AI for Food Security Forum | PM Sessions

Why It Matters

Accurate, localized weather advice can raise smallholder yields by up to 30 %, directly strengthening Africa’s food security and economic resilience.

Key Takeaways

• AI-driven forecasts target 100 million weather‑resilient African farmers by 2030.
• Localized planting windows boost yields by 10‑30 % for smallholders.
• Multi‑source data blended with ground sensors ensures advisory accuracy.
• Trusted partner networks deliver weekly messages, especially to women farmers.
• Scaling plan serves six million now, targeting five to ten countries.

Summary

The AI for Food Security Forum showcased Tomorrow Now’s demonstration of AI‑enhanced weather forecasting aimed at empowering Africa’s smallholder farmers. CEO Brian Miranda outlined a “Northstar” vision to make 100 million farmers weather‑resilient by leveraging next‑generation forecasts, satellite rainfall estimates, long‑term climatology, and land‑surface models.

The core insight is that 90 % of African smallholders rely on rain‑fed agriculture, making daily weather uncertainty a primary driver of food insecurity. By synthesizing 50‑member ensemble forecasts from Google, satellite‑derived rainfall, soil‑moisture probes, and a gold‑standard validation network, Tomorrow Now identifies a “suitable planting window” that tells farmers when soil moisture will sustain germination, not merely when the first rains appear. This localized advisory can lift yields 10‑30 % by avoiding false‑start rains.

Real‑world impact is illustrated by Maggie, a Kenyan farmer who planted at the recommended time and avoided a failed germination, and by data from over 80,000 trial points across eight countries showing higher yields when planting aligns with the AI‑driven window. Women farmers, who plant later on average, benefit especially from trusted partner‑delivered messages—sent weekly through government and private‑sector channels—closing critical information gaps.

The broader implication is a scalable model that already reaches six million farmers in Kenya, Malawi, Zambia, and Nigeria, with plans to expand to five‑to‑ten additional countries. By marrying high‑confidence AI forecasts with trusted, behavior‑focused delivery, Tomorrow Now aims to transform planting decisions, bolster yields, and contribute significantly to regional food security.

Original Description

Please join the CSIS Global Food and Water Security Program on Thursday, April 30 at 8:30 a.m. ET for the Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Food Security Forum, bringing together U.S. and global policymakers, technology developers, financers, researchers, and implementing partners working at the forefront of AI for food security.

Join us, and the member organizations of the AI Collaborative: Food Security, for cross-cutting discussions that explore the promises and risks of AI-enabled technologies for food security. The AI.FS Forum will address what is needed to ensure that AI will be an effective tool—in high-income economies and in the Global South—to strengthen agricultural productivity, enhance data ecosystems, build more resilient food systems, and ultimately contribute to the realization of a more food-secure world.

This conference is made possible by generous support from Google.org.

Event Agenda:

1:45 pm AI for Food Security: Technical Demonstrations - TomorrowNow

Brian Miranda, CEO, TomorrowNow

2:00 pm Plenary Panel III: AI & Food Security – The Geopolitical Moment

Vivian Salama, Staff Writer, The Atlantic (Moderator)

Helga Flores Trejo, Vice President, Special Envoy Multilateral Affairs & Sustainability, Bayer

Joe Glauber, Senior Research Fellow, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), CGIAR; Senior Advisor (Non-Resident), CSIS Global Food and Water Security Program

Michele Quintaglie, Global Head of Communications, World Food Programme (WFP)

3:15 pm AI for Food Security: Technical Demonstrations - NASA Harvest

Mike Humber, Data Lead, NASA Harvest

Fernanda Argueta, Co-Lead, Markets, Trade, & Supply Chains, NASA Harvest

3:30 pm Plenary Panel IV: Implementing AI for Food Security – From Inspiration to Action

Caitlin Welsh, Director, CSIS Global Food and Water Security Program (Moderator)

Judy Chambers, Director, Program for Biosafety Systems, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), CGIAR

Olivia Graham, Product Manager, Google

Crystal Haijing Huang, Senior Economist and Director, IDinsight

Amen Ra Mashariki, Director, AI and Data Strategies, Bezos Earth Fund

Aalok Mehta, Director, CSIS Wadhwani AI Center

4:30 pm Closing Remarks

Caitlin Welsh, Director, CSIS Global Food and Water Security Program

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