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How AI Crop Monitoring in India Is Improving Food Security

AI Crop Monitoring in IndiaFor generations, farming in India has relied on experience, careful timing and more than a bit of luck. Farmers read the sky for signs of rain, test the soil with their hands and wait, hoping the monsoon comes when it should. Today, that way of farming is becoming harder to depend on.

Climate instability is making weather more unpredictable, water shortages are becoming more common and pests are spreading into new regions. In a country where about 54.6% of the workforce depends on agriculture and related industries, these changes affect far more than just farmers. They shape the nation’s food supply and economic stability.

Agriculture in India

For millions of families, farming is their main source of income. Around 42% of India’s population relies on agriculture for employment. Most farmers work on very small plots of land, with 85% owning less than two hectares.

When crops fail, the consequences are immediate and profound. One failed harvest can trap families in debt, pull kids out of school to help at home and leave entire communities struggling to find enough food. This is where AI crop monitoring in India is beginning to make a real difference.

By using satellite images, local weather data and simple smartphone tools, AI helps farmers see problems coming before it is too late. Instead of reacting after crops are already damaged, farmers can take action early and protect their livelihoods.

How AI Crop Monitoring Helps Farmers Stay One Step Ahead

In the past, farmers judged crop health by walking through their fields and looking for visible signs of diseases. By the time leaves turned yellow or pests became noticeable, much of the damage had already been done. AI tools now analyze satellite images, soil conditions and weather patterns to catch early warning signs that people might miss.

The World Bank explains that digital agriculture enables farmers to adopt a precision-based approach, using water, fertilizer and pesticides only where and when needed. This saves money and reduces environmental harm. Instead of spraying chemicals across entire fields, farmers can treat only the areas that actually need attention.

This matters in India because agriculture accounts for nearly 80% of the country’s freshwater use. As droughts become more frequent, wasting water can mean the difference between a stable harvest and total crop failure. AI crop monitoring helps farmers use limited water more wisely, which makes their farms more resilient in tough seasons.

Real Farmers, Real Results

The impact of AI crop monitoring in India is already showing up in real communities. In Telangana, the state government worked with Microsoft and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics to create an AI-based sowing advisory system. More than 3,000 farmers across several districts received text messages with the best times to plant, based on weather forecasts and soil conditions.

This led to yield increases of 10-30% without farmers needing to buy new equipment. Private agri-tech companies are also helping farmers. An Indian startup called Cropin uses satellite imagery and predictive analytics to provide farmers with real-time updates on crop health and early warnings of droughts and disease outbreaks.

This gives farmers time to prepare instead of feeling helpless when something goes wrong.

Why AI Crop Monitoring Matters for Food Security

AI crop monitoring in India is spreading because farmers can easily use it in their daily routines. Many tools are available through simple smartphone apps in local languages such as Hindi, Telugu and Kannada, so farmers do not need specialized training to benefit from them. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) explains that AI helps close the information gap for small farmers by giving them access to tools that were once available only to large commercial farms.

When more farmers can protect their crops, the benefits reach far beyond individual families. More stable harvests help keep food supplies steady nationwide and reduce sudden price spikes in foods like rice, wheat and onions. These spikes hit low-income families the hardest.

AI crop monitoring in India is not just changing how farms operate; it is helping build a more stable food system for everyone. Technology alone will not solve every problem in agriculture. However, AI crop monitoring in India gives farmers something they have rarely had before: clear, real-time information they can actually use.

By helping farmers make smarter decisions, protect their land and increase their yields, AI is becoming an important tool for strengthening food security and protecting livelihoods across the country.

– Dylan Chandran

Dylan is based in Danville, CA, USA and focuses on Business and Good News for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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The Role of AI in Developing Nations

AI in Developing NationsArtificial intelligence (AI) is becoming seen as the technology of the future, something speculative, experimental or confined to advanced economies. But the role of AI in developing nations today is already shaping decisions that affect food security, public health and poverty reduction. Far from the abstract, these systems are becoming deeply embedded in the daily work of governments, humanitarian agencies and farmers responding to real-world crises.

The question is no longer whether AI will influence development, but how and under what conditions it can support, rather than undermine, human well-being.

Predicting Hunger Before It Becomes Famine

One of the most consequential uses of AI in developing nations is in forecasting food insecurity. Historically, famine response has been reactive: aid arrives after a visible crisis, often too late to prevent mass suffering. AI-driven early warning systems aim to change that.

The World Bank developed the Famine Action Mechanism (FAM) in collaboration with the United Nations (U.N.) and the World Food Programme (WFP). It uses machine learning models to forecast food insecurity months in advance by integrating satellite imagery, climate indicators, market prices, conflict data and household surveys. Complementing this effort is HungerMap LIVE, a real-time food security monitoring platform developed by WFP.

HungerMap LIVE is currently used across Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan and Bangladesh. The platform integrates mobile phone surveys, remote sensing and predictive analytics to produce continuously updated risk assessments. These systems directly inform when and where resources are deployed, enabling earlier cash transfers, targeted food assistance and preventative interventions.

