The United Arab Emirates has unveiled a new artificial intelligence–driven ecosystem aimed at strengthening climate-resilient agriculture worldwide, positioning the country as a global hub for applied AI solutions in food security and climate adaptation.
Launched in Abu Dhabi in partnership with the Gates Foundation, the initiative builds on the US$200 million collaboration announced during COP28 and focuses on delivering practical, scalable technologies to regions most affected by climate volatility. The ecosystem targets smallholder farmers facing increasing threats from droughts, floods and extreme temperatures, particularly in the Global South.
The announcement was made in the presence of Mariam Almheiri, Head of the International Affairs Office at the UAE Presidential Court, and Bill Gates, Chair of the Gates Foundation. Following the launch, an immersive showcase demonstrated how the UAE is integrating AI infrastructure, academic research and international partnerships to convert climate data into deployable agricultural tools.
At the centre of the initiative is a coordinated framework of four programmes designed to connect research, AI model development and on-the-ground implementation. Among them is the CGIAR AI Hub, which leverages more than five decades of agricultural research data to improve crop modelling, yield forecasting and climate-adaptive farming methods.
The ecosystem also includes the Institute for Agriculture and Artificial Intelligence at Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), focusing on AI capacity-building, digital advisory tools and research collaboration for governments and development organisations.
Another key component is AgriLLM, an open-source large language model trained on agricultural and climate datasets to support policy formulation, research and advisory services. Additionally, AIM for Scale, based at NYU Abu Dhabi, will expand AI-powered weather forecasting and climate advisory services, following successful deployment that reached an estimated 38 million farmers in India in 2025.
Officials said the initiative reflects a shift from experimentation to impact, reinforcing the UAE’s commitment to using advanced technology to support global food security and climate adaptation.
