CGIAR Initiative on Digital Innovation

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/117892

Part of the CGIAR Action Area on Systems Transformation.

Primary CGIAR impact area: Poverty reduction, livelihoods and jobs

https://www.cgiar.org/initiative/25-harnessing-digital-technologies-for-timely-decision-making-across-food-land-and-water-systems/

Browse

Now showing 1 - 20 of 411

A FAIR and project-oriented template for open science data workflows
(Template, 2025-04-15) De Sousa, Kaue; Laporte, Marie-Angelique
Digital agro‑advisory tools in the global south: a behavioural analysis of impacts, and future directions
(Journal Article, 2025-03-27) Ofosu Ampong, Kingsley; Abera, Wuletawu; Mesfin, Tewodros; Abate, Tsion
Digital agro-advisory tools have emerged as a promising solution to address pressing challenges in agriculture, particuarly for smallholder farmers in the Global South. This study provides a comprehensive characterisation of these tools, examining their behavioural typologies and adoption rates. Our desk and contextual review identified several digital agro-advisory tools in Global South. Our analysis revealed that low-adoption tools primarily focus on information dis- semination and post-harvest loss reduction. Moderate-adoption tools emphasize financial inclusion and early warning systems. High-adoption tools, on the other hand, prioritise climate-smart agriculture, farmer empowerment, and collaborative platforms. In all, our characterisation revealed five behavioural typologies necessary for the adoption of digital agro-advisory tools in the Global South. Critically, we found that trust is the fundamental foundation that determines adoption and sustained use of digital agricultural tools in the Global South. To scale up the adoption of these tools, it is crucial to address key constraints such as digital literacy, infrastructure, and policy environments. Additionally, our review shows that inclusive design and requirement elicitation are essential to ensure that these tools are accessible and relevant to the needs of smallholder farmers. By investing in digital infrastructure, promoting digital literacy, and fostering collaboration between stakeholders, we can harness the transformative potential of digital agro-advisory tools to create a more sustainable and equitable agricultural future.
Recent drought prevalence in the Limpopo River Basin: insights from the digital twin platform
(Journal Article, 2025-02) Ghosh, Surajit; Vigneswaran, Kayathri; Dickens, Chris; Retief, H.; Garcia Andarcia, Mariangel
The Limpopo River Basin (LRB), a transboundary river basin extending over Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe, is highly vulnerable to drought. This manuscript analyzes drought conditions in the LRB using Earth Observation (EO) datasets and key drought indices such as the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and Vegetation Condition Index (VCI). The year 2023, marked by the El Niño phenomenon, exacerbated dry conditions, resulting in prolonged water shortages and reduced agricultural output. Approximately 37% of the basin has been experiencing drought since the 2023–2024 cropping season, impacting ecosystems and crop yields. The present manuscript presents a comprehensive analysis of drought conditions in the LRB and applications of the Digital Twin platform for the LRB to support resource allocation for agricultural planning. Integrating multiple near real-time datasets, the platform enables policymakers to visualize and analyze drought conditions, enhancing decision-making for sustainable resource management and food security in the basin.
Development and application of the FISHTRAC real-time remote monitoring tool for digital twinning of river basins in southern Africa
(Report, 2024-12-30) Kaiser-Reichel, A.; Burnett, M.; Dickens, Christopher; McNiel, T.; Retief, H.; Süßle, V.; Garcia Andarcia, Mariangel; O’Brien, G. C.
The natural world consists of various complex physical, biological and social systems that are connected and interact with each other. New technological developments are improving the ability of the managers of natural resources, to understand and contribute to the way we are developing using and sometime abusing our resources. Through the Digital Twin for management of water resources in the Limpopo River Basin we have an opportunity to integrate available sustainable environmental flows and water resource management technology into an integrated system, that will allow stakeholders of the Limpopo River and surrounding regions to understand, monitor and manage these resources for current and future generations. Fish are good ecological indicators and have been used for over 100 years by scientists to understand how ecosystems respond to changes in environmental conditions. The development of and use of water resources for agriculture, mining and industry and urban and peri-urban communities has affected the quality, flows and habitat of rivers. Scientists routinely use established biological methods or tools to evaluate the ecological consequences of changes, but these methods are usually reactive and used after impacts occur. The FISTRAC tool has been developed through the Limpopo River Digital Twin approach to allow stakeholders to use established fish behavioural monitoring methods in real-time to evaluate changes in river condition. The approach includes the integration of radio telemetry