AI Powers Inclusive, Resilient Food Systems at Global Summit

Experts at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 convened for the session “AI for Inclusive and Resilient Agricultural Food Systems,” tackling the persistent gap between food production, distribution, and access. Discussions centered on leveraging data, digital infrastructure, and cross-border cooperation to foster climate-resilient agriculture, robust supply chains, and farmers’ integration into digital ecosystems.
Speakers stressed AI’s potential beyond yield boosts: real-time demand response, waste
reduction, and market access via interoperable data governance, transparent systems, and
scaled pilots involving industry, governments, and multilaterals. Netherlands Ambassador
Harry Verweij called AI-agriculture vital for sustainability and resilience, enhancing
productivity, nature conservation, and national stability inclusively.
Food and Agriculture Organization CIO Dejan Jakovljević warned that digital exclusion equals economic marginalization: “If farmers are left out, they are excluded from every ecosystem,” urging equal digital opportunities amid AI’s rise.
NITI Aayog’s Debjani Ghosh highlighted production-sufficiency amid distribution failures
causing hunger and waste, advocating industry scale via clear commercialization paths, Centres of Excellence, and innovation hubs.
MIT’s Sara Rendtorff Smith pushed transparent, interoperable governance for global chains: farmers and regulators need insight into AI decisions, enabling traceability and resilient trade networks. A consensus emerged that AI can build efficient, equitable food systems by linking digital tools with governance, private innovation, and cooperation, transforming agriculture for climate and inclusion challenges.