By Shalini Gakhar
As climate pressures and food insecurity continue to challenge global agriculture, IRRI showcased a suite of digital innovations that aim to transform the way farmers grow food.
Nairobi, KENYA (April 2025) — The inaugural CGIAR Science Week, held in Nairobi, Kenya, was a vibrant convergence of global research leaders and innovators aiming to reimagine the food system. One of the central themes was digital transformation, with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) offering substantial contributions to the discussions on data-driven agriculture, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and inclusion, aligning closely with the CGIAR’s 2025–2030 Research Portfolio.
Digital tools designed for farmers, with farmers
The CGIAR Digital Transformation Accelerator (DTA) is an initiative designed to accelerate the development of inclusive, AI-enabled, and data-driven digital solutions across food, land, and water systems. The Accelerator will co-create scalable innovations with partners across the Global South, amplifying impact through localized digital ecosystems.
IRRI’s showcased its digital portfolio, including tools that address challenges of gender, literacy, and connectivity:
- Rice Crop Manager (RCM) – An intelligent advisory tool that delivers personalized nutrient and crop management recommendations to rice farmers via mobile, and how AI could help reduce the time for recommendations.
- Multidimensional Digital Inclusion Index (MDII) – Used by IRRI to assess and improve RCM’s inclusivity across variables like gender, literacy, and connectivity. This ensures digital advisory services are truly reaching and benefiting marginalized groups.
- Dynamic Agri-food Systems Tool (DynAg): It is an innovative LLM-based (Large Language Model) advisory platform tailored for low-resource languages and underserved farming communities. DynAg integrates advanced features, supporting multiple user interfaces, including a mobile application and an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system, to offer accessible, context-specific recommendations.
AI-powered innovation in the spotlight
A key side event, Acceleration Research for Agri-Food System Transformation, delved into the game-changing potential of artificial intelligence. Moderated by Dr. Shalini Gakhar (IRRI), the event featured participants from different CGIAR centers and representatives from tech leaders like Google. The session spotlighted AI's expanding role in agricultural research and development and showcased real-world applications of generative AI in agriculture.
Key highlights included:
- Generative AI for Advisory Services – Showcased real-world pilot projects using generative AI to enhance accessibility and effectiveness of agri-advisories for smallholder farmers.
- Voices, Choices, and Channels – Presented outcomes from the Agriculture Information Exchange Platform (AIEP), where IRRI and CIMMYT co-developed AI-powered, gender-sensitive digital tools tailored for low-literacy users.
- Earth Observation and AI – Demonstrated how AI-powered remote sensing is enabling better climate adaptation strategies through monitoring of water, biomass, and environmental shifts.
- AI for Genebank Utilization – Featured Dr. Venuprasad Ramaiah (IRRI), highlighting AI's role in fast-tracking genebank utilization, reducing both cost and time.
- Artemis Project – Introduced an AI-driven digital phenotyping platform revolutionizing public breeding in the Global South through smartphone-based image analytics.
Collaboration and data ecosystems
Two other side events were held, focused on collaborative data ecosystems and digital knowledge sharing. The topics included:
- Fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing in digital agriculture – Focused on building digital commons and interoperable platforms for shared research and advisory. For instance, the Testing of LLMs on women’s empowerment insights, discussed by Dr. Niyati Singaraju (IRRI), highlighted that AI-based advisory tools must evolve to eliminate gender biases, address structural barriers, and reflect socio-economic realities. LLMs should provide practical, gender-responsive guidance that acknowledges women’s full roles in agriculture and offers them context-specific, actionable solutions.
- Empowering CGIAR and partners with agronomic data solutions – Emphasized the importance of well-managed, interoperable data frameworks for climate-smart and site-specific decision-making.
Beyond Science Week: Building a digital future for all
From advisory platforms validated through equity lenses to next-gen phenotyping tools, IRRI continues to lead the charge in developing digital solutions that work for farmers, with farmers.
As CGIAR sets the course for the next five years, IRRI reaffirms its commitment to building digital pathways that are accessible, participatory, and resilient, ensuring no farmer is left behind in the digital transformation.
Dr. Shalini Gakhar is an IRRI data scientist and Focal Point for the CGIAR Digital Transformation Accelerator.