tagging and tracking methods with real-time monitoring approaches into an online web-based system. The FISHTRAC tool monitors the behaviour of tagged fish and water quality and flow variables in the real world. This is represented in real time on the Digital Twin systems. If pre-determined abnormalities in fish behaviour is observed and is correlated to changes in river flow or water quality the FISHTRAC Tool automatically evaluates the severity of the behavioural change and as such the environmental variable change, summarizes the information and alerts users to the information in real time. This tool developed for the Digital Twin has been tested in the Sabie and Crocodile Rivers in southern Africa and shows how new technology can be used to not only monitor ecosystems, but we can consider the biota of these ecosystem and use them to determine the consequence of how we use ecosystems in real to near-real time. The FISHTRAC tool has the potential to make a considerable contribution to the sustainable water resources in southern Africa through the Digital Twin system.
Real-time application of the PROBFLO framework risk approach as a part of the digital twin towards the implementation of environmental flows in the Limpopo Basin, southern Africa
(Report, 2024-12-30) O’Brien, G. C.; Wade, M.; Bembe, M. J.; Dickens, Christopher; McNiel, T.; Retief, H.; Silva, Paulo; Garcia Andarcia, Mariangel
The natural world consists of various complex physical, biological and social systems that are connected and interact with each other. New technological developments are improving the ability of the managers of our natural resources, to understand and contribute to the way we are developing using and sometime abusing our resources. Through the Digital Twin for management of water resources in the Limpopo River Basin we have an opportunity to integrate available sustainable environmental flows and water resource management technology into an integrated system, that will allow stakeholders of the Limpopo River and surrounding regions to understand, monitor and manage these resources for current and future generations. Environmental flow (e-flow) determination tools have been designed to provide stakeholders of rivers with the flow requirements needed to protect the river ecosystems. While useful as a development control these e-flows usually only represent a small part of the sustainable development problem that resource stakeholders face. Managers have the needs of people to consider and other stressors to manage including water pollution, habitat loss, barriers, alien invasive species and climate uncertainty. Modern PROBFLO e-flow determination applications in the Limpopo River Basin are holistic and considers flow and non-flow variables of change. The PROBFLO approach also considers the risk of natural, present, e-flow and future drought flow scenarios in the context of non-flow stressors to supporting, provisioning, regulatory and cultural services. This once off PROBFLO assessment has been useful but is not adaptable in its current form and while valuable the probability risk model was used once and is not available to managers of the water resources and people of the Limpopo Basin who consider a range of alternative development and protection scenarios. The real-time application of the PROBFLO framework risk approach for the Limpopo River through the Limpopo River Digital Twin solves this problem through the establishment of and testing on an internet based PROBFLO EFA application tool. The tool combines a range of software and the PROBFLO e-flow models into a single userfriendly tool that stakeholders can use to consider any past or present water use scenario for the Limpopo River. The PROBFLO EFA application tool was developed for the Balule River site on the Limpopo River and is available for roll out to the rest of the basin. The tool allows users to change the flow scenario and condition/state of any non-flow stressor including water pollution, habitat loss, barriers, alien invasive species etc. and evaluate the risk of this new scenario to the supporting, provisioning, regulatory and cultural services established in the PROBFLO assessment. Users can use the risk results to consider the risk of a range of unique scenarios including new development options, they can consider trade-off considerations between social and ecological endpoints and between locations throughout the basin. The PROBFLO EFA application tool is a useful component of the new Digital Twin for the Limpopo River basin and will contribute to sustainable water resource management in the region.
ICTforAg Learning Network
(Report, 2024) Angus, Dawn
ECOSat (Estimation of carbon offsets with satellites) - Final report
(Working Paper, 2024-12) Schulthess, Urs; Fonteyne, Simon; Gardeazabal Monsalve, Andrea
This study aimed to assess whether radar (Sentinel-1) and optical (Sentinel-2) satellite data could detect residue management practices and differentiate between conventional, minimal, and no tillage fields in Guanajuato, Mexico. The study used in-situ data collected by the CIMMYT-led MasAgro Guanajuato project, which tracks land preparation and crop management. Various tillage and residue indices were tested, including NDSVI, NDTI, and NDI5, based on Sentinel-2 bands. The conclusion suggests that most successful remote sensing applications for tillage detection and residue management rely on survey data. These data can then be used to train machine learning based algorithms.
