NEC and ClimateAi have created an AI model that calculates crop impacts and the value of adaptation strategies, offering a path to smart farming decisions.
NEC Corporation and San Francisco startup ClimateAi have built a model to support smart farming in Africa, one that measures how well climate adaptation strategies work for cocoa and rice cultivation. The model combines ClimateAi’s long-range climate forecasting with NEC’s agricultural technology to show the impact of climate change and the potential return on investment from measures like irrigation or crop changes.
The work will be presented at the TICAD Business Expo & Conference in Yokohama in August 2025, part of the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9).
Why the project matters
While efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions and expand carbon credit markets are underway globally, adaptation – the measures farmers take to protect crops from climate damage – has moved more slowly. One of the main challenges is proving whether such measures are cost-effective.
Agriculture is highly vulnerable to shifting temperatures, water shortages, and soil changes. Yet until now there hasn’t been a clear way to calculate the return on investment for adaptation methods like irrigation systems or new crop varieties.
NEC and ClimateAi’s model addresses this by using AI to weigh various environmental factors and calculate economic outcomes. This makes it easier to pinpoint which measures will bring the most benefit, helping farming become more sustainable and cost-effective.
How the model works
The conceptual model was tested on cocoa and rice farming in several African regions. Agriculture is vital to Africa’s economy, and the continent is the world’s largest cocoa producer. But climate change will alter the conditions for growing these crops over the coming decades.
The project examined three main adaptation options:
- Adding irrigation facilities,
- Switching to climate-adapted crop varieties,
- Adjusting planting schedules for existing varieties.
Interactive demonstrations of the analysis will be available, showing how the model can help organisations, like development banks and international agencies, estimate the impact of funding adaptation projects. The tool is designed for use by multiple bodies from governments to private investors.
Findings and next steps
The companies say their analysis shows AI can help assess the cost-effectiveness of adaptation (irrigation and crop variety changes) for rice, and similar strategies for cocoa. Because climate adaptation requires substantial funding, NEC and ClimateAi see the model as a way to encourage government and development bank support in addition to encouragin private investment.
Quantifying returns makes it easier to justify financing, while ongoing monitoring can ensure that adaption measures deliver as planned. NEC and ClimateAi are also looking into collaborations with companies that provide irrigation equipment and crop seedlings to bring practical solutions to market.
They see three areas of business opportunity from this work:
- Adaptation finance: Helping private investors and financial institutions assess risks and feasibility,
- Agritech: Supporting farmers and agricultural businesses in managing climate risks in the supply chain,
- Other sectors: Extending adaptation insights to industries like infrastructure and manufacturing.
Next steps for sustainable and smart farming
The results will be shared at TICAD and later events to gather market input and shape future commercialisation opportunities. NEC and ClimateAi plan to keep developing tools that measure the effects of climate change on farming, with the aim of providing practical solutions for sustainable agriculture and smart farming in Africa.
NEC says its collaboration with ClimateAi shows how combining advanced forecasting with agritech can create tools that support both farmers and investors in navigating climate challenges.
Source: https://sustainability-news.net/
