In this episode of Food Tech Talk, Lydia Adams interviews Francisco Martin-Rayo, CEO of Helios, about the intersection of AI, climate change, and agricultural supply chains. Francisco shares how his unique background in digital transformation and food importing led to creating Helios, a platform that uses AI to predict agricultural disruptions.

The conversation explores how Helios analyzes climate data across 14 million global hexagons to create detailed risk assessments for specific crops and regions. Francisco highlights the growing impact of climate change on agriculture, noting that only 6% of climate-related funding goes toward adaptation strategies, despite the urgent need for such solutions.

Francisco discusses real-world examples of climate impacts, including Florida's citrus industry decline from 200 million to 20 million boxes annually, and explains how predictive analytics can help companies prepare for and mitigate such disruptions. He emphasizes the importance of looking beyond traditional experience as historical patterns become less reliable indicators of future conditions.

The discussion also covers the challenges of implementing new technologies in traditional agricultural procurement, the need for better ecosystem support in sustainable farming transitions, and the importance of understanding specific problems before applying technological solutions.

Throughout the episode, Francisco stresses the critical need for companies to adapt their supply chain strategies in response to climate change, while highlighting how AI can help make these adaptations more targeted and effective.