MBZUAI Launches AI-Powered Institute to Support 43 Million Smallholder Farmers
The institute aims to strengthen global food security by improving the lives and livelihoods of over 43 million smallholder farmers through scalable digital advisory tools, training programs, and technical assistance teams.
The Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) has launched a pioneering Institute for Agriculture and Artificial Intelligence (IAAI) in collaboration with the International Affairs Office at the UAE Presidential Court and the Gates Foundation. The institute aims to strengthen global food security by improving the lives and livelihoods of over 43 million smallholder farmers through scalable digital advisory tools, training programs, and technical assistance teams.
Launched as part of Abu Dhabi’s AI for Agriculture Ecosystem, a global platform harnessing artificial intelligence to enhance agricultural resilience, the IAAI will address critical gaps in agricultural data related to language, geography, crop types, and farming practices. By creating a central, trusted repository of high-quality agricultural data, the institute will enable AI models to be trained safely and effectively, supporting global efforts to strengthen food security.
The foundational dataset will power open-access advisory systems capable of delivering highly accurate, real-time insights on crops, pests, soil, weather, and markets. These tools will empower farmers to make smarter decisions, increase productivity, and build resilience in the face of climate change.
The institute’s core research programs will develop practical, deployable solutions, including multimodal diagnostic models that detect crop diseases and pests from images and data, voice-based advisory systems that speak local languages and adapt to farmers’ literacy levels, and geo- and time-aware large language models (LLMs) that incorporate real-time data and region-specific knowledge.
Her Excellency Mariam Almheiri, Head of the International Affairs Office at the UAE Presidential Court, said the initiative reflects the UAE’s ambition to leverage artificial intelligence to support global food systems. She emphasized that the collaboration with MBZUAI and the Gates Foundation demonstrates a new model of international partnership, bringing world-class research, innovation, and training to the countries that need them most.
Eric Xing, President of MBZUAI, highlighted the university’s commitment to advancing AI for social good. He noted that the initiative will build the datasets, technologies, and training pathways necessary to provide localized, real-time, and scalable support to millions of smallholder farmers across Africa, India, and beyond, representing a forward-looking investment in global food security.
Bill Gates, Chair of the Gates Foundation, stated that the project addresses the harshest impacts of climate change on smallholder farmers by providing practical, data-driven solutions directly in their hands. He praised the UAE’s leadership in supporting the initiative, which aims to strengthen food security and empower farmers in a warming world.
The launch of the IAAI marks a major milestone in global agricultural innovation, combining AI expertise, international collaboration, and data-driven solutions to improve resilience, productivity, and livelihoods for farming communities worldwide.
