CGIAR Digital Transformation

"Black Mirror and the Future of Food” Last month we ran something that felt a bit like a Black Mirror episode for agriculture, exploring what food, land, and water systems might look like by 2040 in a world shaped by digital technologies. Researchers, designers, and colleagues from across CGIAR came together to build scenarios about digital futures for the Global South. Unlike many foresight exercises that focus on how technologies themselves evolve, this one applied a human-centered lens, anchoring digital technologies in the lived realities of farmers, policymakers, communities, extension agents, and researchers in Latin America and beyond. Through design thinking and speculative futures, participants explored questions that matter: Who benefits? Who is left out? How do we navigate both the risks and the opportunities ahead? Ultimately, this workshop was more than an exercise in imagination. It was a step toward strategic action, helping CGIAR and its partners co-create and refine scenarios that will guide our work over the next few years. Mariangel (Angie) Garcia, PhDLina YassinMarieke VeegerAndy JarvisCGIARCGIAR Digital TransformationInternational Water Management Institute (IWMI)Daniela Arce GómezMarie-Angélique LaporteJacob van EttenAlliance of Bioversity International and CIAT    👉 https://lnkd.in/eVDNTJXp

🌍 Discover the Power of Human-Centered Design! How can we ensure that innovations truly meet people’s needs? The “Human-Centered Design: Where People Power Innovation for Exceptional Impact” course, offered by the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, introduces the core principles and practices of Human-Centered Design (HCD) — a creative approach that puts users at the heart of research and development. Learn how to: ✅ Plan and conduct user research ✅ Build and test prototypes ✅ Develop impactful, people-centered solutions Perfect for professionals in R&D, innovation, or project design who want to create meaningful, impact-driven change. 🔗 Explore the course: https://lnkd.in/eeRH_Dgn #HumanCenteredDesign #DesignThinking #UXDesign #OrganisationalDevelopment

🌾 CGIAR Digital Transformation Innovation of the Week 🌾 The International Rice Research Institute has launched an AI-powered WhatsApp chatbot for farmers — #PaddyMitra — showcasing how AI is transforming agriculture, and through the CGIAR Digital Transformation Accelerator (DTA). 🚜 Built on WhatsApp, PaddyMitra empowers farmers with: ✅ Instant, localized crop and nutrient advice ✅ Weather-based alerts for smarter planning ✅ Weed management guidance ✅ Voice and text support in local languages 📱 With PaddyMitra, expert agricultural advice is now accessible anytime, anywhere, even in the most remote villages. As we celebrate this milestone, we also acknowledge the journey ahead, ensuring that digital innovations remain inclusive and impactful for all farmers, particularly women and socially excluded groups, enabling them to make informed and confident decisions about their farming practices. Niyati Singaraju | Shalini Gakhar | Preeti Bharti | Manas R Sahoo | Dr. Girija Prasad Patnaik #DigitalAgriculture #AIforGood #CGIAR #DigitalTransformation #InclusiveInnovation

🔬 Science and innovation hand in hand for a better future This #WorldFoodDay, as FAO marks 80 years of service, CGIAR Digital Transformation Accelerator (DTA) reflects on the central role of science and innovation in building food systems that nourish both people and planet. Today’s realities show why this work is urgent: 🌍 Plants provide 80% of our calories, yet only 9 crops make up 66% of production 🌱 More than 10% of land is degraded by human activity, most of it agricultural 👩🌾 Small-scale farmers still provide one-third of the world’s food CGIAR works to ensure that research does not remain in laboratories but translates into solutions that protect the environment, strengthen resilience, and secure healthier diets for all. On this World Food Day, we reaffirm our shared commitment to research and innovation that deliver solutions for all. #FAO80 #WorldFoodDay2025 #HandInHand #WithScienceWeCan

🥗 Transforming nutrition, health, and food security through science In many low- and middle-income countries, access to healthy diets remains limited. More than 40 percent of urban populations cannot afford nutritious food, while ultra-processed options are becoming increasingly available. CGIAR addresses these challenges by working across the food system to deliver research, innovation, and policy solutions. This includes evidence-based approaches to make healthy diets more affordable and accessible, strengthen urban food markets, link social protection to nutrition outcomes, and support farmers in producing more nutritious crops. These efforts demonstrate how science can help build resilient food systems that prioritize nutrition and health for all. 🔗 Learn more in the CGIAR Impact Report: https://lnkd.in/dAsdEiit #WithScienceWeCan #Nutrition #FoodSecurity

