Gates Foundation to Help India Strengthen AI Tools for Farmers
Gates Foundation and Indian government to jointly enhance AI-driven farm tools and explore scaling models to Asia and Africa.
The Gates Foundation has agreed to collaborate with the Indian government to bolster AI-enabled digital tools for farmers and assess whether India's agricultural technology models can be adopted in other developing regions.
Following a meeting with Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman highlighted discussions on India's expanding use of digital public infrastructure and artificial intelligence in farming. These tools assist with weather forecasts, soil health data, advisory services, and market access.
Suzman specifically mentioned the Bharat-VISTAAR programme, which provides AI-based digital support to farmers, particularly women. He noted that both sides agreed to work together to make these tools more robust and to explore their use as models for Asia and Africa.
India's experience in building digital public infrastructure positions it as a global leader in developing agricultural technology solutions relevant to other emerging economies, Suzman said.
The talks also covered ongoing cooperation in rural livelihoods, including support for the National Rural Livelihoods Mission, and research partnerships with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) in livestock and crop improvement. Suzman expressed optimism about Indian agricultural innovations being shared more widely across the Global South, aligning with the Viksit Bharat vision.