Mining the gaps: Using machine learning to map 1.2 million agri-food publications from the Global South

The evidence base on agri-food systems is growing exponentially. The CoSAI-commissioned study, Mining the Gaps, applied artificial intelligence to mine more than 1.2 million publications for data, creating a clearer picture of what research has been conducted on small-scale farming and post-production systems from 2000 to the present, and where evidence gaps exist.

The study used Havos AI machine learning models to extract information from each publication based on a series of modular questions. Graphical maps of the data provide policymakers and funders with a more nuanced view of the information available, which can help them to prioritize and coordinate international funding and research efforts.