AI for Climate Resilience in Rural Areas

Harness AI for rural resilience. Make a real impact with your solution and receive equity-free seed funding for pilot testing, get coached by industry experts, and gain access to other opportunities.

group

Teams of
1 - 10 people

Challenge Background

Climate change is one of the most critical challenges of our time, particularly for rural communities in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and other parts of the world. Rural areas, which heavily rely on agriculture and natural resources, are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, such as extreme weather events, water scarcity, and disruptions in food production and face increasing challenges to their resilience and livelihoods.

AI's innovative solutions can promote sustainability and empower communities to adapt, securing a resilient future for our planet by analyzing vast data, identifying patterns, and offering insights into climate trends and weather changes. It enables proactive strategies for mitigating climate risks and precise forecasting of extreme weather events. AI-driven precision agriculture optimizes resource usage, while climate-resilient infrastructure withstands harsh conditions. In order to promote effective climate adaptation, resource management, and disaster preparedness in rural contexts, there is a pressing need for innovative, ethical, and AI-driven solutions. Embracing these cutting-edge approaches will help address vulnerabilities, foster sustainable development, and enhance the resilience of rural communities.

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), CGIAR Accelerate for Impact Platform, The Asian Development Bank (ADB), IDB Lab, the World Food Programme Innovation Accelerator, and World Bank Technology & Innovation Lab recognize the urgent need to address climate resilience in rural areas. To harness the potential of technology and innovation, these Moonshots for Development partner organizations are jointly spearheading the "AI for Climate Resilience in Rural Areas” Open Innovation Challenge.

Join the AI for Climate Resilience in Rural Areas Innovation Challenge for the chance to be one of the three companies to receive up to US$50,000 seed funding to test your solution in a selected region together with one or more of the sponsoring organizations and be the driving force in shaping climate-resilient rural communities.

Objectives and Outcomes

The primary objective of this challenge is to leverage the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to foster climate resilience in rural communities and promote sustainable development. Specifically, this challenge asks participants to answer:

How can we effectively leverage AI-driven solutions that prioritize ethical considerations and empower rural communities in vulnerable regions, enabling them to adapt to climate change and build long-term climate resilience?

The Challenge aims to:

Identify and support innovative AI-driven solutions that address climate change impacts in rural areas, with a particular focus on agriculture, natural resource management, and disaster risk reduction.

Encourage responsible and ethical use of AI, considering the privacy, data protection, and transparency concerns that may arise.

Foster collaboration between innovators, development practitioners, and rural communities to co-create solutions that are context-specific and inclusive.

Identify scalable and sustainable solutions that have the potential to be replicated in other regions or countries.

The specific outcomes of this challenge will be:

Seed funding of piloting one AI-driven solution in a selected region. To facilitate the process of finding the most suitable landing space for the pilot, the shortlisted companies will be strategically paired with initiatives or projects undertaken by the organizing agencies or partner organizations of the challenge. This matching process serves several crucial purposes, including leveraging existing expertise, fostering synergy and collaboration, resource optimization, accelerating progress and promoting scalability and sustainability of innovative solutions.

Target Areas

The challenge will focus on the following key areas where AI can play a transformative role in enhancing climate resilience in rural communities:

The challenge places a strong emphasis on ensuring that all solutions developed in the key areas of AI for enhancing climate resilience in rural communities are designed with a mindful consideration of diversity and inclusivity, with a particular consideration for women, youth, and indigenous communities. Participants are encouraged to incorporate a deep understanding of the diverse needs, perspectives, and contributions of all community members in their innovative AI applications and strategies.