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 food and agriculture organization


NourishNet: Proactive Severity State Forecasting of Food Commodity Prices for Global Warning Systems

Balboni, Sydney, Ivey, Grace, Storoe, Brett, Cisler, John, Plater, Tyge, Grant, Caitlyn, Bruce, Ella, Paulson, Benjamin

arXiv.org Artificial Intelligence

Price volatility in global food commodities is a critical signal indicating potential disruptions in the food market. Understanding forthcoming changes in these prices is essential for bolstering food security, particularly for nations at risk. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) previously developed sophisticated statistical frameworks for the proactive prediction of food commodity prices, aiding in the creation of global early warning systems. These frameworks utilize food security indicators to produce accurate forecasts, thereby facilitating preparations against potential food shortages. Our research builds on these foundations by integrating robust price security indicators with cutting-edge deep learning (DL) methodologies to reveal complex interdependencies. DL techniques examine intricate dynamics among diverse factors affecting food prices. Through sophisticated time-series forecasting models coupled with a classification model, our approach enhances existing models to better support communities worldwide in advancing their food security initiatives.


The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence to Ensure Food Security and Development

#artificialintelligence

ROME, Mar 8 2021 (IPS) - One year after the call for a group of international and religious organizations and important multinational companies to incorporate ethics into the design of artificial intelligence (AI), Pope Francis said in a tweet: "I hope that more and more people of good will cooperate in the promotion of the common good, the protection of those lagging behind and the development of a shared algor-ethics". The message of the Catholic pontiff, on 28 February, was related to the Call of Rome, which seeks to actively incorporate ethics in artificial intelligence based on a transparent, inclusive, socially advantageous and responsible process. The document, "Rome Call for Artificial Intelligence Ethics", was launched on 28 February 2020 by the Pontifical Academy for Life, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Microsoft and IBM, with the endorsement of the Italian government. According to Paglia, it is necessary to build a new alliance between research, science and ethics "to build a world in which technology is in favor of the people" because "without equitable and just development" there can be no justice or peace. The Rome Call invites governments, institutions and the private sector to adopt a common responsibility in order to ensure that digital innovation and technological progress are at the service of human creativity.


Embracing technology for reshaping agriculture across Africa Global Edition

#artificialintelligence

Agriculture is the backbone of the African economy and is a critical factor to accomplish sustainable development goals (SDGs) in Africa, most particularly poverty and hunger. At present, farming accounts for about 60 percent of total employment in sub-Saharan Africa and is also a driver of inclusive and sustainable growth. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates that the world population will reach 9.1 billion by 2050, and to feed that number of people, global food production will need to grow by 70 percent. In Africa, to have a population of about two billion people by then, farm productivity needs to be accelerated at a faster rate than the global average to avoid continued mass hunger. Technology has a vast untapped potential to revolutionize and improve the efficiency of agricultural production in the continent.