AI for Food Security Forum

April 30, 2026 • 8:30 am – 6:00 pm EDT

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Global Food and Water Security Program

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Please join the CSIS Global Food and Water Security Program on Thursday, April 30 at 8:30 a.m. ET for the Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Food Security Forum, bringing together U.S. and global policymakers, technology developers, financers, researchers, and implementing partners working at the forefront of AI for food security.

Join us, and the member organizations of the AI Collaborative: Food Security, for cross-cutting discussions that explore the promises and risks of AI-enabled technologies for food security. The AI.FS Forum will address what is needed to ensure that AI will be an effective tool—in high-income economies and in the Global South—to strengthen agricultural productivity, enhance data ecosystems, build more resilient food systems, and ultimately contribute to the realization of a more food-secure world.

This conference is made possible by generous support from Google.org.

Event Agenda

Attendee Registration

8:30 am

Opening Remarks

9:30 am

Enoh T. Ebong, President, CSIS Global Development Department

Caitlin Welsh, Director, CSIS Global Food and Water Security Program

Plenary Panel I: Enhancing Global Food Systems with AI

10:00 am

Franck Gbaguidi, Managing Director, Global Sustainability, Biodiversity & Water, Eurasia Group; Senior Associate (Non-Resident), CSIS Global Food and Water Security Program (Moderator)

Eric Firnhaber, Global Director, External Relations, Digital Green

David Hughes, Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Chair in Global Food Security, Penn State University

Yanyan Liu, Senior Research Fellow, Markets, Trade, and Institutions, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), CGIAR

Catherine Nakalembe, Assistant Professor, Geospatial AI, University of Maryland; Founder, Xylem Lab and Xylem Institute

 

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Coffee Break

10:50 am

AI for Food Security: Technical Demonstrations - World Bank DIME AI

11:05 am

Philipp Zimmer, ZeroHungerAI Project Lead, World Bank DIME AI

 

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Plenary Panel II: Data Ecosystems for AI-Enabled Solutions

11:20 am

Robert Bertram, Chief Scientist, Food Security Leadership Council; Senior Associate (Non-Resident), CSIS Global Food and Water Security Program (Moderator)

Ruben Echeverria, Principal Officer, Agricultural Development, Gates Foundation

Kyriacos Koupparis, Head of Unit, Early Warning and Forecasting, World Food Programme (WFP)

Francisco Martin-Rayo, CEO & Co-Founder, Helios AI

Latha Nagarajan, Senior Scientist and Economist, International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC)

 

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AI for Food Security: Technical Demonstrations - CGIAR

12:10 pm

Jawoo Koo, Deputy Director, Digital Transformation Accelerator, CGIAR

 

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Lunch

12:30 pm

AI for Food Security: Technical Demonstrations - TomorrowNow

1:45 pm

Brian Miranda, CEO, TomorrowNow


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Plenary Panel III: AI & Food Security – The Geopolitical Moment

2:00 pm

Vivian Salama, Staff Writer, The Atlantic (Moderator)

Helga Flores Trejo, Vice President, Special Envoy Multilateral Affairs & Sustainability, Bayer

Joe Glauber, Senior Research Fellow, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), CGIAR; Senior Advisor (Non-Resident), CSIS Global Food and Water Security Program

Michele Quintaglie, Global Head of Communications, World Food Programme (WFP)

 

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Coffee Break

3:00 pm

AI for Food Security: Technical Demonstrations - NASA Harvest

3:15 pm

Mike Humber, Data Lead, NASA Harvest

Fernanda Argueta, Co-Lead, Markets, Trade, & Supply Chains, NASA Harvest

 

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Plenary Panel IV: Implementing AI for Food Security – From Inspiration to Action

3:30 pm

Caitlin Welsh, Director, CSIS Global Food and Water Security Program (Moderator)

Judy Chambers, Director, Program for Biosafety Systems, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), CGIAR

Olivia Graham, Product Manager, Google

Crystal Haijing Huang, Senior Economist and Director, IDinsight

Amen Ra Mashariki, Director, AI and Data Strategies, Bezos Earth Fund

Aalok Mehta, Director, CSIS Wadhwani AI Center

 

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Closing Remarks

4:30 pm

Caitlin Welsh, Director, CSIS Global Food and Water Security Program

Networking Reception

4:30 pm

Tags

Artificial Intelligence, Food Security, International Development, Data Governance, and Technology and Innovation

Hosted By

Contact Information

Media Queries

Caitlin Welsh

Caitlin Welsh

Director, Global Food and Water Security Program
Jon B. Alterman

Zane Swanson

Deputy Director, Global Food and Water Security Program
Robert Bertram

Robert Bertram

Senior Associate (Non-resident), Global Food and Water Security Program
Franck Gbaguidi

Franck Gbaguidi

Senior Associate (Non-resident), Global Food and Water Security Program
Joseph Glauber

Joseph Glauber

Senior Adviser (Non-resident), Global Food and Water Security Program
Vivian Salama

Vivian Salama

Staff Writer, The Atlantic
Fernanda Argueta

Fernanda Argueta

Co-Lead, Markets, Trade, & Supply Chains, NASA Harvest
Judy Chambers

Judy Chambers

Director, Program for Biosafety Systems, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), CGIAR
Ruben Echeverria

Ruben Echeverria

Principal Officer, Agricultural Development, Gates Foundation
Eric Firnhaber

Eric Firnhaber

Global Director, External Relations, Digital Green
Helga Flores Trejo

Helga Flores Trejo

Vice President, Special Envoy Multilateral Affairs & Sustainability, Bayer
Olivia Graham

Olivia Graham

Product Manager, Google
Crystal Haijing Huang

Crystal Haijing Huang

Senior Economist and Director, IDinsight
David Hughes

David Hughes

Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Chair in Global Food Security, Penn State University
Mike Humber

Mike Humber

Data Lead, NASA Harvest
Jawoo Koo

Jawoo Koo

Deputy Director, Digital Transformation Accelerator, CGIAR
Kyriacos Koupparis

Kyriacos Koupparis

Head of Unit, Early Warning and Forecasting, World Food Programme (WFP)
Yanyan Liu

Yanyan Liu

Senior Research Fellow, Markets, Trade, and Institutions, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), CGIAR
Francisco Martin-Rayo

Francisco Martin-Rayo

CEO & Co-Founder, Helios AI
Amen Ra Mashariki

Amen Ra Mashariki

Director, AI and Data Strategies, Bezos Earth Fund
Brian Miranda

Brian Miranda

CEO, TomorrowNow
Latha Nagarajan

Latha Nagarajan

Senior Scientist and Economist, International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC)
5Nakalembe

Catherine Nakalembe

Assistant Professor, Geospatial AI, University of Maryland; Founder, Xylem Lab & Xylem Institute
Michele Quintaglie

Michele Quintaglie

Global Head of Communications, World Food Programme (WFP)
Philipp Zimmer

Philipp Zimmer

ZeroHungerAI Project Lead, World Bank DIME AI

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