Use of AI for Enhancing Global Food Security in the Context of Climate Change: A Systematic Literature Review

The increase in temperatures, unpredictable rainfalls, frequent occurrences of drought and floods among other climate change factors threaten agricultural production, food supply chain, and stability of the global food systems. In this regard, it is not easy to ensure global food security. Consequently artificial intelligence has drawn a significant number of academics and policymakers because of its ability to foster sustainable and climate-resilient agriculture. Considering climate change, the systematic study examines the application of AI to enhance food security in the world. With the keywords “Artificial Intelligence,” “Food Security” and Climate Change, the relevant academic literature was located in two of the leading scientific databases Scopus and Web of Science, with the help of a systematic search process. The Web of science search resulted in the identification of 184 papers and the Scopus search identified 328 papers (124 and 59 papers, respectively, retained to be reviewed in full-text). At the stage of eligibility, 118 papers were discarded based on the predetermined inclusion criteria, such as methodological relevance, topic alignment and empirical rigour. Finally 65 good research articles were selected to be synthesized. These can greatly enhance the resilience, sustainability, adaptability and agricultural efficiency of food systems around the globe. Some significant drawbacks are also noted as part of the evaluation such as the unavailability of data, the inadequate technical infrastructure in developing nations, high implementation cost, interoperability of the system, and the issue of ethics, equity and governance. The findings reveal the role AI could play in the future in determining food security policies and priorities in research in an unpredictable world.