CGIAR’s new digital tool set to improve research, scaling, and investment decision-making
Zambia stands on the brink of an agricultural transformation as stakeholders from CGIAR centers and allies such as IWMI, WorldFish, IITA
- Partnerships
- research innovation
- Seed Quality
Zambia stands on the brink of an agricultural transformation as stakeholders from CGIAR centers and allies such as IWMI, WorldFish, IITA, and Landscape Alliance (ICRAF/CIFOR), convened in Lusaka, Zambia, from September 29 to 30 to unveil a digital tool. The AI-powered platform, “Demand Intelligence Portal,” designed to support science programs, centers, and national partners better understand country demand and use that understanding to inform research, scaling, and investment decisions, bringing together data, evidence, and local expertise to spotlight the real needs and opportunities across Zambia’s agricultural sector.
The engagement comes as Zambia places greater emphasis on research, innovation, and investment that respond to priorities across the agricultural value chain, including the country’s broader ambitions under the Grow Zambia agenda.
CGIAR centers, working under the Scaling for Impact program, conveyed the workshop guided by the question: “How can agricultural innovations move from promising ideas to practical solutions that reach more people and create measurable impact?” At the center of the discussions was the Demand Intelligence Portal, a digital platform that combines evidence and artificial intelligence to help users understand agricultural needs, identify gaps, and assess the conditions required for innovations to achieve impact.