BAKU, Azerbaijan: The Agricultural Innovation Mechanism for Scale ( AIM for Scale ) unveiled its first innovation package at the COP29 Climate Action Summit, which aims to provide high-quality weather forecasts to support farmers adapt to the impacts of climate change. The mechanism aims to unlock further innovations to scale up solutions that address the interconnected challenges of climate change, food security and agriculture.

The Agricultural Innovation Mechanism for Scale ( AIM for Scale ), in collaboration with the Innovation Commission for Climate Change, Food Security and Agriculture, has designed a suite of innovations to provide weather forecasts to hundreds of millions of farmers around the world. The innovation package leverages the transformative power of AI to help national meteorological services provide high-quality weather forecasts to support farmers. Providing and disseminating these forecasts to millions of farmers can enhance resilience to climate variability, especially as climate change makes weather patterns less predictable. The process builds on previous efforts, takes into account the different needs of countries, and emphasizes the need for inclusiveness and gender equality to ensure equitable and wide-ranging impact.

A coalition of global partners has pledged significant investments over the next three years to support the implementation of the AIM for Scale weather forecasting innovation package.

As part of its Food Security Ambition 2022-2025, ADB plans to invest approximately $300 million in advanced weather forecasting to support the needs of farmers in Asia and the Pacific under the Bank’s food security portfolio for 2025-2027. The Bank also announced a $600,000 technical assistance grant to facilitate investment in this area. Food security is a top priority in ADB’s updated Strategy 2030.

The Inter-American Development Bank, for its part, expects to leverage weather forecasts to support its $280 million loan portfolio over the next three years. The bank announced a $600,000 grant program to help countries provide AI-based weather forecasts tailored to the needs of IDB agricultural lenders in Latin America and the Caribbean.

For its part, the World Bank is currently investing $1.46 billion in data, digital agriculture, and innovations that align with the goals of the AIM for Scale initiative. These investments, including some $591 million in Africa, support geo-referenced farmer records, soil information systems, smart climate advisories, early warning systems, and agricultural pest diagnostics, and will now provide the ultimate tool for communicating high-quality weather information to millions of farmers in Africa.

USAID and NASA, in collaboration with Congress and through President Joe Biden’s Emergency Plan for Adaptation and Resilience, announced plans to expand the SERVIR program to Central America with a $6.6 million investment in the Center for Tropical Agriculture Research and Higher Education ( CATIE ); the new regional center will launch in early December. SERVIR uses satellite data and geospatial technology to expand access to early warning systems to help communities prepare for and adapt to extreme weather events. The new SERVIR center in Central America will work with local and regional partners to strengthen the resilience of more than 40 million people, including 11 million people directly involved in agriculture.

India's Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare plans to provide digital weather forecasts to tens of millions of farmers, building on a successful initiative that reached 9.45 million people in 2024.

MIT and Community Jameel announced the expansion of the Jameel Resource Observatory ( CREWSnet ) using climate modeling, research, and technological innovation to support 8 million smallholder farmers in Bangladesh at risk from climate change, in collaboration with BRAC .

MBZUAI and the University of Chicago – represented by their Human-Centered Weather Forecasting and AI for Climate initiatives – in collaboration with the World Meteorological Organization and the UN Systematic Observations Financing Facility (SOFF) have launched a research and training programme to improve access to high-quality weather forecasts powered by AI to support farmers in more than 30 low- and middle-income countries. The programme will leverage the SOFF’s peer advisory network to provide ongoing support to national meteorological services.

WMO will provide guidance and technical assistance on weather monitoring, data management and exchange, weather forecasting, and the development and delivery of agro-weather and climate services.

The UN Systematic Observation Funding Facility has committed to supporting countries – particularly small island developing States and least developed countries – to fill existing large gaps in weather and climate data through long-term grant funding and peer-to-peer technical assistance.

Her Excellency Dr. Amna bint Abdullah Al Dahhak, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, welcomed the launch of AIM for Scale , following the significant achievements of the AIM for Climate initiative. Her Excellency said: “Three years ago, during our participation in COP26 , the UAE – in collaboration with the United States – launched the AIM for Climate initiative to mobilize investment in food system innovations around the world. We have already achieved great success in this. Today, with the launch of AIM for Scale , we are accelerating efforts to develop promising climate-friendly agricultural innovations and remove obstacles to their scaling up.”

