Pakistan has called for artificial intelligence and digital technologies to be deployed responsibly in agriculture, warning that their potential to improve food security, nutrition and climate resilience will depend on safeguards for data privacy, transparency, accountability and equitable access. Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain made the case while virtually addressing a high-level forum on 'Harnessing Artificial Intelligence, Digitalization and Data Governance for Food Security and Nutrition' in Rome, Italy.
The gathering was organised by the Committee on World Food Security in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization, World Food Programme and International Fund for Agricultural Development. It brought together ministers, policymakers, development partners and international experts. Hussain said AI, digitalisation and effective data governance had become indispensable to improving nutrition, strengthening climate resilience and transforming agrifood systems.
The technologies, he argued, could also raise agricultural productivity, make food supply chains more effective, improve risk management and provide policymakers with stronger evidence for their decisions. For Pakistan, where agriculture and livestock remain a major source of livelihoods for millions of people, the minister described digital innovation as a necessity rather than an option.
The government, he said, is investing in digital public infrastructure and modern data systems across the agrifood sector. Its ambitions extend beyond simply converting existing processes into digital form. Instead, the aim is to build integrated, interoperable and inclusive systems capable of producing actionable information for farmers, researchers, service providers and policymakers.
Livestock is one area where this approach is already being applied. Hussain pointed to the Pakistan Animal Identification and Traceability System, developed with technical support from FAO.
The system is intended to provide a foundation for better animal-health management, food safety and traceability, while also supporting wider market access for livestock products. Pakistan and FAO are also developing a Digital Animal Disease Reporting and Disease Intelligence System. The platform is designed to harmonise disease-reporting mechanisms between provincial and federal levels.
According to the minister, the system will strengthen disease surveillance, early warnings and response capacity. It is also expected to improve evidence-based decisions concerning animal health, zoonotic diseases and pandemic preparedness. Yet Pakistan's emphasis on technological adoption comes with a qualification: digitalisation alone is not enough.
Hussain said the benefits of technological innovation could be realised only through responsible governance. He stressed the need to protect privacy, ensure transparency and accountability and make access to new technologies more equitable. Digital inequality will also have to be addressed through investment in infrastructure and connectivity, alongside improvements in digital literacy and institutional capacity.
Another part of Pakistan's effort involves consolidating information that is currently relevant to different aspects of the food system. With FAO support, the country has developed the Pakistan Subnational Food Systems Dashboard. It brings together indicators covering food security, nutrition, agriculture, climate and socioeconomic conditions. The platform is intended to help policymakers identify priority areas, direct interventions more effectively and track progress towards more resilient and sustainable food systems across Pakistan. Hussain said the international forum was taking place as countries sought innovative and sustainable responses to food insecurity, malnutrition, climate change and broader sustainable-development challenges.
He appreciated the Committee on World Food Security, FAO, WFP, IFAD and other partners for convening the gathering. Pakistan, he added, would continue working with these international organisations to harness AI, digitalisation and data governance in the development of resilient, sustainable and inclusive agrifood systems. The policy challenge, as outlined by the minister, is therefore not merely to introduce more technology into farming and food systems. It is to ensure that increasingly sophisticated digital tools produce usable information while remaining accessible, accountable and responsibly governed.