GI-AI4FS Second Meeting Held at IMC 2026 in New Delhi

The Telecommunication Engineering Centre (TEC), a body under the Department of Telecommunications in the Ministry of Communications, hosted the second meeting of the United Nations Global Initiative on AI for Agri-Food Systems (GI-AI4FS) in New Delhi. The sitting ran alongside India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2026 and was organised jointly with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), which comes under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

Who runs the initiative

GI-AI4FS is a global initiative of the United Nations and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) acts as its coordinator. Three other UN bodies work on it closely with the ITU: the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP). About 70 delegates came to the New Delhi meeting in person and another 25 joined online. They were drawn from international organisations, government departments, farm research institutes, universities, industry and standards development bodies.

Who spoke

The inaugural session opened with remarks by Dr. Sebastian Bosse, Chair of GI-AI4FS. Keynote speakers who followed were Mr. Krishnan Pallassana, Senior Specialist for Strategy, Innovation and Partnerships at the FAO; Dr. Bilel Jamoussi, Deputy Director of the ITU's Telecommunication Standardization Bureau (TSB); Dr. A. K. Nayak, Deputy Director General for Natural Resource Management at ICAR; and Mr. Syed Tausif Abbas, Senior Deputy Director General and Head of TEC.

What the meeting took up

Speakers set out the widening place of artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and digital connectivity in farming. Connected sensors, weather stations, drones, satellite-based systems and AI analytics were described as tools for precision agriculture, better use of scarce inputs, early detection of crop disease and sounder decisions by farmers. Digital methods were also tied to traceability, smaller losses after harvest and leaner farm supply chains. The agenda covered the initiative's own machinery too: a proposed governance and coordination structure, the naming and confirmation of Working Group Chairs, Co-Chairs and members, the terms of reference of those groups, and the first priority areas and work streams.

Hackathon before the meeting

A two-day international hackathon on AI for agri-food systems was held on 8-9 October 2026 at the ICAR campus in New Delhi, again hosted by TEC and ICAR together. Students, researchers, developers and innovators built working answers to real problems in farming and food. Shortlisted teams showed their solutions at the GI-AI4FS meeting, and an award ceremony recognised the winning entries along with partners and mentors.