PIB · Government of India ·

Second meeting of UN Global Initiative on AI for Agri-Food Systems held at IMC 2026 in New Delhi

Distilled Policy Brief

  • The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) co-hosted the second meeting of the UN Global Initiative on AI for Agri-Food Systems (GI-AI4FS) at India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2026 in New Delhi.
  • GI-AI4FS is coordinated by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in close collaboration with FAO, IFAD, and WFP to promote responsible applications of AI and IoT in transforming agri-food systems.
  • The event featured the outcomes of a two-day international hackathon held at ICAR, showcasing innovative AI and IoT solutions for precision agriculture, resource optimization, and supply chain efficiency.

🎯 Prelims High-Yield Examination Points

The Global Initiative on AI for Agri-Food Systems (GI-AI4FS) is a UN global initiative coordinated by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) along with FAO, IFAD, and WFP, focusing on the integration of AI and IoT in agriculture.

⚖️ Mains Analytical & Syllabus Linkages

Discuss the role of emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) in transforming traditional agriculture into precision farming, enhancing supply chain efficiencies, and ensuring food security.

🎯 UPSC Prelims Practice Drill

Science & Technology

With reference to the Global Initiative on AI for Agri-Food Systems (GI-AI4FS), consider the following statements: 1. It is a UN initiative coordinated by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in collaboration with FAO, IFAD, and WFP. 2. The second meeting of GI-AI4FS was co-hosted in New Delhi by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  • [A] 1 only
  • [B] 2 only
  • [C] Both 1 and 2
  • [D] Neither 1 nor 2
▶ Reveal Official Answer & Analytical Explanation
✓ Correct Option: [C] Both 1 and 2

Statement 1 is correct as GI-AI4FS is coordinated by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in close collaboration with FAO, IFAD, and WFP to promote AI and IoT applications in agri-food systems. Statement 2 is correct because the Telecommunication Engineering Centre (DoT) and ICAR co-hosted the second meeting of this initiative in New Delhi during IMC 2026.

Tark High-Yield Question Bank ⚡ Practice Full Test in Testing Arena ↗

🏛️ Historical Twin PYQ Anchor (2021)

UPSC Prelims 2021

Consider the following statements regarding the "National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)": 1. It is implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. 2. Central Pollution Control Board acts as the sole regulatory executive body.

Forensic Anchor: Cabinet Allocation of Business Rules & NCAP Framework
Examiner Trap Takeaway: UPSC swapped Central Pollution Control Board role with State Pollution Control Boards for state-level monitoring.

📚 Static Syllabus & Constitutional Linkages

Precision Agriculture: Use of technology and data analytics to optimize agricultural inputs (water, fertilizer, pesticides) on a sub-field level to maximize yields and minimize environmental impact.
Internet of Things (IoT) in Agriculture: Deployment of connected sensors and automated systems for real-time monitoring of soil moisture, crop health, and environmental parameters.