AIM For Scale

Frequently Asked Questions

AIM for Scale is a global initiative focused on scaling evidence-based, cost-effective agricultural innovations that can meaningfully improve livelihoods to reach millions of farmers across low- and middle-income countries.

 

AIM for Scale focuses on bridging the gap between pilots and implementation at scale through government systems and/or other stakeholders as well as multilateral investment programs. 

The initiative works by assembling and coordinating the technical expertise, partnerships, financing pathways, and implementation support needed to deliver impactful solutions to millions of farmers at sustainable scale.

AIM for Scale was established to address a persistent challenge in agricultural development: many promising agricultural innovations demonstrate strong results in pilots but fail to reach farmers at meaningful scale.

 

This problem is often driven by–among other challenges–fragmented funding, weak coordination between actors, and limited technical capacity for the design and implementation of projects.

 

AIM for Scale was created to help bridge this gap by connecting evidence-backed innovations and technical experts with governments, multilateral development banks, and financing mechanisms capable of supporting scale.

AIM for Scale was launched through a partnership between the UAE’s International Affairs Office at the Presidential Court and the Gates Foundation as part of a broader collaboration between both parties on agricultural innovation announced at COP28.

 

The initiative builds on years of UAE leadership in food systems innovation through the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM for Climate)—a joint effort with the United States. AIM for Scale draws on lessons from both AIM for Climate and the Innovation Commission for Climate Change, Food Security, and Agriculture, a global commission backed by the Gates Foundation and chaired by Nobel Laureate in Economics and Chair of our Advisory Panel, Michael Kremer.

 

AIM for Scale also collaborates closely with governments, universities, multilateral development banks, and implementation partners.

Innovation areas are identified by AIM for Scale’s Advisory Panel—composed of leading academics—based on:

  • Strength of evidence of impact
  • Cost-effectiveness
  • Scalability
  • Demand from governments, funders and households

The initiative does not simply ask whether an innovation works—it asks whether it can sustainably deliver meaningful impact for millions of farmers.

AIM for Scale is specifically designed to focus on scaling.

 

AIM for Scale concentrates on overcoming the institutional, operational, and financing barriers that prevent proven innovations from reaching large numbers of farmers.

Its work is guided by the following principles:

  • Grounded in evidence: In each focus area, we support the scaling of innovations that demonstrate strong potential to improve farmer livelihoods. Most are already backed by rigorous evidence of impact and cost-effectiveness; others may have an emerging evidence base but show immense promise. By weighing both existing evidence and high-potential opportunities, we ensure resources are directed toward solutions that can deliver meaningful impact at scale.

  • Purpose-built for scale: AIM for Scale complements the work of organizations researching and developing new innovations by focusing on scale and delivery. We design investment packages that connect evidence-backed solutions with the financing, institutional capacity, and implementation support needed to reach millions of farmers and sustain impact over time.
  • World-class expertise: AIM for Scale brings together leading academic minds and implementation partners like governments and multilateral development banks with deep, field-level insight. This unique combination ensures that every solution we support is grounded in rigorous evidence and informed by real-world experience. 
  • Deeply collaborative: AIM for Scale doesn’t work in isolation. We partner with governments, donors, researchers, multilateral institutions, private-sector actors, and NGOs to align efforts around high-impact innovations. As a broker, convener, and provider of technical and strategic support, we help partners coordinate more effectively—ensuring that resources are directed toward solutions that work and that investments deliver measurable, scalable results.

AIM for Scale also works through “Innovation Packages,” which are structured blueprints that identify the full set of conditions needed to scale a specific innovation successfully. Innovation packages are then adapted to meet the needs of specific countries and contexts.

An Innovation Package is AIM for Scale’s primary mechanism for scaling agricultural innovations.

 

Each package focuses on a single high-potential innovation area and identifies the technical, financial, institutional, operational, and delivery conditions required to scale that innovation effectively and sustainably.

 

AIM for Scale then works with local partners to conduct country-level assessments to adapt and implement the Innovation Package in line with national priorities. These efforts are complemented by investments in global and regional public goods that improve farmer livelihoods.

No. AIM for Scale does not develop or test new innovations.

 

Instead, the initiative focuses on identifying innovations that already have strong evidence of impact that are of interest to governments and their partners and helping create the partnerships, financing pathways, implementation systems, and institutional support needed to scale them effectively.

Country engagement is driven by a combination of government demand, alignment with ongoing or upcoming multilateral development bank operations, and the potential to scale high-impact innovations. We prioritize contexts where there is both strong institutional ownership and a clear pathway to reach large numbers of farmers, typically through MDB-financed operations.

