The September edition of the Agile DAiTA Community of Practice (CoP) Quarterly Forum was more than a gathering – it was a live demonstration of what happens when innovation meets collaboration.
This session spotlighted the Agile DAiTA Challenge and the winning Blue Team, whose groundbreaking solution is now set to be showcased at the March 2026 Agile Data & DPI Summit in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. But beyond the competition, the Forum reinforced the essence of the CoP itself: a space where agile thinkers experiment, adapt, and co-create for sustainable impact.
Reimagining Data Practices
Opening the reflections, Kirchcoff Atengble, a data governance and policy architect, emphasised that the work is about more than technology.
“Too often, farmers’ data is extracted for external purposes, while the insights rarely flow back to empower their decisions. Agile and AI approaches give us an opportunity to change that – to decolonise knowledge practices and make them farmer-centred, inclusive, and truly responsive.”
For Kirchcoff, agile data is about equity as much as efficiency. He highlighted that innovations emerging from the Challenge – from AI-driven monitoring of climate practices to tools providing real-time feedback in farmers’ own languages- show how dignity and accountability can be built into systems from the ground up.
Innovation in Action: The Blue Team
The Blue Team took centre stage with their solution, DCOP (Different Colours, One People) – an integrated AI-powered MEL platform combining satellite data, drone imagery, and AI processing.
Designed to transform agricultural monitoring, DCOP enables early warnings, adaptive responses, and accountability for all stakeholders. Farmers don’t just contribute data — they also receive insights in real time. As the team described: “Innovation is not just about technology – it’s about people, ideas, and collaboration.”
Beyond Technology: Agile Thinking
Picking up on this theme, Ashritta Saran, ICT and innovation expert, spoke to the role of agile methods in amplifying – not replacing – human expertise.
“AI won’t replace researchers, but researchers who use AI will replace those who don’t.”
Ashritta underscored that agile thinking demands experimentation, adaptation, and co-creation – practical methods that keep solutions grounded in real-world contexts.
Reflections on Agility
Closing the session, Fayaz King reminded participants that agility is not simply about moving fast:
“Agility is not about speed alone – it’s about the courage to adapt and the humility to learn in real time.”
His reflection captured the spirit of the Forum: agility as a mindset, one that empowers communities to respond to complexity with openness and resilience.
Looking Ahead
The September Forum reinforced why the Agile Data Community of Practice exists: to be a space where practitioners come together not just to exchange ideas, but to build and test solutions that can scale.
The journey of the Blue Team is just the beginning. As the CoP moves toward its December Forum and beyond, the community will continue to explore how agile data approaches can reshape sustainability, equity, and impact in agriculture and related fields.
👉 Interested in joining the Community of Practice? Register here.
📹 Watch Part 1 and Part 2 of the Forum
