AGX Unconference – Nairobi 2025: Catalyzing collaboration and charting a course for Digital Agriculture

The first AGX Unconference, a dynamic, participant-driven event, convened in Nairobi during 23-24 July 2025. Hosted at ILRI Nairobi, the gathering brought together a diverse group of stakeholders – from small-scale farmers to fintech developers, researchers, cooperative leaders, and policymakers – all driven by one shared goal: making agriculture more efficient through Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI).

Co-hosted by CGIAR’s Digital Transformation Accelerator (DTA), Gates Foundation, German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), DIASCA, and DevGlobal, the event marked the official launch of a new convening series designed to catalyze a global shift toward more efficient, inclusive, and resilient agricultural systems by leveraging technology to empower small-scale producers in the global South.

Supporting this shift is DTA’s work on Enabling Environment. The AGX Unconference complements DTA’s strategy by surfacing grassroots needs, fostering innovation through open challenges, and strengthening networks. Together, AGX and DTA are laying the groundwork for a trusted, inclusive, and collaborative digital agriculture future.

The event, a departure from traditional conference formats, emphasized bottoms-up collaboration and open knowledge exchange to address real-world challenges. As Jawoo Koo, DTA’s interim Deputy Director explained, the core mission of Unconference is to break down silos and generate the most innovative ideas directly from the community. Instead of following a rigid agenda, the event’s program is shaped organically by the participants themselves.

Farmers at the center: Ground truth from the field

A central theme of the Unconference was the urgent need for technology to serve the real needs of farmers. During discussions in the “Voices from the Field” session led by Sheena Raikundalia, Chief Growth Officer, Kuza Biashara, smallholder farmers and cooperative leaders spoke candidly about the real-world challenges they face – lack of quality inputs, pests and diseases, lack of reliable extension services, erratic market access, capital, connectivity, data privacy, and understanding of the information provided.

Setting the scene: Complementarity between AI and DPI

To set the stage for the Unconference’s main theme, Koo and Professor David Eaves of University College London engaged in a fireside chat exploring the complementary roles of Artificial AI and DPI in delivering public value. Eaves stressed the importance for policymakers to clearly distinguish between the two: AI as a general-purpose technology, like electricit

y, with wide-ranging applications, and DPI as a set of foundational systems with more defined use cases. While distinct, AI and DPI reinforce one another: AI can enhance the reach, efficiency, and responsiveness of DPI systems, while DPI provides the trusted, standardized, and inclusive frameworks that enable AI innovations to be deployed at scale for the public good. Eaves illustrated this synergy through an initiative called Bhashini, a project in India for the use of AI-powered translation services, to make government platforms accessible in underserved local languages, strengthening DPI by bridging the “last mile” of access through language inclusion. Together, he argued, AI and DPI can expand inclusion, improve public service delivery, and unlock societal benefits at scale.

Unearthing systemic inequities

The Unconference didn’t shy away from difficult conversations, particularly around inclusion, gender, and equity. A session on digital advisory services discussed that, in some parts of sub-Saharan Africa, one extension agent serves up to 10,000 farmers, and only 2% of these agents are women, despite the fact that women make up a majority of the farming workforce.

The digital divide was also explored, with participants noting that while some countries enjoy relatively high smartphone and internet access, other remote rural areas still have penetration rates of under 2%. Even where connectivity exists, affordability remains a major barrier.

AI-driven advisory services were presented as a potentially powerful tool to bridge this gap, offering personalized, scalable support in local languages. The participants agreed that for digital transformation to succeed, it must close, not widen, existing inequalities. DPI and AI systems must be built for universal inclusion, with consent frameworks, localized languages, and tools designed specifically for women, youth, and marginalized communities.

AI and DPI: Tech tools shaping the future

Experts highlighted how AI could support or complement delivery of services – real-time, context-specific advisory services, personalized to the needs of smallholder farmers. Florence Kinyua from Fair Forward emphasized how AI could expand the reach and quality of extension services, pointing to the use of digital assistants that guide farmers on when to plant, how to treat pests, or where to access markets.

Timothy Muriungi, Managing Director, the New Kenya Planters Cooperative Union, detailed a strategy to triple coffee production by 2030 leveraging on AI and DPI. This ambitious plan includes distributing 20 million high-quality coffee seedlings and recruiting 1,600 young agronomists to build out the necessary digital agricultural infrastructure.

