Farming through the Internet of Things perspective - Alicia Asín, Libelium, SpainThe role of Technology in the Market Access and Transparency Enhancement, the Example Italian Online Commodities Exchange - Alessandra Pallottelli, Borsa Merci Telematica Italiana, ItalyLe cofarming ou l’entraide 3.0 pour redonner de la compétitivité à notre agriculture - Jean-Paul Hébrard, WeFarmUp, FranceInterview - Stéphane Marcel, SMAG, France