Evidence from WFP and the World Bank shows that anticipatory action is both more humane and more cost-effective than emergency response after crisis onset.

AI on the Farm: Empowering Smallholder Farmers

Agriculture remains the primary livelihood for hundreds of millions of people in developing nations. Yet smallholder farmers often lack timely agronomic expertise. AI is beginning to close that gap.

In Kenya and across East Africa, the PlantVillage Nuru app uses smartphone-based computer vision to diagnose crop diseases in real time. Designed to operate offline, Nuru enables farmers to identify threats such as cassava mosaic disease and fall armyworm by photographing affected plants. Research published by Penn State University and FAO partners shows that early detection through AI-based diagnostics significantly reduces crop losses and improves smallholder resilience.

Still, limitations remain. Unequal smartphone access, language localization challenges and the need for contextual agronomic knowledge highlight that AI tools must be embedded within broader agricultural support systems, not treated as standalone fixes.

Expanding Health Care Access Through AI Screening

In health care, AI’s most immediate promise lies in early detection, particularly in regions where trained specialists are scarce. In India, the health-tech company Niramai has developed Thermalytix. This AI-based breast cancer screening system uses thermal imaging rather than mammography.

The technology is portable, radiation-free and significantly lower-cost, making it viable for rural clinics and mobile health camps. Clinical studies published in peer-reviewed medical journals show that Thermalytix demonstrates high sensitivity in detecting early-stage breast cancer, particularly among younger women. Importantly, though the system is designed to assist clinicians, not replace them, it reinforces AI’s role as decision-support rather than autonomous authority.

How Institutions Are Integrating AI

AI adoption in developing nations is not happening in isolation. Major institutions, including the World Bank, WFP, FAO, UNICEF and national ministries, are integrating AI into policy planning, service delivery and crisis response. This integration involves building a larger infrastructure for data models and storage, training local staff, establishing accountability mechanisms and partnering with local organizations.

The Risks Beneath the Promise

Despite its potential, AI, while still in its development stages, raises serious concerns. Predictive models are only as good as the data they rely on. In many developing regions, data is incomplete, uneven or biased.

U.N. reports warn that algorithmic bias, financial incentives and extractive data practices can entrench inequality and potentially harm individuals if governance safeguards are absent. The U.N. Technology and Innovation Report 2025 warns that up to 40% of global jobs could be affected by AI, with economies that rely on low-cost labor potentially losing their competitive edge. There is also the risk of over-reliance on algorithmic forecasts, in which predictive outputs are treated as objective truth rather than probabilistic guidance, sidelining local knowledge and accountability.

Recognizing these risks, international bodies and governments are developing safeguards. UNESCO’s Ethics of Artificial Intelligence framework emphasizes human rights, transparency, accountability and data sovereignty. Similarly, UNICEF’s Guidance on AI and Children focuses on protecting children and vulnerable populations from harm, surveillance and exclusion resulting from AI’s prevalence.

Meanwhile, multiple developing nations are drafting national AI strategies to align technological deployment with development priorities rather than external commercial interests.

AI as Development Infrastructure

AI will not end poverty or hunger on its own. But when treated as infrastructure rather than innovation, embedded in institutions, guided by ethics and grounded in local realities, it can meaningfully improve how societies anticipate crises, allocate resources and expand access to essential services. The role of AI in developing nations will not be decided by algorithms alone, but by governance choices: who designs these systems, who controls the data and whose lives they are built to improve.

– Matt Irwin

Matt is based in Brooklyn, NY, USA and focuses on Technology and Solutions for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Pixabay

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A $50 Million AI Investment Will Boost Health Care in Rwanda

Health Care in RwandaBill Gates and OpenAI are planning to invest $50 million into AI health care systems in sub-Saharan Africa. The investment, which will chiefly benefit communities in Rwanda, will be implemented by 2028 and seeks to address persistent staff shortages in thousands of primary health clinics.

The Problem: Health Worker Shortages

Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3, one of 17 global SDGs set by the U.N. in 2015, is to “ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages” by 2030. A key step toward realizing this goal is ensuring that everyone has access to quality health care. It follows that for a nation to have universal access to quality health care, it must have an appropriate number of health care professionals to tend to the needs of its population.

Rwanda and other sub-Saharan African nations have traditionally experienced a deficit of health care professionals according to their needs. In 2022, it was estimated that Africa as a whole needed a total of 9.75 million health workers to meet the health care needs of its population, of which it had only 43%. The number of health care workers in Africa is expected to increase.

However, at the current rate, only about 49% of the workforce needed to meet the continent’s health care demands will be in place by 2030. At this pace, SDG 3 will remain out of reach, leaving millions of Africans without access to quality health care.

To meet SDG 3 targets by 2030, African nations must significantly expand their health care workforce or adopt alternative strategies to improve health care efficiency and service delivery.

The Solution: AI Integration in Health Care

AI has great potential to provide a novel solution to the shortage of health workers in sub-Saharan African nations. Rwanda has just one health care worker per 1000 people, well below the WHO-recommended average of 4.45 per 1000 people. The $50 million investment proposed by the Gates Foundation and OpenAI in Rwanda will support the integration of AI into local health care clinics.

