The Agricultural Innovation Mechanism for Scale (AIM for Scale), an initiative housed at the University of Notre Dame, has received a $10 million grant from the OpenAI Foundation to help governments bring AI-powered weather services to millions of farmers across South and Southeast Asia and East Africa. The initiative connects agricultural innovation with funding to help millions of smallholder farmers adapt to climate change.

The initiative is led by Paul Winters, the Keough-Hesburgh Professor of Sustainable Development at the University of Notre Dame and executive director of AIM for Scale, and is housed within Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs. AIM for Scale is a global initiative that has previously received support from the International Affairs Office of the UAE Presidential Court and the Gates Foundation.

The funding is part of a broader $60 million investment from the OpenAI Foundation that brings together AIM for Scale; the University of Chicago; the University of California, Berkeley; Precision Development; Digital Green and CIMMYT. Together, the organizations aim to expand access to AI-powered weather and crop disease forecasting tools for 100 million smallholder farmers over the next three years.

For Winters, the funding represents an opportunity to tackle a challenge that has long confronted the development community: how to move evidence-based innovations beyond successful pilots and into sustainable initiatives capable of reaching millions of people.

“Artificial intelligence is creating extraordinary new possibilities for farmers, but innovation alone is not enough,” Winters said. “The real challenge is ensuring that these tools become part of systems that can sustainably reach millions of farmers based in low- and middle-income countries. This funding gives us an opportunity to work with governments to translate rapid advances in AI into services that farmers can rely on year after year.”

Taking AI-powered forecasts to scale

Smallholder farmers grow approximately one-third of the world’s food, yet many lack access to timely, localized information to guide critical decisions about planting, harvesting and protecting their crops. Dry spells, storms and disease outbreaks can threaten an entire season’s production and the livelihoods that depend on it.

Recent advances in artificial intelligence are creating new possibilities for closing this information gap. AI weather models can produce reliable, localized forecasts using substantially less computing power than traditional forecasting systems. AI can also help deliver forecasts and related advice to farmers through text messages, calls, chatbots and other channels.

Research suggests that access to timely forecasts can influence farmers’ decisions about what and when to plant and how much to invest, with the potential to increase incomes and reduce crop losses.

But developing better technology is only part of the challenge.

AIM for Scale will use the OpenAI Foundation funding to help governments move AI-powered weather services from promising pilots to sustainable delivery at national scale. Working with governments, multilateral development banks, academia and implementing partners, AIM for Scale will help connect these innovations with the partnerships, technical assistance and large-scale financing needed to reach millions of farmers.

This work will draw on the complementary expertise of organizations across the broader partnership. The University of Chicago and UC Berkeley will support national meteorological agencies in tailoring and operationalizing AI weather models. Precision Development will work with governments and civil society organizations to turn forecasts into practical advice and deliver it through trusted channels. Digital Green will integrate improved forecasts into FarmerChat, its AI agricultural advisory platform, while using farmer feedback to inform forecasting teams.

A portion of AIM for Scale’s $10 million grant will be awarded through a sub-grant to CIMMYT to advance AI-enabled crop disease forecasting. CIMMYT will strengthen its wheat pathogen forecasting capabilities, using AI and NASA Earth observation data to identify potential outbreaks earlier.

Indiana Governor Mike Braun announced today that Givaudan, a global leader in Taste & Wellbeing, will establish a new state-of-the-art production facility in Dearborn County, creating more than 250 new jobs by the end of 2031.

“Today is a great day for West Harrison and the state of Indiana as we welcome another agribusiness leader to the Hoosier state,” said Gov. Braun. “Givaudan joins a strong agbioscience sector that is powering innovation, creating high-wage jobs and delivering essential products to customers around the world. We look forward to Givaudan joining the Indiana ecosystem and to the more than 250 good-paying jobs they will create in the southeast region.”

The Switzerland-based company will invest $215 million to establish the liquids production facility in West Harrison, constructing a more than 78,000-square-foot facility on recently acquired land on the Indiana-Ohio border. The decision to locate in Indiana follows a strategic evaluation of Givaudan’s operational footprint to meet regional demands.