However, George Watene of the Global Coffee Platform noted that before any technology can be effectively deployed, a foundation of consensus must be laid. He shared an example: the creation of the Kenya Coffee Sustainability Manual. Before its development, various organizations promoted conflicting ideas on best practices. By bringing stakeholders together to build consensus around science, they created a single, trusted source of information.

The discussions made clear that DPI is the connective tissue that can unify fragmented digital efforts. It enables shared systems, such as registries, payments, and identities, that allow innovations to talk to each other, reducing duplication and increasing efficiency across sectors.

Speaking at a pre-Unconference reception, Tawanda Hove, Senior Program Officer for Digital Agronomy at Gates Foundation, observed that while mobile technology has rapidly expanded across Africa, its impact on smallholder farming remains limited. Only 27% of farmers use digital products in a “meaningful way,” according to a 60 Decibels report—a gap largely attributed to the generic, non-specific nature of most advisory services. The real opportunity, he argued, lies in AI-powered tools that provide hyper-local, context-specific advice, such as when to apply fertilizer based on expected rainfall. The Foundation sees AI – through large language models, voice interfaces, and reasoning engines – as key to revolutionizing digital extension services.

Looking ahead, the Foundation is advocating for a central AI advisory engine, particularly in markets like Kenya, where digital agriculture is booming but fragmented. The proposed engine would serve as a consistent, science-backed source of truth, accessible via DPIs to developers and service providers. This shared infrastructure could standardize advice across platforms, combat misinformation, and ultimately deliver greater value to farmers across East and West Africa.

Jerome Shoren, Advisor, Food Systems Innovation at GIZ, emphasized three foundational principles – access, agency, and accountability – as critical to guiding the deployment of AI and DPI. Shoren drew a compelling parallel between the digital and physical worlds to illustrate his point. If we think about physical infrastructure, like roads, electricity, and schools, we’re always trying to make sure that everyone can access them. Beyond simple access, it’s crucial that people have the skills, literacy, and confidence – the agency – to use these resources effectively. Finally, there must be accountability, he explained.

Shoren highlighted promising examples of DPI in agriculture – platforms like FAO’s WISP tool for land use planning, and traceability solutions such as Enotrace and OpenCocoChain. He also pointed to DIASCA, a multi-stakeholder initiative promoting responsible data exchange. These tools, he said, are the building blocks of a digital future where farmers have not only access to technology but also the confidence and capacity to use it, and the assurance that systems are accountable and transparent.
With access, agency, and accountability as a shared compass, participants were invited to envision a fairer, more resilient digital food system for all.

Public-private partnerships: Finding the balance

Another interactive session, framed as “the Commons Debate: Digital Infrastructures and the Public Interest,” explored the evolving roles of government and the private sector in building and governing DPI for agriculture. Rooted in the theory and practice of establishing data commons in food systems and the lived reality of shared public spaces, this approach invites participants to engage with complex, sometimes polarizing issues, collaboratively exploring where consensus already exists, and where compromise must be forged.

Facilitated by Brian King, Senior Manager, Technology Integration, Alliance of Biodiversity and CIAT, Sandra Ndichu, Project Coordinator, Global Coffee Platform, and George Watene, participants positioned themselves along a spectrum from government-led to private-led approaches on issues such as data transparency, privacy, and financing. Discussions centered on issues such as: DPIs are meant to serve the public interest, but what exactly is the public interest, and who decides? What interests are shared across public, private, and non-profit spheres, and where do these diverge?

The discussions led to a consensus statement: “We agree that government should lead the setting, the regulatory framework, and ensure that public goods are accessible to all, while the private sector contributes to implementation, innovation, and resource provision. Government ensures compliance and stakeholder consultation, while the private sector brings expertise in data quality and harmonizes local standards with international practices. A collaborative approach that leverages the strengths of both is essential.”

The takeaway: A connected, collaborative future

The AGX Unconference charted a path toward a digitally empowered agricultural sector, where public and private actors work together to build robust, inclusive infrastructure. With AI and DPI poised to transform how farmers access information, and with access, agency, and accountability as guiding values, the focus shifts from aspiration to action. Achieving this vision will require sustained collaboration, transparent governance, and an unwavering commitment to farmer-centric solutions, ensuring resilient food systems that deliver lasting benefits for communities across Africa and beyond.