Innovations in artificial intelligence are already transforming agriculture, providing real-time weather forecasts, connecting farmers to markets and detecting crop diseases. But here’s the crucial question: Does AI help everyone equally, or are women farmers, who are the backbone of agriculture, being left behind?

Women make up 43% of the global agricultural workforce, but they face persistent challenges: limited access to land, credit, technology and training. Women employed in agriculture also face low wages, informality, poor working conditions and a lack of social protection.

These barriers hinder women’s ability to make informed decisions about their farms, impacting productivity.

The digital revolution, particularly AI, offers the opportunity to address some of these disparities. But without an inclusive approach, AI could just as easily exacerbate existing inequalities.

Globally, artificial intelligence is being touted as a revolutionary tool; is expected to double Africa’s GDP growth rate by 2035 and increase GDP by 10-18% in Southeast Asia by 2030.

Companies like Neurafarm in Indonesia have developed AI-based solutions to detect plant diseases and recommend treatment solutions to farmers, while Ignitia in Ghana has developed climate intelligence and forecasting solutions for businesses agri-food industries, thus providing essential support to small farmers.

However, these advances risk perpetuating gender bias if women farmers are not included in the data used to develop and test these technologies. Most large AI companies are led by men, and 70% of the industry’s workforce is made up of men.

Additionally, AI models for agriculture often rely on training data collected primarily from male farmers. This means that algorithms are designed to solve problems from men’s perspectives, leaving farmers aside, such as access to land or the double burden of unpaid domestic work, unique challenges faced by women.

Without targeted interventions, the digital gender divide will continue to widen, putting women farmers at a disadvantage in adopting new technologies like artificial intelligence.

So how can we ensure that AI benefits women as much as men?

Design and develop inclusive AI

First, we need gender-balanced data to train AI models to eliminate any misreporting. Developers should ensure that training data includes input from both male and female farmers to reflect the diverse challenges they face.

Involving women in the design, testing and development of AI tools will help create solutions that are not only technologically sound, but also socially inclusive and acceptable.

Open data

Second, making agricultural data freely accessible can encourage the development of more inclusive artificial intelligence technologies.

Stakeholders must make data freely accessible to all people and entities. Governments, technology companies and women’s organizations should collaborate to ensure that men and women benefit equally from these innovations. Open data initiatives can also help track gender disparities in agriculture, providing actionable insights to policymakers.

Create AI governance structures

Research by the Stanford Social Innovation Review indicates that 44% of existing artificial intelligence systems worldwide have gender bias. There is a need for well-developed and validated AI governance models that can prevent and address any racial or gender bias exhibited by AI solutions and strengthen security and privacy standards.

Provide targeted education and training

Access to AI is not enough if women do not have the skills to use it. It is essential to equip women with the essential skills and knowledge to adopt AI solutions and fully participate in the field. Women, especially in rural areas, need targeted digital and AI training, as well as skills in data management, use of AI technologies in agriculture, etc., enabling them to fully participate in the digital revolution and level the playing field.

This is where government programs and private sector outreach to farming communities become crucial. Training women alongside men values ​​diverse perspectives, boosting women’s participation in technology and improving the overall efficiency and productivity of agricultural systems.

Increase women’s participation

Finally, women must be represented in leadership positions within the artificial intelligence and agriculture sectors. Only about 18% of leadership roles in AI are held by women, a glaring gap that must be addressed.

By increasing the participation of women at the decision-making level and building diverse teams, we can ensure that AI solutions are more gender-responsive and better equipped to address the complex challenges of agriculture.

Additionally, women’s inherent skills in communication, empathy, etc. can be used in generative artificial intelligence for food and beverage companies to include women in market or customer outreach roles and design more gender-sensitive solutions.

Agricultural AI technologies have the potential to address persistent gender inequalities and help advance the SDGs aimed at achieving gender equality. However, without a concerted effort to include women in the AI ​​revolution, we risk worsening the inequalities we seek to solve.

The future of agriculture, and of course the future of food security, depends on how we address the challenges of gender equality in AI. Let’s push for women to be an integral part of the future of agriculture, not marginalized.