#IDPH ISF Seed Talks: How AI & digital tools can strengthen plant health & agricultural resilience

To celebrate International Day of Plant Health 2026, ISF hosted a Seed Talks webinar exploring how innovation can support healthier plants and more resilient agricultural systems. The session featured opening remarks from the ISF President and Vice-President, followed by a keynote presentation from the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT,  David Guerena, Ellena Girma, Steve Mutuvi, and Lennart Woltering, aligned with this year’s #IDPH theme, “Plant Biosecurity for Food Security.” The session featured experts from the Alliance of Bioversity International-CIAT, who showcased tools such as the Ona app and the Bruno push-cart for high-throughput, accurate digital phenotyping, as well as the Sikia initiative, which uses voice-based AI to capture vital, context-rich data from smallholder farmers in remote regions. By replacing traditional, manual field observations with scalable, data-driven solutions, these technologies are significantly lowering the cost of plant health monitoring for breeding trials and ensuring that new crop varieties are better adapted to real-world farmer needs. #planthealth #plantbreeding #seedislife ‪@UNFAO‬ ‪@cgiar‬ ‪@bioversityciat‬