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Director of the CGIAR Policy Innovations Program

Director of the CGIAR Gender Equality and Inclusion Accelerator

Director of the CGIAR Sustainable Farming Program

CGIAR AI Hub aims to turn agricultural research into practical AI products that accelerate innovation for Food, Land and Water systems and support real-world decisions. It is part of Abu Dhabi’s AI Ecosystem for Global Agricultural Development, launched through the UAE–Gates Foundation partnership.

In several countries in Eastern and Central Africa including Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, and Malawi millions of families depend on cassava as a staple food and source of income. However, production of this crop faces a growing threat: Cassava Brown Streak Disease (CBSD), caused by viruses that damage the plant’s roots, significantly reduce yields, and threaten food security.

In Djimassar, in Senegal’s Sédhiou region, Fatou Diatta’s story begins in a micro-garden, between rows of carrots and peppers watered by hand. At twenty-eight, a mother of two, she belongs to a generation of rural youth searching for their place between tradition and modernity. Agriculture, long seen as exhausting and unrewarding, has become for her a space of empowerment and leadership. Through the AVENIR project, implemented by MEDA with scientific support from the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT and funded by Global Affairs Canada, Fatou discovered new farming practices, strengthened her skills, and transformed her plot into a local model. Her journey tells more than an individual success story. It reflects a changing perspective on youth, land, and the future of food systems in Senegal.

Between what works in pilot settings and what transforms territories, there is a gap. Scaling helps understand how to adapt, connect, and sustain innovations to bridge it.