Givaudan’s new Indiana site is positioned for substantial growth over time and is expected to support more than 250 jobs across diverse skill sets – highlighting the company’s commitment to fostering local talent pipelines alongside economic development partners across the Indiana-Ohio-Kentucky tri-state area. Construction is expected to begin in 2026 with partial operations to begin in 2028.

“This new facility represents our continued investment and long-term confidence in our North American operations,” said Mindy Kucks, President, North America, Taste & Wellbeing. “It demonstrates the importance of the market to Givaudan and to the food and beverage industry, while keeping our growth rooted in the Greater Cincinnati regional economy. It will continue to strengthen our market and operational presence and advance the sustainable, innovative solutions that consumers love.”

Givaudan adds to a robust agbioscience industry in Indiana that contributes approximately $82.3 billion to the state’s economy. The sector supports more than 10,000 companies, including leading corporations and innovators like Corteva Agriscience, Elanco, GDM, Sustainea Bioglycols and Primient and Vital Farms, employing more than 150,000 Hoosiers. Indiana ranks among the top 10 U.S. states for agricultural products sold, exporting $4.6 billion goods each year.

“Indiana’s excellence in agriculture combined with our leadership in science and innovation across animal, human and plant health is delivering the next generation of agbioscience solutions,” said Indiana Secretary of Commerce Chuck Goodrich. “We are pleased to welcome Givaudan to Southeast Indiana and to the state’s global economy, which is home to more than 1,050 foreign-based businesses that provide career opportunities for Hoosiers statewide.”

Givaudan, headquartered in Switzerland, is a global leader in Fragrance & Beauty and Taste & Wellbeing, with 167 locations worldwide, including 77 production sites, and more than 17,500 employees. Givaudan Taste & Wellbeing currently operates 17 locations across the United States and Canada and aims to shape the future of food with an expanded portfolio of products across flavors, taste, and functional and nutritional solutions.

JV to amplify both companies’ complementary expertise to develop, scale, deliver differentiated crop protection solutions in high-growth markets

Corteva (NYSE: CTVA), a global leader in seed and crop protection technology, and Globachem N.V., a private company based in Belgium specializing in developing and globally marketing a wide range of crop protection products, today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement to launch a 50/50 joint venture (JV) to support the development and delivery of new, differentiated crop protection solutions to meet evolving needs of farmers in Europe and the Americas.

The new JV will be independently operated and focus on leveraging late-pipeline to commercial-stage technology from its parent companies to amplify both companies’ ability to develop, register, and market the resulting products, which may be commercialized independently by one or both parent companies.

“This is the latest example of how we’re leveraging collaborations to strengthen and broaden our portfolio as we prepare to launch as a standalone crop protection company following our planned separation,” said Corteva Senior Vice President Brook Cunningham. “By combining our industry-leading pipeline and innovation capabilities with Globachem’s expertise in formulation, we aim to scale and accelerate the delivery of more tailored, comprehensive solutions for core crops in targeted markets.”

The JV will build upon an existing, multi-year partnership between Corteva and Globachem, allowing both companies to immediately benefit through enhanced collaboration. New solutions developed by the JV are expected to launch in the early 2030s and will be sold through established commercial channels.

“The entry into a definitive agreement regarding the establishment of the JV represents an important milestone in our long-standing relationship with Corteva and reflects our shared belief that collaboration is the fastest way to bring meaningful innovation to farmers,” said Koen Quaghebeur, Chief Visionary  Officer and Co-founder of Globachem. “Together, Corteva’s world-class discovery and development capabilities and Globachem’s expertise in product development, formulation and regulatory execution, create a powerful platform for innovation. The JV will accelerate the delivery of differentiated crop protection solutions that help growers address evolving agronomic challenges and seize new opportunities. We are excited to build a company that brings together the strengths of both organizations, creating sustainable value for growers, our partners, and both parent companies.”

The transaction is currently expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026, subject to all necessary regulatory clearances and approvals.