ITU AI for Good: Micro Drones and AI Powering Precision Agriculture Toward Zero Hunger

The ITU AI for Good initiative hosted a session on April 19 exploring how micro drone technology combined with AI analytics is being deployed for precision agriculture across the developing world, directly contributing to SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) goals. AI-equipped drones are being used for crop health monitoring in smallholder farming communities — identifying disease outbreaks, nutrient deficiencies, and water stress at field-level resolution that satellite imagery cannot achieve. In sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, micro drone deployments are helping community agricultural extension workers cover more farms more thoroughly than is possible on foot, while AI analysis translates imagery into actionable guidance farmers can implement. The session highlighted case studies from Kenya, Rwanda, and Bangladesh where drone-AI combinations have reduced crop losses and improved yields for smallholders operating on marginal land under increasing climate stress.