50x2030 Brown Bag Lunch. Data-Smart Agriculture: Building Inclusive AI for Better Policy and Resilient Food Systems.

In the lead-up to the UN World Data Forum, the 50x2030 Initiative is organizing a Brown Bag Lunch (BBL) to bring together experts and practitioners for a deeper discussion on the how agricultural data systems can support and enable inclusive, trusted, and responsible use of AI for better food systems policies. 

The BBL will complement the 50x2030 session at the World Data Forum, “50x2030 Data-Smart Agriculture: Building Inclusive AI for Better Policy and Resilient Food Systems,” by providing additional space for speakers to share country experiences, practical examples, and lessons learned on the role of survey data, new technologies, and AI governance that cannot be covered in the shorter WDF panel. 

The modernization of data systems and adoption of Artificial intelligence (AI) is creating new opportunities to improve agricultural policymaking, investment decisions, and resilience building in agriculture sector. However, in low- and middle-income countries, the ability to benefit from modern technologies around data and statistics will depend on the strength of the agricultural data systems that underpin them. 

The BBL will spotlight how countries can build more inclusive, trusted, and interoperable data systems so AI can support better decisions aligned with national priorities. 

Three themes will be the focus of the session:  

First, why foundational survey data remains essential. Household and agricultural surveys provide the representative information needed to understand production systems, rural livelihoods, and vulnerable populations—areas often missed by purely digital approaches. Without this foundation, AI risks being poorly adapted to farming realities in the Global South.  

Second, how emerging technologies such as georeferenced surveys, satellite imagery, weather sensors, and computer vision can complement official statistics and help address data gaps.  

Third, what governance and institutional conditions need to be considered to scale these innovations, including trust, interoperability, data sharing, and sovereignty.  

• Dr. Amina Suleiman Msengwa. Statistician General of the National Bureau of Statistics, Tanzania.

  Dr Mswengwa is biostatistician and Tanzania’s Statistician General, with over two decades of experience in statistics, academia, research, public health, monitoring and evaluation, governance, and public service. At the University of Dar es Salaam, she served as Senior Lecturer and Head of Statistics Department. She also worked with PATH’s Malaria Control and Evaluation Partnership in Africa and the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre Joint Malaria Programme, strengthening malaria surveillance and programme evaluation. Dr. Msengwa has chaired the NBS Governing Board and RITA Ministerial Advisory Board and served on the EASTC Ministerial Advisory Board and Ifakara Health Institute’s Institutional Ethical Review Board.  

• Ms. Beverley Hatcher-Mbu - Director of Policy, Development Gateway.  

  Beverley Hatcher-Mbu manages multi-country digital transformation programs and shapes institutional strategies across artificial intelligence, digital public infrastructure, and agriculture at Development Gateway: An IREX Venture. She serves as an inaugural Impact Fellow of William and Mary's Global Research Institute, sits on the board of Accountability Lab, and contributes as a founding member of the Translational Committee for the Data for Policy journal, an imprint of Cambridge University Press. Previously, she served as a legal consultant for the World Bank Group, where she developed a digital legal analysis tool for African mining laws and advised transport and finance teams. She holds a Juris Doctor from George Washington University Law School and a Bachelor of Arts from Wellesley College. Beverley is admitted to the New York Bar. 

• Prof. Monojit Choudhury. Professor of Natural Language Processing, Computing and Mathematical Sciences Division, Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence 

  Professor Monojit Choudhury is Chief Scientist at the Institute for Agriculture and AI (IAAI) at Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) and Professor of Natural Language Processing. His work aims to develop fair, inclusive AI systems that perform across languages, cultures, and economic contexts, particularly in the Global South. Professor Choudhury also co-leads MBZUAI’s AI for the Global South initiative, bringing together researchers, policymakers, industry, and civil society to advance equitable AI. Previously, he held senior research roles at Microsoft Research India and Microsoft Turing. He also holds academic appointments at IIIT Hyderabad and Plaksha University and supports international linguistics Olympiads.