Biosecurity, Swine Flu, and AI

By Jun Wu. This article was first published in Towards Data Science.

How Artificial Intelligence can help with Biosecurity.

Around the globe, different parts of the food supply chain are contaminated on a daily bases. Biosecurity, as defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is the strategic and integrated approach to manage risks in food safety, animal and plant life and health, and biosafety. It relates to policy and regulatory framework that improves food health inside different points in the global food supply chain.

China, a country that consumes more pork per capita than any other country after Vietnam, is contending with a deadly case of African Swine Fever. There were 129 cases of outbreak reported this year. The Outbreak has hit almost every province and all autonomous regions of China. 40 million pigs or (10% of production) were wiped out. It’s estimated that China’s import of pork from the U.S. alone could rise 41% this year.

With retaliatory tariffs of 50% of all U.S. pork imports, China is now counting on ducks and chickens to save the day. Chinese pork farmers are switching to raising chickens and ducks to replenish the food gap left by pork. Raising more chickens and ducks will mean more poultry feed. Increased consumption of poultry feed will mean more soybean imports from Brazil.

Globalization of Food Supply Chain

China’s struggles to provide enough pork for it’s country’s consumptions is just another example of how interconnected the global food supply chain is. Trade tensions and geopolitical tensions are all feeding into the outlook for global trade. In the years to come, even if the U.S. and China can come to a truce about their differences, there will likely be other factors that will influence the functioning of the global food supply chain.

The reality of the global food supply chain is that countries with large populations such as China and India will experience an increased shortage of food supply if their own food supply chains are not managed properly.

The nature of farming demands fertile soil. As soil is over-planted in countries with large populations, these countries will seek fertile soil in other countries.

Below is a graph that shows: nearly 20% of all food produced around the world crosses international borders. This means that 1 in 7 people worldwide depends on global trade for their basic food needs.

Trade tensions and geopolitical tensions lead to instability of the food supply chain.

Artificial Intelligence will Help to Manage Biosecurity in the Global Food Supply Chain

With the increasing use of technology around the world, Artificial Intelligence has found a new home in managing biosecurity in the global food supply chain.

Managing the spread of diseases, pest and chemicals are similar to managing contamination in a factory. Cutting out unwanted human interventions, keeping the environment clean and setting up preventative measures by monitoring are just several ways that crops and animals can be secured from contamination.

Just like in manufacturing plants, AI Robots and AI Systems are changing the face of farming and livestock management.

• AI Robots can help to pick crops, plant seeds and manage harvests.
• AI Systems can use computer vision to spot weeds and pests. Once spotted, AI Systems can spray the plants with the amount of pesticide required to remove the pest.
• AI Systems can monitor the usage of land to increase sustainability and decrease crop waste.

At the borders, AI Systems can help to prevent the spread of diseases from imported agriculture goods from different countries.

AI Systems can set up a detect-alert-deter system where inspections of agriculture goods can be done automatically, with much larger samples in a smaller amount of time to detect diseased samples.

An alert mechanism can be put in place to remove the sample and trigger additional procedures to quarantine the shipments.

Finally, a deter system can be set up by streamlining the process of inspection, shipping, and warehousing of the products. At each point where agriculture goods are handled, AI Systems can help to monitor the environment and identify environmental risks.

By decreasing the human intervention at these intermediate points, AI Systems can ensure optimal handling (free from contamination) of these agriculture goods.

Biosecurity Favors Consolidation of Farming Operations

At the lowest level, food security starts in the farms at home. Historically, generations of family farms are the bedrock of the global food supply chain. With the usage of Artificial Intelligence in farming, large scale farms have more capital to invest in the latest technologies.

These large scale farms also have more problems that need to be solved and more goods to be managed. Historically, large scale farms have been blamed for:

• inhumane treatment of livestock
• excess usage of pesticides
• excess nutrient depletion from the soil
• excess usage of antibiotics on livestock
• topsoil erosion

Artificial Intelligence is not the answer to all of these problems. However, there are a few key areas where AI Systems can help with the process. AI Systems can monitor the excess usage of pesticides and cut down where appropriate. AI Systems can monitor the nutrients in the soil. AI Robots can help with livestock management to create more sanitary conditions to decrease the usage of antibiotics on livestock.

The newest technologies require changes in existing practices and changes in mindset. Large scale farms have the capital to spend on upgrading to the newest technologies. Although there are apps for smaller farms to manage their operations, there isn’t enough incentive for smaller farms to upgrade to the newest technologies.

Smaller farms often do not have the contamination issues that large farms do. Smaller farms also have practices that are rooted in generations of farm management. Their practices are harder to change.

Biosecurity and Technological Advances will Proceed Side by Side

China houses 18.41% of the total world population. One of the main issues it will confront as we enter the new technology era is Biosecurity in its food supply chains.

As China competes for domination in AI industries, it will have to balance out its need for food versus its need for technological domination. Global Trade thrives on fair and free market competition.

As China exports its brand of AI around the world, countries that have fertile land and greater supplies of food to export will be seen as likely partners for China. Depending on these countries’ need for AI technology versus China’s need for need, these relationships will likely be tested in the years to come.

Trade tensions and geopolitical tensions in the Global Food Supply chain will likely continue as technological innovations progress.

The Future is Healthier than Now

With technology amplifying the need to manage Biosecurity, it’s likely that the adoption of AI technologies in all parts of the Global Food Supply chain will increase sustainability around the world.

With increased sustainability comes healthier food on our plates, healthier land, and a healthier environment.

Adoption of the newest technologies is not easy. It’s a process of rewriting existing processes and mindsets. It also takes investment on the part of people, organizations, and governments.

Only with cooperation and support from our food import and export partners, can we have a better Global Food Supply chain.

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This article is a Newsletter contribution by Jun Wu, a talented freelance writer who is also active on Medium.

She is a Single Mom in upstate NY, passionate about writing about Technology, Coding, Artificial Intelligence and a variety of other topics. A technologist turned freelance writer, Jun Wu also has background in software development and statistics as well as being a mental health advocate and champions women in technology.

Want her to write for you? Reach out to her here.