Leading experts from three Rome-based United Nations agencies—the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the World Food Programme (WFP)—participated in a high-level panel at the India AI Impact Summit 2026. Joined by India’s Chief Economic Advisor, the discussion focused on translating pilot AI projects into scalable solutions that address food security, climate resilience, and humanitarian challenges for vulnerable populations.
The panel, titled “From Evidence to Scale: Testing, Financing and Operationalizing AI for Development and Humanitarian Action,” explored practical strategies for scaling AI, emphasizing governance, policy, financing, and digital infrastructure. Dr V. Anantha Nageswaran underscored the importance of regulatory frameworks and effective public-sector adoption to harness AI’s transformative potential responsibly.
Experts highlighted the need for deliberate investment in both technology and the broader digital ecosystem. Brenda Gunde of IFAD emphasized financing digital public infrastructure and institutional capacity to ensure AI benefits reach smallholder farmers and rural communities. WFP’s Magan Naidoo described the use of agentic AI and the DEEP platform to automate decision-making in food assistance, logistics, and emergency operations, enhancing efficiency, accountability, and impact.
Evaluation and evidence were central themes. Indran Naidoo from IFAD noted that AI is transforming data collection, analysis, and impact assessment. Vincent Martin of FAO stressed that AI should be problem-driven, rigorously tested, and responsibly financed. Projects such as LUMINA in South Sudan exemplify responsible AI application, using local data to address acute child malnutrition and moving toward scalable deployment.
By combining experience in rural operations, innovation ecosystems, evaluation, and digital public goods, the Rome-Based Agencies provide a grounded approach to adopting AI responsibly. Their collective work demonstrates how AI can be effectively leveraged for sustainable agriculture, climate action, and humanitarian development while ensuring governance, ethics, and scalability are at the forefront.