Clarity tubes as effective citizen science tools for monitoring wastewater treatment works and rivers
(Journal Article, 2024-09) Graham, P. M.; Pattinson, N. B.; Lepheana, A. T.; Taylor, R. J.
Improved freshwater resource management requires the implementation of widespread, effective, and timely water quality monitoring. Conventional monitoring methods are often inhibited by financial, infrastructural, and human capacity limitations, especially in developing regions. This study aimed to validate the citizen-scientist-operated transparency or clarity tube (hereafter “clarity tube”) for measuring water clarity as a proxy for total suspended solids (TSS) concentration, a critical quality metric in river systems and wastewater treatment works (WWTW) effluent in Southern Africa. Clarity tubes provided a relatively accurate and precise proxy for TSS in riverine lotic systems and WWTW effluent, revealing significant inverse log- linear relationships between clarity and TSS with r 2 = 0.715 and 0.503, respectively. We demonstrate that clarity-derived estimates of TSS concentration (TSScde) can be used to estimate WWTW compliance with WWTW effluent TSS concentration regulations. The measurements can then be used to engage with WWTW management, potentially affecting WWTW performance. Overall, these findings demonstrate the usefulness of clarity tubes as low-cost, accessible, and easy-to-use citizen science tools for high spatial and temporal resolution water quality monitoring, not only in rivers in Southern Africa but also in WWTW effluent for estimating compliance, with strong global relevance to the sustainable development goals (SDGs).
Stakeholders Workshop on Farmer-Centric Digital Transformation of African Agriculture
(Report, 2024-12) Rupavatharam, Srikanth; Patil, Mukund; Gogumalla Pranuthi; Gumma, Murali Krishna; Kumar, Kishore G.; Kumar, Shalander; Jat, Mangi L.
The science of Digital Agriculture has been gaining prominence with the advent of fast-paced technological progress that can enhance last-mile delivery to smallholder farmers. Digital Agriculture offers a wide range of technology solutions for farmers, including smart farming, precision agriculture, data-driven decision support, extension systems, channels for improved market access, and financial services (Townsend et al., 2019). Digital Agriculture can contribute to increased productivity and profitability of farms and strengthen access to diverse marketing channels and resilience to climate change. However, in most cases, Digital Agriculture technologies have not been adequately accessed by smallholder farmers, women, and youth (CTA, 2019). The United Nations Secretary General’s strategy on the use of digital technologies to accelerate the achievement of SDGs identifies food security as a critical area that will be profoundly disrupted by advances in Digital Agriculture (United Nations, 2018). The CGIAR Research Initiative on Digital Innovation has achieved substantial progress, generating 207 results, including 101 knowledge products, 43 innovations, 18 capacity-sharing activities, four policy change results, and four innovation use results. The CGIAR focused on developing innovations across five Work Packages in 2024, such as online platforms for research and learning, digital twin systems, an index for assessing digital inclusiveness, and remote sensing analytics – we are on track to achieve all End of Initiative outcome goals in 2024.
The Vision of a Digital Public Infrastructure for Agriculture
(Book Chapter, 2024-12-23) Dhulipala, Ram; Mehrotra, Nipun; Kanitkar, Ajit
The book chapter is published on page no 105-121, by Ram Dhulipala, Nipun Mehrotra and Ajit Kanitkar. The authors published a policy brief in 2023 titled “The Vision of a Digital Public Infrastructure for Agriculture” for the T20/G20, which was subsequently selected out of 300+ briefs by the Government of India to be published as a detailed book chapter in 2024 in the G20 Compendium. The chapter emphasizes the dual challenge in agriculture of enhancing smallholder productivity and incomes while ensuring environmental sustainability. Digital technologies, when implemented responsibly, can address these issues by transforming agrifood systems. A conceptual approach termed "Digital Public Infrastructure for Agriculture" (DPI4A) focuses on equitable development in G20 nations, aligning with the IDEA framework from India. Key elements include ethical safeguards, public-private partnerships, and governance mechanisms. The chapter highlights G20 leadership in fostering partnerships, global pilots, and frameworks for collaboration to address climate change and equity challenges in agrifood systems.
A scalable crop yield estimation framework based on remote sensing of solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF)
(Journal Article, 2024-04) Kira, Oz; Wen, Jiaming; Han, Jimei; McDonald, Andrew J.; Barrett, Christopher B.; Ortiz-Bobea, Ariel; Liu, Yanyan; You, Liangzhi; Mueller, Nathaniel D.; Sun, Ying
