UAE Unveils Global AI Ecosystem to Transform Climate-Exposed Agriculture
In a major stride toward strengthening global food systems, the UAE has unveiled Abu Dhabi’s AI Ecosystem for Global Agricultural Development, a transformative platform that deploys artificial intelligence to support climate-vulnerable farming communities worldwide.
The launch builds on the USD 200 million UAE–Gates Foundation partnership announced at COP28, reflecting two years of progress aimed at accelerating agricultural innovation.
The announcement was attended by H.E. Mariam Almheiri, Head of the International Affairs Office at the UAE Presidential Court, and Bill Gates, Chair of the Gates Foundation. Following the launch, both leaders toured the UAE–Gates Partnership Showcase—an immersive walk-through of the ecosystem’s capabilities and global impact.
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A Collaborative Global Network
The new ecosystem is powered by a coalition of leading national and international partners, including:
International Affairs Office at the UAE Presidential Court
Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI)
NYU Abu Dhabi
ai71
The Gates Foundation
CGIAR
The World Bank
Together, they form an innovation pipeline that connects scientific discovery to digital advisory tools, AI models, and real-world deployment across climate-exposed regions.
Four Flagship Initiatives Driving the Ecosystem
1. CGIAR AI Hub: Scaling Global Agricultural Innovation
Hosted in Abu Dhabi by ai71, the CGIAR AI Hub serves as a global collaborative workspace accelerating digital transformation in agriculture. Leveraging over 50 years of CGIAR’s agricultural datasets and the expertise of its 13 global research centers, the hub aims to establish Abu Dhabi as a world-leading center for Agri-AI innovation.
“The AI Agriculture Ecosystem is rooted in science and powered by global collaboration,” Ismahane Elouafi, Executive Managing Director, CGIAR.
2. Institute for Agriculture and Artificial Intelligence (IAAI): A New Global Advisory Engine
Based at MBZUAI, the IAAI is a pioneering digital advisory hub delivering:
AI-driven agricultural guidance
Training and capacity-building programs
Technical support for governments, NGOs, and development organizations
Its mission: improve the lives of more than 43 million smallholder farmers by strengthening global food security.
3. AgriLLM: The World’s First Specialized Agricultural LLM
Developed by ai71, AgriLLM is an open-source large language model trained on:
150,000 agricultural documents
50,000 peer-reviewed research papers
120,000 real farming Q&As
With multilingual capabilities and four specialized AI agents under testing, AgriLLM provides localized, role-specific guidance on climate adaptation, resource management, and crop optimization.
The model will be released as a public good—free for anyone to use, modify, and scale.
4. AIM for Scale: Delivering AI-Powered Forecasting to Millions
Jointly funded by the UAE and the Gates Foundation and based at NYU Abu Dhabi, AIM for Scale focuses on delivering AI-enabled weather forecasting and digital advisory services on a global scale.
Progress is already visible:
In 2025, the Government of India delivered AI-powered monsoon forecasts via SMS to 38 million farmers—the largest deployment of its kind.
In Abu Dhabi, MBZUAI and the University of Chicago launched an AI Weather Forecasting Training Program, training officials from Bangladesh, Kenya, Ethiopia, Chile, and Nigeria, with expansion planned to 25 countries by 2027.
A Vision Anchored in Human Impact
H.E. Mariam Almheiri emphasized the UAE’s commitment to deploying AI for global resilience: “The UAE is harnessing artificial intelligence for global good, to protect the farmers most exposed to climate volatility. By connecting our national research and AI capabilities with global partners, we are turning science into real tools that reach people on the ground.”
Bill Gates echoed that sentiment: “Smallholder farmers are facing the harshest impacts of climate change with the fewest tools to adapt. The AI for Agriculture Ecosystem helps change that by putting practical, data-driven solutions directly in farmers’ hands.”
Strengthening Food Security in a Warming World
By uniting Abu Dhabi’s scientific excellence with global partnerships, the AI Ecosystem for Agriculture delivers practical AI-powered solutions that help farmers:
Adapt to extreme and unpredictable weather
Protect crops and livelihoods
Improve decision-making
Strengthen long-term food security
As climate disruptions intensify, the UAE’s new AI ecosystem stands as a global model—where advanced technology, human ingenuity, and international cooperation converge to safeguard the future of food.
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