What Do Farmers Want? AI, Agriculture and Climate Resilience
Agriculture sits at the frontline of climate change. Across Asia, farmers are increasingly confronting rising temperatures, shifting rainfall patterns, water stress, ecosystem degradation, volatile markets, and more frequent extreme weather events. Building resilient agricultural systems capable of adapting to these interconnected pressures has become a critical priority for governments, development agencies, researchers, and farming communities alike. These challenges are often most acute for smallholder farmers and agricultural SMEs, who face additional constraints related to access to technology, finance, infrastructure, and digital capacity, yet play a central role in regional food systems.
At the same time, artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly embedded across agricultural systems. From climate forecasting and pest prediction to precision irrigation, crop monitoring, agricultural advisories, insurance, finance, and supply chain management, AI is influencing how information is generated, decisions are made, risks are assessed, and interventions are designed across the food system. Governments, development organisations, agribusinesses, and technology companies are investing in AI-enabled solutions as part of broader efforts to transform agriculture and strengthen food security.
As climate change intensifies pressures on food systems, there is growing urgency to understand how AI can contribute not only to productivity gains but also to long-term resilience and farmer well-being. Will AI strengthen farmers’ ability to anticipate and respond to climate risks? How might it reshape relationships between farmers, governments, technology companies, and agricultural institutions?
This participatory workshop will bring together smallholder farmers, farmers’ organisations, agricultural SMEs, researchers, policymakers, climate adaptation practitioners, technology developers, and civil society actors to examine how AI may influence the ways agricultural risks are understood, decisions are made, and resilience is built across food systems.