Projected increases in food demand driven by population growth coupled with heightened agricultural vulnerability to climate change jointly pose severe threats to global food security in the coming decades, especially for developing nations. By providing real-time and low-cost observations, satellite remote sensing has been widely employed to estimate crop yield across various scales. Most such efforts are based on statistical approaches that require large amounts of ground measurements for model training/calibration, which may be challenging to obtain on a large scale in developing countries that are most food-insecure and climate-vulnerable. In this paper, we develop a generalizable framework that is mechanism-guided and practically parsimonious for crop yield estimation. We then apply this framework to estimate crop yield for two crops (corn and wheat) in two contrasting regions, the US Corn Belt US-CB, and India's Indo–Gangetic plain Wheat Belt IGP-WB, respectively. This framework is based on the mechanistic light reactions (MLR) model utilizing remotely sensed solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) as a major input. We compared the performance of MLR to two commonly used machine learning (ML) algorithms: artificial neural network and random forest. We found that MLR-SIF has comparable performance to ML algorithms in US-CB, where abundant and high-quality ground measurements of crop yield are routinely available (for model calibration). In IGP-WB, MLR-SIF significantly outperforms ML algorithms. These results demonstrate the potential advantage of MLR-SIF for yield estimation in developing countries where ground truth data is limited in quantity and quality. In addition, high-resolution and crop-specific satellite SIF is crucial for accurate yield estimation. Therefore, harnessing the mechanism-guided MLR-SIF and rapidly growing satellite SIF measurements (with high resolution and crop-specificity) hold promise to enhance food security in developing countries towards more effective responses to food crises, agricultural policies, and more efficient commodity pricing.
Multilateral collaborative partnerships and digital innovation in agri-food systems
(Working Paper, 2024-12) Metcalfe, Hannah; Gardeazabal Monsalve, Andrea
The digital transformation of food, land, and water (FLW) systems holds potential for sustainability and resilience but remains hindered by fragmentation, infrastructure deficits, and governance gaps. Unlike fintech and healthcare, where structured digital adoption has flourished, FLW systems require multilateral collaborative partnerships to scale innovations effectively. This working paper examines five case studies from Latin America, Africa, and South Asia, highlighting how strategic partnerships—including those led by CGIAR, IICA, AGRA, and private sector actors— drive digital adoption. Findings reveal that successful collaboration hinges on two interdependent processes: a technical process for identifying digital solutions and an incentive process for aligning stakeholder interests. Trust-building, clear governance, and equitable participation emerge as key enablers. Lessons from fintech and healthcare emphasize the need for regulatory clarity, interoperable data frameworks, and inclusive financing models to scale digital transformation. Moving forward, addressing data sovereignty, power asymmetries, and financing constraints through structured partnerships will be essential for unlocking the full potential of digital innovation in FLW systems.
Remote sensing applications for rice production monitoring in Senegal 2024
(Report, 2024-12-23) Murugesan, Deiveegan; Quicho, Emma; Mathieu, Renaud; Faye, Omar Ndaw; Kane, Babacar; Sall, Moussa; Gatti, Luca; Holecz, Francesco
Rice is a fundamental staple food in Senegal and many parts of West Africa, where it holds significant cultural, economic, and food security importance. Despite its vital role in the nation’s di and agricultural landscape, rice cultivation in Senegal has struggled to keep pace with rising consumption, and the country has imported most of the rice it consumes for many years. Most rice production occurs in the Senegal River Valley (SRV) in the northern region, where it is cultivated under intensive, irrigated systems. The Casamance region in the south mainly relies on rainfed rice farming. To achieve the goal of self-sufficiency, reduce imports, and encourage economic grow Senegal is taking many interventions to improve their rice production, while monitoring rice area and production estimates is crucial for designing/targeting interventions and for making sound policy decisions. As part of the ‘CGIAR Initiative: Digital Innovation’, IRRI is developing a digital platform for rice production monitoring for Senegal, with sarmap, Switzerland, and the Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles (ISRA). The goal is that the tool can be transferred to and implemented in Senegal Institutions to ensure long-term monitoring of rice crop production. The team first selected the SRV and irrigated lands for the pilot initiated in 2023 and extended the pil in the rainfed region of Casamance in the 2024 wet season. This report presents the activities and results of the development of the platform, including rice areas and yield, across Senegal during 2023-24 using the remote sensing-based Information and Insurance for Crops in Emerging Economies (RIICE) technologies.
Fostering Inclusive Adoption of RCM Through MDII Insights
(Blog Post, 2025-01-25) Singaraju, Niyati; Gakhar, Shalini
