Key Takeaways:
- Heritable Agriculture Inc. secured a $4.98 million grant from the Gates Foundation.
- Funding supports the JASON project focused on AI-driven omics analytics for smallholder farmers.
- The initiative targets climate resilience in crops facing drought and heat stress.
- The project aims to shorten conventional breeding cycles using AI and genomics.
- The work focuses on supporting smallholder agriculture in low- and middle-income countries.
Heritable Agriculture Inc. Awarded Gates Foundation Grant for JASON Project
Heritable Agriculture Inc., an AI-driven crop improvement company spun out of Google X, has announced that it received a $4.98 million grant from the Gates Foundation. The funding will support the development of the Joint AI-driven Smallholder Omics aNalytics (JASON) project, which aims to improve climate resilience in crops grown by smallholder farmers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
According to the company, the project will focus on leveraging artificial intelligence alongside multiple omics technologies to identify climate-adapted germplasm capable of withstanding drought, heat, and other environmental stressors.
“This project will allow us to stand up a cloud-based AI genomics engine, dramatically accelerating the discovery and deployment of climate-resilient germplasm,” said Tim Beissinger, Chief Technology Officer at Heritable Agriculture Inc.
Addressing Climate Risks for Smallholder Farmers
Impact of Drought and Heat in LMIC Agriculture
Extreme weather events, including prolonged droughts and rising temperatures, present significant challenges for smallholder farmers in LMICs. These farmers produce up to 80% of the food consumed in their regions and often rely on rain-fed agriculture with limited capacity to absorb climate shocks.
Heritable Agriculture Inc. stated that crop failure caused by drought and heat can result in loss of income, food insecurity, and increased vulnerability to pests and disease. The JASON project is intended to support efforts to reduce climate-related yield losses by enabling faster development of resilient crop varieties.
Heritable Agriculture's AI-Driven Omics Approach to Crop Improvement
Accelerating Gene Discovery and Breeding Cycles
The JASON project will establish a cloud-based AI genomics engine designed to analyze ancient and modern crop genomes. By integrating AI, omics data, and remote sensing, Heritable Agriculture Inc. aims to identify functional gene targets associated with drought and heat tolerance.
According to the company, the platform will transform raw genomic data into high-confidence edit targets and feed multiplex-editing designs into product development pipelines. This approach is expected to significantly reduce the time required for conventional breeding cycles.
“We anticipate cutting conventional breeding cycle time, transforming raw sequence data into high-confidence edit targets,” Beissinger said.
Alignment with Global Food Security Goals
Heritable Agriculture Inc. described the Gates Foundation grant as validation of its technical approach and broader mission to apply agricultural innovation for global impact.
“This investment from the Gates Foundation shows strong support for our approach of combining AI, remote sensing, and omics data for global impact,” said Brad Zamft, Chief Executive Officer of Heritable Agriculture Inc. He added that the JASON project reflects the company’s long-term goal of developing scalable agricultural solutions that support food security and climate resilience.
The company stated that outcomes from the project are intended to help smallholder farmers improve crop productivity, stabilize livelihoods, and strengthen food systems in regions most affected by climate change.