This technology will assist health workers with daily tasks, allowing clinics to operate more efficiently. As a result, the introduction of AI is expected to significantly improve health care outcomes across the country. Health workers in Rwandan clinics will be able to use AI tools to handle a range of administrative tasks, including record-keeping, automatic transcription of patient visits and the creation of clinical summaries.

This will allow doctors to see more patients and focus their time on critical responsibilities such as diagnosis and treatment. AI will also benefit maternal and child health. Sub-Saharan Africa accounted for almost 70% of global maternal deaths in 2023. By analyzing large datasets, AI can predict potential health problems during pregnancy, ensuring that doctors are well-prepared to treat patients and aware of regional health trends.

Rural communities in Rwanda are expected to benefit significantly from the integration of AI-driven telemedicine. These areas often have limited access to medical professionals and AI-enabled tools will allow doctors to monitor, diagnose and treat patients remotely through technologies such as smartwatches. This approach has the potential to reduce health care disparities in remote regions.

Furthermore, patients will be able to interact with AI chatbots that can answer basic medical questions, assist with scheduling doctor appointments and provide medication reminders.

Overall

The Gates Foundation and OpenAI’s $50 million investment will provide a novel solution to the shortage of health care workers in sub-Saharan Africa. The use of AI in the health care system in Rwanda will allow health professionals to care for a far greater number of patients while ensuring the quality of medical care remains high. AI is forecast to have an overwhelmingly positive impact on the health systems of sub-Saharan nations, making a universal basic standard of health care seem more achievable than ever.

– Arthur Horsey

Arthur is based in Hampshire, UK and focuses on Business and Technology for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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How AI is Fighting Global Poverty

AI Is Fighting Global PovertyWhen someone mentions AI tools such as ChatGPT, for many, it is seen as a tool for high school or college student asking AI to complete their homework. The stereotype that AI is only suitable for doing homework, making presentations, or writing papers is far from its true potential. In reality, AI is actively doing a variety of ongoing projects and solutions, fighting global poverty across the humanitarian sector.

A Hunger Free World?

AI algorithms are powering AI-driven tools that reduce hunger and improve nutrition. The algorithms take the data, analyze it, and use the results to provide farmers with accurate crop management information. For example, AI agriculture applications can monitor soil and weather conditions. The data tells the farms how much water to use for irrigation (to conserve water) and how much pesticide to use. The more farmers utilize these AI resources, the more crop production feeds more mouths. A world without hunger is a demanding task; therefore, it requires AI assistance as the world grows. Of course, AI cannot create a zero-hunger world by itself, but it can make an enormous difference.

Natural Disasters

During Hurricane Fiona in 2022, the storm hit the Caribbean as a Category 4 storm. The results were devastating to the community. The damage was so widespread and abundant that emergency humanitarian aid was not able to get there fast enough to document the damage manually. That’s where AI was able ot step in. Digital Engine for Emergency Photo-analysis (DEEP) performed a proper damage assessment in just a few hours, compared to a manual assessment that would take a few days, according to the World Food Program (WFP). DEEP was able to locate communities that were severely impacted and rapidly sent crisis relief services.

After the heartbreaking earthquake that broke infrastructure in Turkiye-Syria in 2023, SKAI was able to respond rapidly for disaster relief. SKAI is a free AI tool that proactively assesses disasters at 33% of the cost and more than 10 times as fast as manual assessments.

Similarly, in crisis settings, AI-enabled chatbots are enabling people to access instant information, register their needs, and receive services in their own language. These tools are speeding up aid delivery, reducing communication barriers, and helping frontline workers reach the most vulnerable faster.

Education

AI is notorious for its ability to assist in homework. However, its ability speaks volumes to potential students who lack a computer or internet connection in impoverished places. AI can transform from tutor to teacher and utilize its intelligent chatbot to teach intellectual material to anyone. AI is accommodating to a multitude of learning methods, whether you are a visual learner, listener, hands-on, etc. AI is giving the power of education to anyone who desires it.

Utilizing AI’s teaching capabilities provides evidence of long-lasting financial benefits for users, which is highly beneficial for poverty alleviation. According to The ChatGPT Revolution, ChatGPT is redefining economic development and reducing poverty with its easily accessible search engine.

AI Opportunities

Unfortunately, the use of ChatGPT and other AI tools for the purpose of fighting global poverty is just the beginning. Therefore, the expansion of its assistance is at a minimum. However, the research and feedback delivered suggest that ChatGPT support has been promising in combating global poverty. Its results have reached many private companies, including ChatGPT, which are now investing in AI tools to help alleviate poverty worldwide.

For example, Meta is increasing funding for AI programs that will mark impoverished areas as target zones, planning to strengthen infrastructure, education, and community grants. Another example is the WFP’s investment in AI operations, which it recently announced in its March 2025 Artificial Intelligence Strategy

– Mireya Aguilar

Mireya is based in Layton, UT, USA and focuses on Technology and Solutions for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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Emata’s AI-Driven Digital Loans in Uganda

Digital Loans in UgandaEmata is a fintech founded in 2020 that provides AI-driven digital loans in Uganda for smallholder farmers. This innovative, quick and reliable approach is meant to empower the smaller farmers in the East African region.

