Digital tools power a new era in farming: CGIAR champions innovation for resilient, inclusive agri-food systems

As the world faces mounting challenges from climate change, food insecurity, and soil degradation, scientists and innovators gathered at the CGIAR Science Week from 7-11 April 2025 to spotlight an evolving solution: digital transformation in agriculture. Held on 11 April 2025 at the United Nations Office in Nairobi, the side event, Digital Innovations for Advancing Agri-Food Systems Research, showcased the latest breakthroughs that are not only reshaping how food is grown but also who gets to benefit from these advancements.

From AI-powered disease diagnosis apps to carbon market-ready soil mapping, the event brought together leading minds from across CGIAR and beyond to demonstrate the role of cutting-edge digital tools in building more inclusive, efficient, and resilient agri-food systems.

“The digital future of farming is now”

Opening the session, Daniel Jimenez, Senior Scientist at the Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT, underscored that digital technologies are no longer optional luxuries but critical instruments for transformation. “Digital innovation is essential to keeping pace with the complex demands of agri-food systems,” he said, emphasizing the importance of cross-sectoral partnerships to scale these solutions.

In his keynote address, Boniface Akuku, a Consultant with the World Bank an

d a trailblazer in African digital agriculture, framed the sector as “one of the most conservative globally,” calling for deliberate and contextual digital innovation. Drawing from Kenya’s experience, he outlined five building blocks for transformation: digital infrastructure, data governance, strategic planning, public-private partnerships, and emerging technologies like AI.

Highlighting Kenya’s “Know Your Farmer” registry, which digitized 6.5 million farmers, Akuku showcased how location-based data services, such as SMS climate advisories, are driving real-time, tailored support to farmers. “Digital agriculture works when data becomes a service,” he stressed.

Another keynote speaker, Morgan Kabeer, Engagement Director at Busara added a critical dimension: the human factor. Presenting findings from a Gates Foundation-backed initiative, Kabeer explained how simple “nudges”—from confirmation messages to culturally sensitive advisory materials—can significantly boost adoption of digital tools among smallholders. “Behavioral design, especially when gender-informed, is a game-changer,” she said.

AI on the farm: diagnosis and decision support

From plant health to soil health, AI’s footprint in agriculture is rapidly expanding. Srikanth Rupavatharam, Head – Innovations Hub & Senior Scientist, ICRISAT presented Plantix, an app that diagnoses crop diseases using smartphone photos and convolutional neural networks. Now available in 18 languages—including Swahili—the app has amassed 45 million users and created the largest global dataset of crop images. “What started as a plant doctor is now a decision-support powerhouse,” Rupavatharam noted.

Similarly, Murali Krishna Gumma, Cluster Leader, Geospatial and Big Data Sciences and Principal Scientist, ICRISAT showcased how machine learning and satellite data are used to monitor crop types, stress levels, and yield in real time across India and beyond. These insights are crucial for policy planning, subsidy allocation, and climate-resilient farming.

From soil to carbon credits: mapping the invisible

Ciniro Costa Junior introduced digital soil mapping as a breakthrough in affordable climate finance. Traditional soil carbon monitoring costs about $4 per hectare annually; Costa’s models cut that by up to 90% using limited field data and machine learning. The approach is already supporting 35,000 hectares in Uganda and has been adopted in Colombia, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam. “This isn’t just science,” Costa said. “It’s about unlocking capital for farmers.”

Local tools, global lessons: Sri Lanka’s GeoGovia and Africa’s Digital Twins

GeoGovia, presented by Alok Sikka, Country Representative – India and Bangladesh/Senior Fellow, IWMI exemplifies how digital tools can serve not just farmers but entire policy systems. This real-time platform supports cropping calendars, weather forecasts, and cash transfer tracking—saving Sri Lanka $1.6 billion through better subsidy management.

Meanwhile, Fulco Ludwig unveiled a digital twin of the Limpopo River Basin that models water flows, climate impacts, and land use scenarios. Paired with citizen science and AI chatbots, this tool is designed for co-creation with communities and could be scaled across water-scarce regions.

The backbone: data standardization and inclusivity

“Data is like love, you have to say it in many ways,” quipped Jacob van Etten, Director of Digital Inclusion, Alliance Bioversity and CIAT. Through tools like RHoMIS and CLIMAP, van Etten showed how standardizing data collection can dramatically improve research speed, quality, and impact. “You can’t retrofit metadata,” he warned. “Start with good data habits.”

Inga Jacobs-Mata, Strategic Program Director, Water, Growth and Inclusion, IWMI introduced the Multidimensional Digital Inclusivity Index (MDII), a framework to assess whether digital tools truly serve marginalized users. Tested with CGIAR innovations and agribusinesses in Africa and Asia, the tool provides both a scorecard and roadmap for more equitable tech design. “Digital tools must work for all farmers, not just the most visible,” Jacobs-Mata emphasized.

A call to action

As the session concluded, one message stood out: digital agriculture is not about technology alone. It’s about aligning data, tools, and behavioral insights with the real-world needs of farmers—especially women, youth, and marginalized groups.

“Digital solutions must be inclusive, evidence-based, and scalable,” said Jimenez, who moderated the side event. “And they must be built with, not just for, the communities they intend to serve.”

With AI, remote sensing, digital twins, and mobile apps converging, CGIAR’s digital transformation journey is not just keeping pace, it’s setting the pace.