AI for Food Security Forum: Data Ecosystems for AI-Enabled Solutions

This panel session from the CSIS Global Food and Water Security Program’s AI for Food Security Forum will feature an in-depth conversation among Gates Foundation Principal Officer for Agriculture Development Ruben Echeverria, UN World Food Programme Early Warning and Forecasting Head of Unit Kyriacos Koupparis, Helios AI CEO and Co-Founder Francisco Martin-Rayo, and International Fertilizer Development Center Senior Scientist and Economist Latha Nagarajan, moderated by CSIS Senior Associate (Non-resident) Robert Bertram.

The conversation will explore how AI can shape the ways data is uncovered, created, obtained, and shared among those who use it for global food security. The panel will also address the risks of widespread data collection and availability—and how these risks can be mitigated. 

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

Speaker Information

Rob Bertram served as chief scientist for food security at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) from 2014 to 2025, where he led agricultural and food systems research under the Feed the Future initiative. These investments advanced technologies, practices, and policies aimed at reducing hunger, extreme poverty, and child stunting through inclusive agricultural growth and expanded access to affordable, high-quality diets. During this period—and for many years prior—he represented USAID in the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and other international research centers and led the development of U.S. university–based (Innovation Labs) and public-private research partnerships. His work on genetic resources included providing scientific support to International Treaty negotiations, chairing the Commission on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, and leading USAID support for the Global Crop Diversity Trust. He also served in leadership roles within the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ Global Action on Fall Armyworm and the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement. Prior to joining USAID, he worked in dryland agricultural research with the CGIAR and with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s international programs. He currently serves as chief scientist for the Food Security Leadership Council.

Dr. Ruben Echeverria is currently Principal Officer, Agricultural Development, at the Gates Foundation, based in Washington DC. Among other tasks, he coordinates the Foundation’s partnership with the CGIAR. Prior to joining the Foundation in October 2021 Ruben has worked on international food, agriculture, and rural development issues - with emphasis on agricultural innovation – for more than 30 years. Ruben is Director General Emeritus of the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT-CGIAR) based in Cali, Colombia. He led CIAT from 2009 to 2019 expanding operations into Africa and Asia and in 2019 promoted the creation of the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT. During 2020-2021 Ruben was Chair of the Global Commission on Sustainable Agricultural Intensification (COSAI) and Sr. Advisor on Agricultural and Rural Innovation to the FAO Latin America and the Caribbean regional office; and a Sr. Research Fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI-CGIAR) based in Washington DC. 

Ruben studied Agronomy at the University of Uruguay (B.Sc.) and Agriculture Economics at the University of Minnesota, USA (M.Sc. and Ph.D.) with special emphasis on the economics of technical and institutional change. He has received numerous international awards and has had leadership management training at Harvard, USA and IMD, Switzerland and belongs to several professional associations. Among other activities he was a Member of the High-Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition of the Committee of Food Security (2021-2025), a member of Scientific Advisory Board of the UNFSS Hub (2023-2024) and Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Catalan Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology (IRTA) during 2018-24.

Dr. Kyriacos Koupparis is a global leader at the intersection of technology, innovation, and social impact. He heads the UN World Food Programme’s Early Warning and Forecasting Unit, where his team applies AI and advanced analytics to anticipate food crises and support humanitarian decision-making across WFP operations worldwide. With over 15 years of experience in international development and tech-driven innovation, Kyriacos previously led pioneering initiatives in AI, blockchain, and frontier technologies at WFP’s Innovation Accelerator and within the U.S. government—tackling challenges from food systems and urban resilience to digital inclusion. His contributions have earned him recognition as a Yale World Fellow and a Rockefeller-Acumen Food Systems Fellow. Kyriacos holds a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from the University of California, San Francisco, and has completed executive programs at Yale and UC Berkeley. His interdisciplinary approach and strategic vision continue to shape how emerging technologies drive sustainable development. 

Francisco Martin-Rayo is the Co-Founder and CEO of Helios AI, where he is focused on building a more resilient and transparent global food system. A former avocado trader turned entrepreneur, Francisco has spent his career at the intersection of technology, trade, and climate adaptation, working to protect the world’s food supply from the increasing volatility of climate change.

Before founding Helios AI, Francisco served as Chief Commercial Officer at Deep Labs AI and as a Principal at the Boston Consulting Group, where he led digital transformation initiatives for Fortune 100 companies. His hands-on experience in global agricultural markets shaped his passion for sustainable sourcing and data-driven climate resilience.

Francisco holds an MPP from Harvard University, a B.Sc. in Economics from the Wharton School, and a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania. He has been quoted in the Financial Times, Nikkei Asia, Bloomberg, Fast Company, and Inc.com. Beyond his work at Helios, Francisco is on the Board of Directors for She Should Run, a 501(c)3 dedicated to electing 250,000 women to office. He resides in Middleburg, VA with his wife and two children.

Dr. Latha Nagarajan joined IFDC in 2011. She previously served as the Director of the SOILS Consortium. Nagarajan has previously headed the institution-wide MELS systems and coordinated the Feed the Future SFT Project. She is an Applied and Agricultural Economist, with specific focus on project and program evaluation and assessment of agricultural technologies adoption, input market interventions and policy research. She has been also involved in studying the seed systems and markets in south Asia and sub-Saharan African countries with several development partners and works closely the Rutgers University Feed the Future Policy Research Consortium. Prior to IFDC, Nagarajan worked at Rutgers University as faculty research professor managing projects funded through Gates Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation and USAID; post-doctoral researcher at IFPRI, managing research in India, Kenya and Niger; graduate research positions at the applied economics department, University of Minnesota; and economist and project manager for projects at the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, India.  

Nagarajan holds a Ph.D. in applied economics from the University of Minnesota, with bachelor’s and master’s degree in Agricultural Sciences, and Business Management from India, and has published articles in peer reviewed journals.