Uganda: A Rich Land

The COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on financial stability worldwide. Its impact on low-income countries was devastating for vulnerable communities. According to the Uganda National Household Survey (UNHS), the level of poverty in Uganda had decreased in 2016 and 2017. In 2020, it increased again to 21.9%.

The land, however, is far from poor. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reports that as much as 80% of Uganda’s 241,038 square kilometers of territory is fertile land that could be used for agriculture. Nonetheless, only 35% of its land is being cultivated. Dairy, maize and beef, among others, are of crucial value for food security and export revenue.

Filling in the Gaps

According to the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP), only 10% of smallholder farmers own an account with a bank or financial institution. Because they are seen as risky investments, financial help remains out of reach for most small farmers. AgEcon Search research reports that in the region, 80% of the rural population depends on agriculture; however, the lack of access to credit limits the farmers’ ability to grow.

In an interview with The Borgen Project, Emata founders Bram van den Bosch and Dario Raffaele explain how they have found a way to contribute to smallholder farmers through AI-driven digital loans in Uganda: “They’re hardworking but trapped: they know which inputs would increase yields, but can’t afford them upfront. That’s the gap we fix—and we fix it for the good farmers, the ones already showing the discipline, consistency and grit needed to professionalize.”

Emata’s mission is to fill these gaps through a thoroughly different approach from local financial institutions:

  • Using data instead of land titles
  • Automation reduces operating costs
  • Speed over painstaking banking processes
  • Lower interest rates
  • Digitizing the value chain to promote traceability

Loans normally range from $25 to $1,200. Beneficiaries can be smallholders, middle farmers or professionals. In addition, Emata can help borrowers meet other unmet or unexpected financial needs, such as school fees, health emergencies, small business support and cash flow between seasons.

The Farmer’s Journey

In practice, a farmer begins by delivering their product to their local agri cooperative. The company registers the transaction in Emata’s system. From their data, Emata uses AI to calculate their risk and capabilities, assigning them an alternative credit score.

This score determines credit limits for the borrower. The agent then assists the farmers in sending a mobile request to Emata, which approves the loan instantly. The money is then sent via mobile or as input-on-credit.

Repayment is made when the borrower sells their harvest to Emata’s local partner. The founders told The Borgen Project about the farmers who come to them: “The vast majority earn low, volatile farm-based income and would be invisible to traditional banks. Emata is often the first formal lender they have ever worked with. Our data shows that 90% earn under $5/day and 60% earn under $2/day. With Emata, farmers on average grow their income by 30%.”

Women’s Representation

Emata’s most common borrowers are smallholders who did not qualify for credit from financial institutions. According to its metrics, 26% are women. “One of the toughest barriers isn’t financial or technological—it’s cultural,” Emata says, “…women are still underrepresented in many value chains simply because they are not recognized as the ‘primary farmer’ in their household or cooperative.”

A study published by FAO confirms that Uganda’s women who are heads of households and live in rural areas are among the most impoverished. While women are involved in up to 68% of the agricultural process, only 7% officially own the land and less than 1% have access to credit.

To Emata, it is important to make a positive change: “These gaps reflect decades of gendered agricultural norms. And this is exactly where we are slowly making a difference: digitizing records, formalizing farmer identity and embedding lending inside organized value chains is already pulling more women into financial visibility and giving them a documented track record for the first time.”

The Right Tool for the Job

AI-driven digital loans in Uganda that are approved and granted instantly have proven to be an efficient method to reach the most vulnerable but determined farmers. The founders admit that without AI, “we wouldn’t be able to build a profitable and sustainable portfolio and we wouldn’t be able to serve tens of thousands of farmers in minutes.”

Notably, LLMs have been accused of showing racial bias due to training data that reflects society’s prejudices. Emata addresses these concerns by excluding demographic data from its scoring process. Its model takes only harvest records into account to determine credit allowances.

At the same time, Emata uses explainable models rather than generative AI. Explainable models allow humans to understand how the system came to a specific conclusion. This makes it possible to track every step of its decision-making process. Human oversight ensures fairness and inclusion.

A Final Look Into the Future

As the need for more efficient and sustainable lending methods continues to affect East Africa, Emata’s plan is to expand to Tanzania, Rwanda and Ethiopia within the next two years, thanks to its cooperation with multinational agri companies. Through these AI-driven digital loans in Uganda, Emata works to advance financial inclusion and progress for low-income farmers, especially women, who were left behind by formal institutions and their unreachable lending requirements.

– Johanna Lorena Arredondo Gonzalez

Johanna is based in Pittsburgh, PA, USA and focuses on Technology and Solutions for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Interviewee

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AI in Latin America’s Agriculture

AI in Agriculture in Latin AmericaLatin America’s farmers are grappling with climate extremes that threaten crop yields and food security. In this region, 74% of countries are highly exposed to droughts, floods and other weather disasters that reduce agricultural productivity and disrupt food supplies. Nearly 28% of the population faces food insecurity, underscoring an urgent need to boost farm resilience.

