Jona Repishti serves as the Head of Global Gender Programs for Digital Green.
In this role, she leads cross -organizational efforts to implement evidence-
based gender-sensitive programs and products, mainstreams gender across
the organization, and provides thought leadership to reach a wide community
of stakeholders. Prior to this, Jona was a senior gender advisor at the
International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), where she served a
diverse group of clients — including multinational corporations, foundations
and development finance institutions — to apply a gender lens in their
operations and supply chains, and to develop strategies and transformational
programs with a gender focus. Jona also led MIT D-Lab’s global
entrepreneurship programs, supporting startups and innovators to scale
market based solutions to global poverty challenges. Passionate about using
co-creation and technology to amplify the voices of women, local leaders and
marginalized communities, she works to support actors and ecosystems to
move from intention to action in developing inclusive solutions to their needs.
She has a bachelor’s from Middlebury College and a master’s from Princeton
University
Athena Infonomics, together with Genesis Analytics and DataReady, have been supporting USAID’s Bureau for Resilience and Food Security to develop an inclusive digital design toolkit.
In low- and middle-income countries, female farmers encounter substantial challenges stemming from limited access to relevant and actionable agronomic information. This information is critical for enhancing their productivity, incomes and adapting to climate change. In this session, Digital Green will share its efforts to enhance the inclusivity and efficacy of public extension services by deploying an AI-assistant for agricultural front-line workers. We will also present early findings from our chatbot pilot programs in India, Ethiopia, and Kenya. Additionally, we will delve into the lessons we’ve learned on enhancing accessibility, employing gender-sensitive designs, and ensuring that digital innovations cater to the distinct requirements of both female and male farmers.
Speaker: Rajesh Veeraraghavan (Georgetown University)
Responsible AI is a widely discussed topic these days, but what does it really entail? In this session, Rajesh Veeraraghavan, a recently tenured Associate Professor at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and an affiliate of the Massive Data Institute, will explore this question. He will offer a comprehensive overview of responsible AI, focusing on the ethical challenges and design complexities of AI systems. Rajesh’s ICT4D research focuses on creating technology solutions that are not only advanced but also ethically responsive to the needs of global, often marginalized, populations.
Moderator: Jawoo Koo (IFPRI)
Panelists: David Spielman (IFPRI), Jona Repishti (Digital Green), Patricia Zambrano (IFPRI), Caitlin Corner-Dolloff (USAID)
AI holds exciting potential for addressing challenges faced by agriculture. However, regulatory frameworks are needed to ensure that AI does not inadvertently harm farmers and other agricultural stakeholders. While the concept of responsible AI is frequently emphasized, there is no universally accepted definition or clear implementation guidelines. Panelists in this session will explore what it means to develop and use AI solutions responsibly in agriculture, particularly for small-scale producers in the global South. They will also discuss how to balance fostering innovation with safeguarding stakeholders from potential risks.
Moderator: Charlotte Hebebrand (IFPRI) Panelists: Andres Ferreyra (Syngenta), Rui Benfica (IFPRI), Jeehye Kim (World Bank)
The potential of AI in agriculture is very promising, but will AI actually help farmers increase their income, and if so, how? This session will address unanswered questions about AI’s prospects for enhancing farm income, particularly in light of the declining profitability of agriculture globally in recent years. Can advanced technologies, especially AI-powered ones, reverse this trend? Panelists will share their experiences working with farmers and other agricultural stakeholders, highlighting the areas of farming where AI can potentially reduce costs and improve profitability over the next 5 to 10 years. Additionally, they will discuss the risks associated with technology failures, including the implications of AI liability and the necessary safeguards.
New Delhi, India
Texcoco, Mexico
Washington, D.C., United States