For her part, Her Excellency Mariam Almheiri, Director of the International Affairs Office at the Presidential Court, stressed the importance of international cooperation, saying: “The partnership between the UAE and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation aims to support initiatives such as the Weather Forecast Innovation Package launched by the Agricultural Innovation Mechanism for Scale ( AIM for Scale ) during COP29 . Through this partnership, we seek to accelerate efforts to transform food systems and climate action, as many innovations can contribute to improving the lives of people whose livelihoods are threatened by climate change, but more coordination and targeted investments are needed.”

“More and better data will enhance weather forecasts, early warning systems and climate information services for agriculture and other vital economic sectors, while filling key data gaps will enrich relevant AI models,” said Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization. “Agriculture is undoubtedly one of the sectors most vulnerable to climate change, and more partnerships are needed to ensure that weather and climate services are provided to farmers to enhance resilience and adaptation in agriculture.”

Dr. Abdulla Al Mandous, President of the World Meteorological Organization and Director-General of the National Center of Meteorology in the UAE, stressed the importance of providing farmers with high-quality weather information. He said: “The launch of the AIM for Scale Weather Forecast Innovation Package is a major step forward in supporting millions of farmers whose livelihoods are threatened by climate change. This innovation package provides them with access to accurate weather forecasts that help them adapt to unexpected weather conditions. This initiative underscores the importance of partnerships, technology and data in building climate resilience for communities that need it most.”

“As a climate finance leader, ADB recognizes the importance of weather forecasts to advance climate adaptation in Asia and the Pacific,” said Ms. Fatima Yasmin, Vice President for Sectors, Asian Development Bank. “The Bank has joined this partnership to enhance access to high-quality weather forecasts across economic sectors, scale up evidence-based investments, enhance farmers’ access to accurate weather forecasts, and enable digital agriculture capabilities.”

“Hunger and food insecurity have worsened dramatically in Latin America and the Caribbean over the past decade. Increasing agricultural productivity, especially for smallholder farmers, will be essential to reversing this trend,” said Jordan Schwartz, Executive Vice President of the Inter-American Development Bank. “Providing more accurate and timely weather forecasts to smallholder farmers will improve decision-making on planting, harvesting and fertilizer use, leading to increased incomes and poverty reduction.”

Nobel laureate Michael Kremer, Chair of the Innovation Commission for Climate Change, Food Security and Agriculture and Chair of the Advisory Group of the Scaling Up Agricultural Innovation Mechanism, highlighted the importance of these investments: “There is ample evidence that smallholder farmers benefit from high-quality weather forecasts. However, the challenge remains in making these forecasts available to hundreds of millions of farmers around the world. The Scaling Up Agricultural Innovation Mechanism is a vital step in bridging this gap by leveraging new investments and global partnerships.”

Commenting on the launch of the research and training program to improve farmers’ access to high-quality weather forecasts, Professor Timothy Baldwin, MBZUAI Provost and Professor of Natural Language Processing, said: “MBZUAI is proud to harness the power of AI to identify and develop solutions that will deliver high-impact, real-world impact. Like many sectors, agriculture is impacted by climate change, and farmers – particularly in the Global South – need timely and reliable access to data that can support decision-making and national food security agendas. As a leading AI research university, we are committed to supporting farmers’ access to high-quality AI-powered weather forecasts in 30 low- and middle-income countries.”

Throughout its COP28 Presidency, the UAE has highlighted the potential of agricultural innovation as a critical driver to help communities adapt and transform food systems to address climate change. Key announcements on food security and climate action were made at the COP29 Climate Action Summit, as the international community seeks to build on the momentum behind the implementation of the COP28 Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems and Climate Action (the Declaration), adopted by 160 countries in Dubai .

The Agricultural Innovation for Scale ( AIM for Scale ) was first announced at COP28 as part of a new partnership between the UAE and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. This mechanism embodies the efforts of several partners to transform evidence-based and cost-effective innovations into large-scale innovations to support farmers affected by climate change.

The Innovation Commission for Climate Change, Food Security and Agriculture is an independent initiative of the University of Chicago to identify cutting-edge innovations with the highest impact and cost-effectiveness, as well as other early-stage innovations that are expected to generate high returns and are recommended for scaling up.

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