To tackle these challenges, farmers and innovators across Latin America are turning to Artificial Intelligence (AI). New tools, ranging from predictive analytics and precision irrigation to image recognition and decision-support apps, are helping producers forecast their harvests, optimize resource use and increase yields. By leveraging data on climate, soil and crops, AI in Latin America’s agriculture offers a promising path to grow more food with fewer resources in the face of the changing climate.

Data-Driven Farming in Brazil Improves Yields

In Brazil, agri-tech startup Agrosmart is pioneering the use of AI to make farming more predictable and climate-smart. Launched in 2014, Agrosmart now supports more than 100,000 farmers across Latin America with real-time data on weather and soil conditions. The platform integrates on-farm sensors, satellite imagery and machine learning to guide decisions at every step of cultivation, from optimal seed planting dates to targeted irrigation and fertilizer use.

According to Agrosmart’s founders, this data-driven approach can reduce water usage by up to 60% and energy costs by 20%, while helping farmers maintain healthy yields. By adopting such AI analytics, growers are better able to anticipate weather patterns and crop needs, rather than relying on traditional almanacs or guesswork.

Agrosmart’s success reflects a wider digital revolution on Latin America’s farms. AI-powered decision tools are increasingly common, from drones that monitor crop health to smart cameras that identify weeds for precision herbicide spraying. These technologies boost productivity by detecting issues early and optimizing field management.

For example, Puerto Rico-based startup TerraFirma uses AI analysis of satellite images to forecast environmental risks like upcoming storms, crop diseases or soil erosion. By predicting such threats in advance, farmers can take preventive steps to protect their harvests. Overall, AI analytics are enabling Latin American producers to boost yields and reduce losses through more informed, proactive farm management.

“With the world’s population expected to reach nearly 10 billion by 2050, technologies like AI are humanity’s best hope for sustainable food production,” notes Agrosmart CEO Mariana Vasconcelos.

Precision Irrigation From Argentina to Chile

Water is another critical focus for AI in agriculture. Farms consume about 70% of global freshwater and up to 90% in developing countries. In drought-prone parts of Latin America, conserving water while keeping crops productive is a top priority.

Argentine startup Kilimo has risen to this challenge with an AI-powered irrigation management platform. Kilimo’s system analyzes data from satellites, weather forecasts and soil sensors to tell farmers when and how much to irrigate for optimal crop growth. By using machine learning to predict each crop’s water needs, the platform acts like a “smart irrigation advisor,” sending recommendations via an app or SMS even to remote fields.

This allows farmers to give crops enough water for top yields without waste. In practice, farmers using Kilimo have reduced their water consumption by up to 20% while maintaining (or even boosting) their yields. Over the past two years, Kilimo’s tool has helped save an estimated 72 billion liters of water (about 19 billion gallons) across several countries. The company now operates in seven Latin American nations, including Argentina, Mexico and Chile, reaching more than 2,000 farmers with its water-saving AI recommendations.

The impact of precision irrigation is best demonstrated in central Chile. In the Biobío region, an area facing seasonal water stress, farmers adopted smart irrigation systems equipped with IoT soil-moisture sensors. According to Chile’s Ministry of Agriculture, these data-driven systems precisely determine when and how much to water each crop, avoiding over-irrigation.

The results have been striking: farms using smart irrigation in Biobío cut water usage by up to 30%, yet saw crop yields increase by as much as 20% thanks to more efficient water delivery. This finding, echoed by the Inter-American Development Bank, shows that better water management directly translates into higher productivity. In addition, pumping less water saves energy and costs, a win-win for farmers’ finances and the environment.

Precision irrigation guided by AI is thus helping Latin American growers produce more food with less water. This innovation bolsters food security in increasingly dry growing conditions.

AI in Latin America’s Agriculture

Beyond climate and water management, AI-driven tools are improving many aspects of crop monitoring and harvest planning. In Chile, researchers at the University of Bío-Bío have developed an AI system using drones and image recognition to assist blueberry farmers. Drones periodically fly over the blueberry fields, capturing multispectral images of the plants at each growth stage.

An AI model analyzes these images and delivers real-time data via a mobile app, showing farmers the ripeness of their fruit across the field. This allows growers to pinpoint the optimal harvest time, ensuring berries are picked at peak maturity for quality and yield. The same system can automatically detect early signs of problems, alerting farmers to pest infestations or frost damage on the crop before those threats spread.

By acting as a constant set of “eyes” on the field, such AI vision technology helps farmers make faster, better-informed decisions that protect yields and reduce post-harvest losses. Similarly, other Latin American producers are using smartphone apps and sensors as digital field assistants. These range from apps that identify crop diseases from a photo to automated warning systems that activate when weather conditions favor a potential pest outbreak.

