Prelims: Current events of national and international importance | International Organisation | Agriculture
Why in news?
The second meeting of the UN Global Initiative on AI for Agri-Food Systems (GI-AI4FS) was held recently, alongside India Mobile Congress 2026 in New Delhi.
- GI-AI4FS – It is a joint United Nations program coordinated by
- International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in close collaboration with the
- Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO),
- International Fund for Agricultural Development and
- World Food Programme.
- Objective
- Promotes responsible, trustworthy, and farmer-centric AI and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions in agriculture.
- Strengthen international cooperation on governance and standards, and
- Translate technological innovation into practical agricultural applications.
- Meeting Host – Jointly hosted by the Telecommunication Engineering Centre (TEC), under the Department of Telecommunications, and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
- Participation – Around 70 delegates participated in person and another 25 joined online.
- Bringing together international organisations, researchers, government representatives and industry to discuss the responsible use of artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things in agriculture.
- Key Discussions
- Examined how AI, connected devices and digital connectivity could improve agricultural practices and strengthen food systems.
- Connected sensors, weather stations, drones, satellite-based systems and AI-enabled analytics can support precision agriculture, improve resource utilisation, detect crop diseases early and help farmers make informed decisions.
- Highlighted opportunities to improve traceability, reduce post-harvest losses and enhance efficiency across agricultural supply chains.
- International Hackathon – The meeting followed a two-day international hackathon on “AI for Agri-Food Systems”, held on October 8–9 at the ICAR campus in New Delhi.
- Jointly hosted by – TEC, DoT and ICAR.
- It brought together students, researchers, developers and innovators to build practical solutions to challenges in agriculture and food systems.
- Shortlisted teams presented their solutions at the meeting, demonstrating AI applications developed during the hackathon.
- Winning solutions were showcased, and an award ceremony recognised outstanding innovations and the contributions of participating teams, partners, mentors and other contributors.
Reference
DD News | UN initiative meeting at IMC 2026