A study of rice farmers in India and Indonesia through the MDII framework revealed barriers and opportunities for the adoption and inclusiveness of agricultural digital tools like Rice Crop Manager, particularly for women and marginalized farmers. In today’s digital age, farmers adopt innovative tools to make more informed decisions in agrifood systems. One such application is the Rice Crop Manager (RCM), a web-based platform developed by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and its partners. Launched in 2013, RCM offers field-specific crop and nutrient management recommendations, empowering farmers by helping boost yields and increase incomes. In the Philippines, using RCM led to an average yield increase of at least 0.4 tons per hectare per crop, providing an additional net benefit of USD 100 per cropping season. In India, this impact was even more significant, with farmers achieving a yield increase of 0.5 tons per hectare, equating to an added net benefit of USD 150 per hectare per season. While these numbers demonstrate the tool’s potential, a key question remains: are its benefits reaching everyone, especially women and marginalized farmers?
5G technology and smart agriculture to aid Indian farmers
(Blog Post, 2024-01-25) Gakhar, Shalini; Sharma, Sheetal; Sahoo, Rabi
Since October 2022, India has embarked on the fastest rollout of 5G mobile data in the world, with average download speeds nearing 100 megabits per second. Agriculture is one of the fields set to be impacted: here we share five ways in which 5G can enable more productive smart farms in India.
Machine learning based gridded/ digital soil mapping for Kapiti Research Station and Wildlife Conservancy, Kenya
(Poster, 2024-11-29) Cherotich, Fredah; Leitner, Sonja; Pearce, F.; Rufino, Mariana C.; Quinton, J.; Dhulipala, Ram; Salavati, M.; Gluecks, Ilona V.; Whitbread, Anthony M.; Paliwal, Ambica
Enhancing Meghdoot: Integrating AI for Smarter Agricultural Advisories
(Report, 2024-12-29) Dhulipala, Ram; Singh, Kanika
Digital Innovation Initiative at ILRI, in collaboration with partners, is integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into Meghdoot to enhance its efficiency and accuracy. A pilot project has tested AI models, such as Random Forest regression, Naive Bayesian, and Stacked Models, alongside OpenAI prompt engineering. Conducted at three locations in India, the pilot has demonstrated promising results. Efforts are underway to refine machine learning models, incorporate expert knowledge, and explore techniques like noisy labels to improve advisory quality. A web-based platform has also been developed to automate advisory generation, allowing users to select parameters like location, crop type, and AI model. The system generates personalized advisories using historical, observed, and forecasted weather data. It provides both AI-generated and traditional advisories, along with weather forecasts and SMS summaries for easy dissemination. Moving forward, the goal is to integrate this AI-powered advisory system into Meghdoot, scaling it nationwide to improve agricultural decision-making, enhance sustainability, and increase resilience among farmers.
How ICTs are shaping sustainable and modern farming systems in India
(Blog Post, 2024-10-28) Gakhar, Shalini; Rai, Anil; Sharma, Sheetal
Advances in the field of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) are having a profound impact on the agricultural sector. After reaping the benefits of the Green Revolution, we are now poised to witness a new transformation through cutting-edge technologies of ICT, such as artificial intelligence (AI), the internet of things (IoT), robotics, edge computing, big data analytics, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), the blockchain, and remote sensors. ICT provides innovative solutions that boost efficiency, productivity, transparency, quality, profitability, and sustainability in farming practices. The value of the digital agriculture market was estimated to be USD 24.2 billion in 2024, and predicted to reach USD 39.8 billion in 2029, according to MarketsandMarkets
Reflexiones generales sobre la relevancia e impactos de la Semana de la Agricultura Digital
(Brochure, 2024) Instituto Interamericano de Ciencias Agrícolas
Empowering smallholder farmers with blockchain-enabled digital identities: the case of CIMMYT for traceability, financial inclusion and value chain integration
(Working Paper, 2024-12) Radic, Ivana; Gardeazabal Monsalve, Andrea
This paper examines the transformative potential of blockchain-enabled digital identities in empowering smallholder farmers, with a specific focus on CIMMYT’s initiatives in the Global South. By providing farmers with secure, verifiable credentials and data wallets, these technologies address critical challenges in financial inclusion, supply chain traceability, and data governance. Leveraging case studies from CIMMYT’s partnerships with Bluenumber and Identi, the paper explores the application of blockchain to enhance data ownership, improve market access, and foster transparency within agrifood systems. Findings highlight how digital identities enable farmers to control and monetize their data, access financial services, and comply with traceability standards, thereby strengthening their position in global value chains. Despite significant potential, challenges such as digital literacy gaps, infrastructure limitations, and regulatory disparities persist. The paper concludes with recommendations for scaling these solutions, emphasizing region-specific adaptations, collaborative frameworks, and robust data governance to maximize impact and inclusivity.

Browse

Recent Submissions