The Broader Impact

Each of these tools adds a layer of resilience for small farmers, who can respond to challenges in real time rather than suffer surprise crop failures. Crucially, these innovations contribute to a more secure food supply. Higher yields and efficient practices mean more stable production of staples like grains, fruits and vegetables.

Smart farming also promotes sustainability by minimizing inputs like water, fertilizers and chemicals, which helps preserve the natural resources that agriculture depends on. Development experts point out that embracing technology and climate-smart innovation is key to safeguarding Latin America’s agricultural future. A 2025 Inter-American Development Bank report highlighted digital agriculture as a tool to “improve yields and efficiency, protect natural capital and unlock the potential for a competitive, resilient development” in the region.

Governments and NGOs are increasingly partnering with tech firms to expand these solutions. These efforts range from national AI agriculture strategies to pilot programs that bring low-cost farm sensors to rural communities. With supportive policies and training, even more farmers can adopt AI-based services to enhance their productivity.

Final Remarks

The rise of AI in Latin America’s agriculture offers hopeful evidence that the region can meet its food security challenges through innovation. From Brazil’s big data platforms to Argentina’s water-saving apps and Chile’s smart irrigation networks, each success story represents a step toward a more predictable and plentiful harvest. Of course, scaling up these technologies to benefit smallholder farmers across diverse geographies remains a task ahead.

Nonetheless, as Latin America stands on the brink of this agricultural tech revolution, experts are optimistic. By carefully and inclusively implementing AI solutions, the region can cultivate a more sustainable and food-secure future. In the face of climate uncertainty, AI in Latin America’s agriculture is empowering farmers to not only predict their harvests but also to improve them, season after season.

– Elena Cárdenas

Elena is based in Monterrey, Mexico and focuses on Global Health for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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AI health chatbots: Reaching Rural Patients in India

AI health chatbotsIn rural India, accessing health care often means a difficult journey. Only 10% of rural residents have access to health care within a 10-kilometer radius, while 90% must travel to different locations for specialized treatment. This distance translates to lost wages, transportation costs and delayed treatment that can turn minor ailments into life-threatening emergencies.

The health care gap in rural India is severe. Rural areas have a doctor-to-patient ratio of 1:11,082, nearly 11 times worse than the World Health Organization’s (WHO) 1:1,000 recommendation. Meanwhile, 71% of India’s population lives in rural areas, but only one-third of physicians practice there.

As of 2025, a technological revolution is bringing medical expertise directly to India’s villages. AI health chatbots developed by Indian startups are transforming smartphones into medical lifelines, offering instant guidance to millions.

Empowering Community Health Workers

ASHABot leads this transformation. Developed by Khushi Baby in partnership with Microsoft Research India, this WhatsApp-based AI chatbot empowers India’s ASHA workers—community health volunteers serving as the backbone of rural health care. The goal is to reach all 1 million ASHAs across the country, who collectively serve 800 million to 900 million people in rural India.

Launched in early 2024, the platform uses GPT-4 technology to provide multilingual support in Hindi, English and Hinglish. When an ASHA worker encounters a question about childhood immunization, breastfeeding or pregnancy complications, she can ask ASHABot through voice notes and receive evidence-based answers within seconds. The system draws from around 40 curated documents, including India’s public health manuals and UNICEF guidelines. The voice note capability also allows ASHAs to play responses aloud for patients who cannot read.

Since early 2024, more than 24,000 messages have been sent through ASHABot, and 869 ASHAs have been onboarded. Currently operating only in the Udaipur district, Rajasthan, the tool represents a pilot that Khushi Baby plans to scale nationwide.

ASHABot builds on Khushi Baby’s decade of work. The organization’s broader Community Health Integrated Platform, used by more than 75,000 community health workers across 48,000 villages, has tracked the health of more than 50 million people. In randomized controlled trials involving 3,200 mothers, the digital health intervention showed a 12% improvement in complete infant immunization.

Making Health Care Affordable

In Odisha and Chhattisgarh, CureBay has established more than 150 e-clinics across 32 districts. The organization focuses on areas where approximately 65,000 people within a 10-kilometer radius lack access to health care.

CureBay’s innovation lies in its affordability. For ₹599 annually—less than ₹2 per day—members receive free doctor consultations and 15% discounts on medicines. For individuals covered under government schemes or insurance, CureBay provides financial support with a daily allowance of ₹1,000 for each day of hospitalization, up to a maximum of 30 days. This membership model helps eliminate catastrophic health expenses that push millions of Indians into poverty each year.

The platform combines AI-powered diagnostic tools with human expertise. AI analyzes symptoms and medical images, providing preliminary assessments during teleconsultations with doctors. CE- and FDA-approved devices conduct diagnostic tests at the e-clinics.

Since 2021, CureBay has served 550,000 unique patients. The organization employs more than 1,000 Swasthya Mitras, community health workers, creating local jobs while expanding access. Around 90,000 people actively subscribe to preventive health programs, with a renewal rate exceeding 60%, showing sustained engagement.

In May 2025, CureBay raised $21 million in Series B funding led by Bertelsmann India Investments, Elevar Equity and British International Investment. Total funding reached about $37 million, with a post-money valuation of around $75 million.

