AI Institute for Land, Economy, Agriculture & Forestry (AI-LEAF) aims to advance foundational artificial intelligence (AI) by incorporating knowledge from agriculture and forestry sciences and leveraging these unique, new AI methods to curb weather effects while lifting rural economies. By creating a new scientific discipline and innovation ecosystem intersecting AI and weather-smart agriculture and forestry, our researchers and practitioners will discover and invent compelling AI-powered knowledge and solutions. Examples include AI-enhanced estimation methods of greenhouse gases and specialized field-to-market decision support tools. A key goal is to lower the cost of and improve accounting for carbon in farms and forests to empower carbon markets and inform decision-making. The Institute will also expand and diversify rural and urban AI workforces.

AI-LEAF is a joint effort involving the University of Minnesota Twin Cities (lead), Colorado State University, Cornell University, Delaware State University, North Carolina State University, and Purdue University.