Digital Agriculture • Geospatial Innovation • Climate Resilience
Leading digital agriculture transformation across Asia with 18+ years of geospatial and data innovation expertise. Currently driving FAO's national interoperability frameworks and AI solutions.
Dr. Kavinda Gunasekara is a results-driven project leader with over 18 years of experience in project management, data innovation, geospatial applications, and digital transformation across Asia.
Currently serving as Project Management Specialist at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations in Sri Lanka, Kavinda leads the country's Digital Agriculture Transformation portfolio under the Gates Foundation-funded Inclusive Digital Agriculture Transformation (IDAT) programme.
His work focuses on advancing national data interoperability frameworks, integrated databases, API gateways, and AI integrations -- fostering cross-ministerial collaboration and policy-driven digital ecosystems that support evidence-based agricultural decision-making.
Previously, as Chief Operating Officer at the Global Water & Sanitation Center (GWSC) at the Asian Institute of Technology, he led a US$13 million regional initiative funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, strengthening public data systems and managing multi-country partnerships across South and Southeast Asia.
University of Tokyo, Japan
Satellite-based nearshore monitoring of suspended fine sediment. Disaster Mitigation & Recovery Design Program.
Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand
University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
A career spanning continents — from Tokyo research labs to UN stages in New York, field work in Central Asia to digital agriculture in South Asia.
A 2016 → 2022 walk-through of Dr. Kavinda's research, leadership and field projects. Drag horizontally or scroll inside the timeline to explore each milestone — click any node to open its full story.
A portfolio of high-impact projects spanning digital agriculture, disaster resilience, and environmental innovation across 20+ countries.
FAO Sri Lanka • 2024 — Present
AIT GWSC • US$13M • 2022 — 2024
UNEP • AI models • 2019 — 2022
FAO HQ • Open Source • 2019 — 2022
World Bank • 2016 — 2019
UNDP • 2018 — 2021
ADB • 2025
Peer-reviewed research publications spanning remote sensing, environmental modelling, disaster risk, and AI-driven geospatial solutions.
In-depth explorations of digital agriculture, geospatial innovation, and global development challenges.
How FAO and the Gates Foundation are connecting 5 ministries through unified API gateways and data standards to transform agricultural decision-making.
How our AI platform rose above 300 competing applications for the UN SDG Digital Day showcase.
A practitioner's guide combining probabilistic modelling, satellite data, and community vulnerability mapping.
The technical journey behind developing a Python library now used by agencies in 20+ countries.
How the GWSC established technology hubs across five countries for inclusive sanitation services.
Behind-the-scenes stories, field reflections, and personal insights from the intersection of technology and development.
An open-source journey — how a Python package born at FAO is now used across 20+ countries for climate-smart agriculture planning and food security assessments.
Key takeaways from designing hands-on DPI training for ADB agriculture leaders — covering data sharing, interoperability, and sustainable digital investment strategies.
Behind the scenes of a 3-phase FAO project that produced Lao PDR's first comprehensive climate atlas using Weather Research and Forecasting models on cloud infrastructure.
A personal account of training AI models to detect plastic litter in the field — the surprises, the failures, and the breakthroughs along Southeast Asian waterways.
Personal reflections on navigating multi-stakeholder projects, adapting technology to local contexts, and the human side of international development work.
Open to collaborations in digital agriculture, geospatial innovation, climate resilience, and data-driven development.