Addressing Mental Health

Mental health remains deeply stigmatized in rural India, yet stress, anxiety and depression affect millions. Wysa, a Bengaluru-based startup, created an AI chatbot that provides mental health support through evidence-based cognitive behavioral therapy techniques.

Wysa launched its Hindi version in April 2024, making mental health resources accessible to Hindi-speaking rural populations. The app is available on smartphones and WhatsApp. The Hindi pilot showed strong engagement, with 80% of users returning for multiple sessions.

Clinical studies demonstrate Wysa’s effectiveness. Users experience an average 31% reduction in moderate anxiety symptoms and a 40% reduction in moderate depression symptoms, according to a study by U.K. health insurer Vitality involving 60,000 members. The platform has facilitated more than 550 million conversations across 65 countries, reaching 7 million users worldwide.

Wysa’s basic version is free, making mental health support accessible to those who cannot afford traditional therapy.

The Digital Foundation

This transformation builds on India’s expanding digital infrastructure. The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission generated 442 million digital health accounts and linked 293 million health records. Out of 597,000 villages, 572,000 now have mobile or network connectivity, enabling digital health services.

With more than 425 million rural smartphone users and 504 million rural internet users projected by 2025, the foundation exists to scale these solutions nationwide. Rural internet users are growing at a rate of 26%, projected to exceed urban users for the first time.

The Future of AI Health Chatbots

AI health chatbots are not replacing doctors. Instead, they extend medical expertise to villages that never had access. They turn the 100-kilometer barrier into zero distance and transform smartphones into tools for health equity. For rural India, the future of health care has arrived, one conversation at a time.

– Jawad Noori

Jawad is based in London, UK and focuses on Technology and Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Pixabay

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Earth05: Fighting the Global Water Crisis

Earth05Artificial Intelligence (AI) is in every corner of everyone’s lives. No matter what screen you turn on, there is an AI feature that tries to simplify your life with its summarizations and generated images. That help doesn’t have to be just for people; it can also be used to save the environment.

Recognizing this potential, the Barcelona-based nonprofit Earth05 has begun applying AI to address the ongoing water crisis. According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), about 2.2 billion people lack access to safe drinking water. To address this challenge, Earth05 is working toward its goal of improving the lives of 500 million people by 2030.

Earth05

Earth05, launched in January 2024 at the World Economic Forum. Its mission is to increase water access to millions of people globally. The organization aims to achieve this by using AI to predict water shortages, detect leaks and contaminants, optimize irrigation and power smart delivery systems.

Earth05’s ultimate goal is to prevent rising poverty and support lower-middle-income economies and indigenous communities. It aims to equip these groups for immediate challenges and long-term shifts in the age of AI. Earth05 believes combining AI with water conservation can create powerful solutions for the planet and its people.

Earth05’s AI could help predict water fluctuation patterns in countries that need it most, which is becoming harder to do without the assistance of AI. Such progress would be vital for nations like Mexico, Brazil, India, China and other countries that obtain water by desalination.

Aside from improving water access, Earth05 is committed to contributing to the United Nations (U.N.) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These include SDGs 2 (Zero Hunger), 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and many more.

The Solution

Earth05 is fighting to ensure the global water crisis does not worsen by integrating water, education and AI across all initiatives. New technology will allow the nonprofit to analyze future systems, from water consumption to the availability of water based on previous predicted weather reports. AI can make these predictions quickly and accurately, for the first time.

The charity’s goal has always been Return on Lives (ROL), the first metric to measure what truly matters in innovation. ROL tracks how investment dollars translate into real improvements in human lives, environmental health and future well-being. It directly shows how many people Earth05 has helped through its commitment to solving the global water crisis.

Final Remarks

Earth05 is using AI to create better weather reports and better irrigation systems. The research conducted by Earth05 will help find ways to access frozen water or water buried deep in the ground. AI can use its knowledge and large language models (LLMs) to help locate water for those in need and address the growing global water crisis.

– Avery Carl

Avery is based in Norfolk, NE, USA and focuses on Technology and Solutions for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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Planting the Seeds of Success with AI Learning

Seeds of SuccessWith the rise of AI developments in recent years, many organizations and companies have been adapting to AI’s capabilities and what it means in the new era of technology.

Much of everyday life has now been impacted by AI, from going through a drive-thru to searching online. However, one organization seeks to make AI have the humanistic touch it needs to have a powerful impact globally with AI learning.

About Seeds of Success

Seeds of Success is a nonprofit organization that gives individuals who lack proper access to many resources the chance to gain steady support in many aspects of their lives. Most importantly, its outreach includes many mental health services to help the 50 million adults globally who face mental health challenges with no resources.

However, the charity’s support does not stop there! Through Seeds of Success’ Project CARLA, students can be introduced to learning opportunities using AI learning, regardless of their background.

Using AI Learning for Good

In an effort to flip the narrative around AI and education, Seeds of Success looks to develop AI learning algorithms with educators and students to better school communities globally. It seeks to use AI not to replace teachers, therapists or other vital supports, but to amplify teachers’ and other support workers’ outreach to their students and receivers.

