Dev-Afrique’s Post

Creating #AI that works for #agriculture means addressing real-world constraints: spotty connectivity in rural areas, diverse local languages, and the need to respect farmers' knowledge. These factors determine whether technology becomes a practical tool or just another barrier. Our team explored these challenges while developing the 𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝗔𝗴𝗿𝗶-𝗟𝗟𝗠𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗿 for AGX 𝗔𝗜 [https://lnkd.in/dCfM_dXV] - a collaboration between @DevGlobal, Dev-Afrique, and Athena Infonomics, supported by the Gates Foundation. This initiative brings together diverse stakeholders to build AI tools that actually work for small-scale producers. And when we joined the unconference-style gatherings in #Nairobi and #Bengaluru, we heard directly from farmers, researchers, technologists, and policymakers exploring responsible AI implementation in agriculture. Farmers' experiences reinforced what our technical research was showing: 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝘼𝙄 𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙣'𝙩 𝙗𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨. "The future of agriculture won't be built by more AI, but by the right AI: localized, low-cost, and designed for the realities of small-scale producers," as Malcolm Durosaye, AI and Ethics Researcher at Dev-Afrique, and co-author of the paper, put it during the discussions. Our paper examines how AI models can be adapted to work offline, support multiple languages, and integrate farmers' knowledge - making them truly useful in diverse agricultural contexts where 86% of India's farmers operate on small holdings. We're continuing this work alongside our partners to ensure AI development focuses on farmers' actual needs rather than just technical possibilities. Learn more: https://agx.community/ #DPI #AIinAgriculture #DigitalPublicInfrastructure #SmallholderFarmers #LocalizedAI Ridwan Sorunke | Shuko Musemangezhi| Femi Royal | Femi Adekoya | Matt Manning | David Bergvinson - BeSustainable_io| CGIAR Digital Transformation | International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) | Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH | Sustainable Agricultural Supply Chains Initiative | The Agri Collaboratory