Global leaders and experts in agriculture and advanced technologies convened on Monday in Abu Dhabi to discuss the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in promoting sustainable agriculture and strengthening food supply chain resilience. The panel coincided with the launch of Abu Dhabi’s AI Ecosystem for Global Agricultural Development.
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Speakers emphasized that AI can provide timely, accurate information to farmers and policymakers, consolidate fragmented data, and turn it into actionable insights for governments, researchers, and the private sector.
Abdulla Balalaa, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability Affairs, highlighted the importance of water management in agriculture, noting that the sector consumes 70 percent of global freshwater resources. He said AI and other emerging technologies can forecast weather conditions and mitigate challenges such as desertification, floods, reduced rainfall, and groundwater depletion. Balalaa added that insights from the upcoming UN Water Conference could help apply AI in smart agriculture and improve policy responses to climate-related challenges like rising sea levels.
Juergen Voegele, Vice President of Planet at the World Bank Group, noted that AI can integrate smallholder farmers into agricultural value chains by providing them with weather updates, market prices, and pest-control guidance.
Dr. Agnes Kalibata, Founder and Chair of C4Impact Advisory Group in Rwanda, emphasized that the success of AI-enabled agricultural services depends on establishing trust with farmers and local communities. She called for government leadership, clear guidance, credible service delivery, and respect for traditional farming knowledge.
Martien Van Nieuwkoop, Director of Agricultural Development at the Gates Foundation, underscored the importance of open data and global infrastructure. He explained that AI can transform agricultural knowledge into practical services and stressed that data and models should be made available as global public goods to reach millions of smallholder farmers by 2030.
Van Nieuwkoop also highlighted the value of partnerships between the UAE, global research institutions, and the World Bank in ensuring farmers have access to agricultural knowledge and tools at scale, contributing to more sustainable and resilient farming systems worldwide.