The charity seeks to eliminate the unnatural AI algorithms that do not connect with individuals seeking mental health services today. Instead, its projects include the redefinition of AI and AI learning to engage students and troubled youth in the modern world around them.

AI for the People, by the People

The founder of Seeds of Success, Jarred VanHorn, has a personal mission with his AI learning redirection: to approach communities with a compassionate response to mental health and learning challenges to improve the quality of life.

VanHorn and Seeds of Success seek to accomplish this mission by ensuring that mental health and its various resources are not an afterthought for communities. With the support of numerous volunteers driving its global impact on AI learning, Seeds of Success aims to spread mental health and educational resources to all affected youth.

In the long term, the organization seeks to cultivate a culture shift around AI and learning that will positively influence the world. Indeed, the organization’s motto, “AI for the People, by the People,” reinforces the vision that VanHorn seeks to build around AI. Seeds of Success looks to a future where AI can transform the lives of students, youth and educators alike.

The Impact Over Time

Seeds of Success is calling for donor support to sustain its mission of helping others. Until now, the organization has been operating solely with volunteers. However, VanHorn recognizes that Seeds of Success could expand its impact significantly with greater resources.

With increased funding, the organization could extend its outreach through scholarships, mental health and wellness programs and the continued redefinition of AI learning. Looking to the future, Seeds of Success is working to impact a cultural change and positively implement AI learning in communities around the globe.

– Angelina Tas

Angelina is based in Cleveland, OH, USA and focuses on Good News and Technology for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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Novissi: AI Fighting Global Poverty

NovissiHeadlines often cast artificial intelligence (AI) as a thief of jobs or a shadow over humanity’s future, yet in some of the world’s poorest communities, it has become a lifeline. In Malawi, AI-powered fetal monitoring is helping reduce one of the world’s highest neonatal death rates. Satellite data and mobile phone records in Togo are speeding up emergency cash transfers to families who would otherwise wait months for aid. In India, a digital platform is giving rural workers fair wages to build datasets in their own languages. Meanwhile, across Africa, solar-powered water pumps with AI-enabled monitoring are keeping clean water and electricity flowing in underserved communities. 

Newborns in Malawi

Malawi has long struggled with one of the world’s highest neonatal mortality rates. Between 2000 and 2015, the rate hovered around 27 deaths per 1,000 live births, far above the global average of 17. Conventional monitoring often missed early signs of distress, especially in overcrowded maternity wards with limited staff.

At Lilongwe’s Area 25 Health Centre, an AI-powered fetal monitoring system now tracks heart rate and oxygen levels continuously. It acts like a second pair of eyes, sounding the alarm before midwives can detect trouble. A six-month before-and-after study found that intrapartum stillbirths and early neonatal deaths dropped sharply once the system was introduced. At this single clinic, stillbirths and neonatal deaths have fallen by more than 82%.

For midwives, AI has become the colleague that never leaves the room; for mothers, it is the difference between heartbreak and hope. In Malawi, AI has stepped into the role of caregiver as a new angel for humanity, watching over the smallest lives.

Novissi Predicting Poverty

Before COVID-19, many poor households in Togo were invisible to social registries. Informal workers lacked paperwork or census records, so cash transfers often took months to arrange and often missed those most in need.

During the pandemic, the government built Novissi, a digital program that used satellite imagery and mobile-phone metadata to predict poverty at the household level. Families then received mobile-money transfers within days. Registration was simple, verification used voter IDs, and payments scaled quickly to hundreds of thousands of people. Independent evaluations found the AI-assisted targeting was both faster and more accurate than older methods. 

Offering Dignity in India

Rural India is home to millions who live on less than $2 a day, with unemployment and underemployment leaving families stuck in poverty. Even when work is available, it is often seasonal farm labor or insecure low-wage jobs.

The social enterprise Karya, backed by Microsoft and the Gates Foundation, is tackling this challenge by using AI to create dignified digital work. Villagers are paid to record speech and text in their own languages, building datasets that train global AI tools. Unlike most digital piecework, Karya guarantees above-minimum wages and shares royalties whenever the data is reused.

For workers, it means food on the table, children staying in school, and recognition that their voices matter. 

Carrying Water and Shining the Light in Africa

Across sub-Saharan Africa, more than 400 million people lack clean water and 600 million live without electricity. Even when solar pumps or mini-grids are installed, they often fail within months, leaving families hauling water long distances or studying by candlelight until repairs are made.

Organizations like Innovation: Africa, now fit solar-powered systems with remote monitoring sensors. These track water flow and electricity output, transmitting data over mobile networks. When a system falters, technicians receive alerts and can repair the problem within 48 hours instead of months. In one Ugandan village, a broken pump that once left families without water for weeks was repaired in two days after the system flagged the failure.

For families, it means reliable water and steady light to study at night, turning fragile systems into dependable lifelines.

– Diane Dunlop

Diane is based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and focuses on Good News and Technology for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons