The U.S. National Science Foundation, in coordination with research agencies from Australia, India, and Japan, announced the first cohort of awards under the Advancing Innovations for Empowering NextGen AGriculturE (AI-ENGAGE) initiative. The $2.4 million U.S. investment supports six international research projects that apply artificial intelligence and emerging technologies to strengthen agricultural resilience across the United States and the Indo-Pacific region.
AI-ENGAGE is a collaborative effort involving NSF, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, the Japan Science and Technology Agency, and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. The program represents a Quad initiative, highlighting cooperation among the four nations to advance critical and emerging technology research in agriculture.
“By integrating current and emerging technologies, like AI, into agriculture, we are advancing scientific frontiers to provide U.S. farmers and their international counterparts with tools they need to increase crop yields, more effectively manage pests, strengthen agricultural resilience and ensure a more secure food supply,” said Brian Stone, performing the duties of NSF director.
Funded Projects and Goals
The six awarded projects involve researchers from at least three of the four Quad nations and cover a variety of AI-enabled agricultural applications:
- Purdue University: Autonomous aerial and ground robots for early disease detection in apple orchards.
- Iowa State University: “BRIDGE,” an AI smartphone app and chatbot for real-time pest and disease management.
- Kansas State University: “Smart Scout,” a computer vision system for soybean yield estimation and lodging detection.
- Missouri University of Science and Technology / University of Tennessee: “HARVEST,” a multimodal AI system for corn and rice pest and nutrient management.
- Washington State University: AI-driven genomic selection models to develop resilient, high-yield wheat varieties.
- Cornell University: Image-based phenotyping tools to accelerate breeding of tomatoes, onions, and strawberries.
The initiative leverages approximately $2.4 million in NSF funding for U.S.-based researchers, alongside $4 million contributed by partner agencies supporting research in their respective countries, totalling over $6 million in combined investment.
By requiring international collaboration, AI-ENGAGE ensures an exchange of expertise and data while advancing practical AI solutions for global agriculture.