💡 Can Generative AI truly empower farmers? From chatbots to voice assistants, #GenAI is transforming agricultural extension, offering scalable, personalized advice to farmers. But access barriers like connectivity, devices, and digital skills mean only a few benefit. Beyond access, there is a growing reflection that rapid #AI adoption could reinforce the idea that farmers lack knowledge instead of recognizing their expertise. To explore more inclusive approaches, 20 members of the GenAI for Advisory (GAIA) consortium, which includes CGIAR centers, CABI, Digital Green, and the Gates Foundation, came together for a deep dive dialogue. 🔗 Read more: https://lnkd.in/ei2nBWm4 ✍️ By Eliot Jones-Garcia | Kristin Davis | Niyati Singaraju

From fields in Latin America to 21 countries worldwide 🌍 Farmers are central to seed systems, deciding which varieties to plant each season. CGIAR’s participatory variety selection approach ensures its knowledge and choices shape breeding programs. The Tricot system takes this further. Farmers test three crop varieties on their own fields, compare performance, and share results digitally. This expands participation, lowers costs, strengthens feedback to breeders, and increases farm diversity at scale. What began in Latin America is now applied in 21 countries and adapted to multiple crops, demonstrating how farmer-centered innovation can spread globally to transform seed systems. 🔗 Learn more in the CGIAR Impact Report: https://lnkd.in/dfVM8gbS #WithScienceWeCan #LAC

Today we joined an interesting pre-conference workshop organized by CGIAR Gender Equality and Inclusion and Trickle Up bringing together participants from different organizations to explore what digital agency really means for women. Beyond access and literacy, we asked: ➡️ How can women not only use digital tools but truly shape how these tools serve their needs? ➡️ What does confidence, control, and choice look like in digital spaces? ➡️ How do gender norms, institutional barriers, and ethics shape that journey? The discussion unfolded around how women’s digital agency connects ethics, policy, AI, data, and social media, while being deeply grounded in agency, aspirations, and local context. A rich, collective conversation to start rethinking how digital tools can be more inclusive, relevant, and empowering. An exciting start to the conference kicking off tomorrow — looking forward to more dialogue, insights, and collaboration! https://lnkd.in/gx5C7i7y Nicoline de Haan Wendy Chamberlin Eliot Jones-Garcia Rico Bergemann Caroline N. Amanda Sue Grossi Lisa H. Hina Sherwani Jamie Arkin, MPH CGIAR Gender Equality and Inclusion CGIAR Digital Transformation #DigitalAgency #GenderInclusion #WomensEmpowerment #DigitalTransformation #SocialImpact #CGIAR #TrickleUp #DigitalInclusion #EthicalAI #WomenInTech

🌾 AGX Unconference Bengaluru: What a Day! 🇮🇳 The energy, ideas, and collaboration that lit up Nairobi have now taken root in Bengaluru — and what an incredible gathering it’s been! Today’s AGX Unconference, organized by the CGIAR Digital Transformation, brought together experts in agriculture, technology, and policy to explore how #AI and Digital Public Infrastructure(#DPI) can transform the future of farming in India and beyond. From bold conversations to actionable insights, every session echoed our shared commitment to building an inclusive, tech-powered agricultural ecosystem. 🚀 A huge thank you to all our participants, partners, and speakers who made today such a success — your ideas are paving the way for the next era of digital agriculture! 🌱 👉 https://lnkd.in/dT4Mb7Uv Amarnath Giriraj | Rupsha Banerjee | Kanika Singh | Ram Kiran Dhulipala | Jawoo Koo | Brian King | Bishal Aryal DevGlobal | International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) | Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH | Sustainable Agricultural Supply Chains Initiative | The Agri Collaboratory | Dev-Afrique | Athena Infonomics

🌍 Building a smarter, more connected future for agricultural research! From June 17–20, 2025, CGIAR Digital Transformation Accelerator(DTA) convened a Data Harmonization Workshop at CIMMYT headquarters in Texcoco, Mexico. The workshop brought together 12 Centers to co-develop a practical framework aimed at making CGIAR data FAIR—Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable. This milestone marks a bold move toward a truly intelligent global agricultural research ecosystem, where harmonized data strengthens science, informs decisions, and amplifies impact. 🔗 Read more: https://lnkd.in/dn5_WNtv Medha Devare | Andrea Gardeazabal | Satish Nagaraji #WithScienceWeCan #Data4Impact #DigitalTransformation #CGIAR #OpenData