Engagement typically begins with a landscape assessment to understand existing systems, government priorities, and opportunities for scale. Based on this, we may support a focused pilot to establish a viable delivery model, contribute to the preparation of MDB-financed operations, or facilitate technical assistance for implementation in coordination with our technical partners. Across these pathways, we work closely with government institutions and development partners to align efforts and ensure a clear route to scale.

Success is defined by the extent to which innovations are adopted and sustained at scale in a manner that is consistent with improving  the livelihoods of farmers. This includes reach, use of services by farmers, and evidence of behavioral change or improved outcomes. We also track integration into national programs and financing mechanisms as a key indicator of sustainability.

We work with partners to build learning into implementation from the outset, often through structured testing of approaches, feedback loops, and collaboration with researchers. Insights from early implementation inform adjustments to technical design, delivery channels, and institutional arrangements before scaling. This allows us to refine approaches while maintaining a clear path to scale. Where possible, we incorporate post-implemention evaluations to inform our understanding of impact in terms of sustainability and strengthened livelihoods. In partnership with researchers, we also seek opportunities to systematically draw lessons about scaling through our country-level activities.

To date, implementation of scaling efforts has been led by government institutions and, where relevant, technical partners. AIM for Scale does not implement directly but works with technical and delivery partners to support governments in operationalizing and scaling innovations. While government-led scaling has proven to be the optimal arrangement for AIM for Scale’s first innovation areas of focus, it is open to other arrangements for future innovations.

Gender and inclusion are addressed through the design of delivery channels, targeting strategies, and content. This includes ensuring accessibility across literacy levels, languages, and communication formats, as well as using data to identify and reach underserved groups. Where possible, approaches are tested and adapted to improve uptake among women and other underserved populations. Additionally, because our scaling efforts are carried out in partnership with governments and multilateral institutions, gender and inclusion considerations are often already prioritized and integrated by these stakeholders within the design and implementation processes in which we participate.

Although AIM for Scale was established recently–with operations officially starting in early 2025–the initiative has already helped catalyze several major efforts to scale evidence-based agricultural innovations across low- and middle-income countries.

 

One of AIM for Scale’s most significant achievements to date has been providing catalytic support to a project led by the Government of India, which delivered AI-powered monsoon onset forecasts to approximately 38 million farmers across 13 states during the 2025 monsoon season — the largest targeted dissemination of AI-based weather forecasts to farmers to date. These forecasts provided farmers with advance notice of monsoon conditions up to 15–30 days ahead. Monitoring surveys conducted in two states by AIM for Scale partner Precision Development (PxD) showed near-universal demand for future services (97–98%). 

 

AIM for Scale has also helped mobilize more than US$1 billion in commitments and aligned financing related to scaling weather forecasting systems for farmers through partnerships with governments and multilateral development banks (MDBs), while advancing collaborations across Africa, Asia, and Latin America to integrate AI-based weather forecasting and digital advisory services into national systems.

 

Because AIM for Scale focuses primarily on embedding innovations within government systems and MDB-financed operations, progress timelines vary across countries depending on factors such as institutional readiness, existing digital infrastructure, government priorities, and the stage of MDB investment pipelines and loan preparation processes.

 

Several countries are currently advancing from scoping and technical design into early implementation and pilot phases for AIM for Scale’s first two Innovation Packages — Weather Forecasts for Farmers and Digital Advisory Services for Agriculture. AIM for Scale anticipates that many of these efforts will begin generating measurable results at country level by late 2026 and early 2027, with momentum expected to build as innovations become integrated into larger national programs and financing operations over time.

AIM for Scale was established as a pilot initiative (2025–2027) to address a critical gap in the agricultural development landscape: overcoming barriers to scaling evidence-based, cost-effective solutions. During this initial phase, the initiative has focused on building its institutional model, identifying five focus innovation areas, selecting priority countries, and establishing key partnerships. Conversations on the initiative’s future beyond the pilot phase will begin in early 2027. Any decision to sunset the initiative would be deliberate and based on a clear assessment of its progress toward achieving its core mission—reaching farmers in low- and middle-income countries at scale and improving their livelihoods.

AIM for Scale does not provide grant or other funding directly to governments or other partners.  Its role is primarily in identifying innovations and coordinating with governments and other partners to scale innovations. When additional resources are required, AIM for Scale works with partners to identify potential sources of technical or financial support.