AI for Healthy Diets – Applying AI in agrifood systems

AI for Healthy Diets – Applying AI in agrifood systems

16 May 2026

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming agrifood systems, offering new opportunities to strengthen food security, improve nutrition, and support rural development.

However, donors and development partners face challenges in translating this potential into practice – including ensuring responsible data governance, addressing inequalities in access, and identifying effective entry points for investment and collaboration.

This first webinar in the AI knowledge exchange series of the Global Donor Platform for Rural Development (GDPRD) explored how AI is applied in agrifood systems, highlighting a practical example from the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) to improve nutrition outcomes.

Understanding how AI can support food security

The Donor Platform's new focus area on AI and Data for Agrifood Systems responds to growing interest among members in understanding how AI can support food security, nutrition, and rural development.

AI is already being applied across agrifood systems – from predictive analytics and early warning systems to digital advisory services and market intelligence – offering new opportunities to improve decision-making and outcomes.

At the same time, donors face key challenges: ensuring responsible data governance, avoiding fragmentation, addressing inequalities in access, and identifying practical entry points for investment and collaboration.

As highlighted in recent Donor Platform discussions, there is strong demand among members for concrete examples, practical learning, and peer exchange to translate AI from theory into implementable approaches. The workstream aims to provide a dedicated space for coordination, dialogue, and knowledge exchange among donors and development partners on the use of AI in food security, rural development, and agri-food systems.

Webinar Objectives

This first webinar in the knowledge exchange series aimed to:

  • Showcase a practical, real-world example – GAIN's Strategy for Harnessing AI in Programmes
  • Illustrate how AI can be applied across food systems to improve diets and nutrition outcomes
  • Highlight concrete case studies, partnerships, and lessons learned
  • Identify entry points and implications for donors, including opportunities for coordination and scaling
  • Foster interactive discussion among Platform members

Speakers

  • Michelle Tang – GDPRD Secretariat
  • Alessandra Roversi – Programme Officer, Food Systems Section, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
  • Ty Beal – Senior Technical Specialist and Global Nutrition Scientist, GAIN – provided a brief overview of GAIN's AI Strategy and concrete case studies
  • Mduduzi Mbuya – Director, Knowledge Leadership, GAIN – discussed implications for donors