Fadnavis, World Bank and top experts call for responsible, farmer-centric AI at population scale

The India AI Impact Summit 2026 featured a major session titled "AI Meets Agriculture: Building Food Security and Climate Resilience," bringing together policymakers, development institutions, researchers and digital innovators to explore how Artificial Intelligence can transform agricultural systems, strengthen food security and enhance climate resilience at scale.

The session included a keynote address by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, followed by a high-level panel discussion with senior representatives from the Government of India, the World Bank Group, research foundations and India's innovation ecosystem.

Agriculture at the Heart of Climate and National Security

In his keynote address, Chief Minister Fadnavis underscored that agriculture now sits at the intersection of climate volatility, economic stability and national security.

"Across the world, food systems are under stress, climate volatility is intensifying, water tables are falling, soil health is deteriorating, supply chains are fragile, and global markets are unpredictable," he said.

"For countries from the Global South, agriculture is not merely an economic sector, it is livelihood, social stability and national security."

He noted that India has placed Digital Public Infrastructure and Responsible AI at the centre of national development.

AI Mission Must Deliver Transparency, Inclusion and Scale

Fadnavis emphasised that India's AI mission is not about technology alone, but about delivering transparency, inclusion and scalable impact — with agriculture as a central priority.

He highlighted that nearly half a billion Indians depend directly or indirectly on agriculture, and AI can fundamentally change the equation for small farmers through:

• Hyper-local weather prediction

• Early pest outbreak warnings

• Precise irrigation and fertiliser guidance

• Transparent supply chains

• Real-time market advisories

"AI is not a magic… it must be built on trusted data, ethical governance and public accountability, otherwise scale will not happen," he cautioned.

Centre Building Unified Digital Platforms for Farmers

Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Devesh Chaturvedi, outlined the Government of India's efforts to create interoperable digital public infrastructure for agriculture.

He explained that AI-driven unified platforms can provide multiple advisories through a single interface.

"The whole idea was that once we have this AI-based system, we have a single platform for different applications and different advisories at the click of a button or maybe just through voice," he said.

He added that tailored advisories based on farmer IDs and integrated datasets will replace generic information, enabling personalised guidance through platforms such as MahaVistar.

World Bank: India Can Set Global Farm-Level AI Standards

World Bank Group Vice President for South Asia, Johannes Zutt, described AI in agriculture as a transformative moment for smallholders worldwide.

"We are on the cusp of a major revolution happening in how to support farmers in agriculture," he remarked.

He stressed that governments must build strong foundations, including:

• AI governance

• Interoperability

• Digital skilling in education systems

"If AI can be made to work effectively at the farm level in India, there will automatically be large spillover learnings for other countries around the world," he added.

Inclusive Design and Gender Equity Critical

Chairperson of the M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, emphasised that AI must be designed inclusively, with gender equity at its core.

"No technology is pro-poor or pro-rich or pro-women by itself, it is how we use that technology," she said.

She warned that biased or incomplete datasets could exclude women farmers and marginalised communities.

Open Digital Ecosystems to Drive Agricultural Intelligence

Shri Shankar Maruwada, Co-founder and CEO of EkStep Foundation, highlighted the need for open, interoperable AI ecosystems that function like networks rather than silos.

Drawing parallels with past agricultural revolutions, he noted:

"The equivalent of 'pulling bread out of air' is now about pulling intelligence from data and providing it to farmers."

He argued that Digital Public Infrastructure principles must now be applied to AI for agriculture.

Maharashtra Highlights Need for Trustworthy Tools

Additional Chief Secretary, Agriculture Department, Government of Maharashtra, Shri Vikas Chandra Rastogi, stressed the importance of:

• Credible datasets

• Multilingual accessibility

• Strong governance frameworks

• Development partnerships

to ensure AI tools are practical and trusted by smallholders across diverse agro-climatic regions.

From Pilots to Population-Scale Public Infrastructure

The session concluded with a shared imperative: AI in agriculture must move beyond pilot projects to become inclusive, mission-driven public infrastructure that empowers farmers with:

• Hyper-local advisories

• Predictive climate insights

• Improved market and supply chain intelligence

Speakers affirmed that food security, climate resilience and responsible AI governance are deeply interconnected — and that population-scale AI deployment will define the future of India's agricultural transformation.