Revolutionizing the Fields: How AI is Cultivating a Brighter Future for Agriculture

The war in Ukraine has shown how much sub-Saharan and South Asian countries depend on a few large grain producers. With the blockade of the Ukrainian port of Odessa, the threat of famine arose in many countries. Fortunately, the blockade has been lifted for the time being, but the problem of African and Southeast Asian countries' dependence on food supplies remains.

One-third of the world's land area is covered by deserts. The OECD estimates that by 2030 some 4 billion people will live in areas with water shortage. This is half of the world’s population.

As Mauro Guillen put it: ?Major refugee crises erupted because of drought”. With climate change neglected, in negative scenario we are probably awaiting a major refugee wave, this time bigger than in 2015.

Can technology come to the rescue? And artificial intelligence in partiular?

Precision farming, also known as precision agriculture, refers to the use of advanced technologies and data analytics to optimize farming practices at a highly precise level. It involves the collection, analysis, and application of data to make informed decisions regarding crop management, resource allocation, and farming techniques.?

Precision farming utilizes technologies such as GPS, satellite imagery, drones, sensors, and machine learning algorithms to monitor and assess factors such as soil conditions, moisture levels, crop health, and pest infestations. By implementing precise interventions and targeted treatments, precision farming aims to maximize crop yield, minimize resource waste, reduce environmental impact, and improve overall efficiency in agriculture.

AI plays a vital role in monitoring and managing crops effectively. Through computer vision and machine learning algorithms, AI systems can analyze images and videos captured by drones or ground-based cameras to assess crop health and detect anomalies. By identifying diseases, nutrient deficiencies, or pest infestations at an early stage, AI enables prompt intervention, preventing widespread damage. Additionally, AI-powered robots can perform tasks like weeding, planting, and harvesting with remarkable precision, reducing labor costs and enhancing efficiency.

AI's ability to process large volumes of data quickly and accurately makes it an invaluable tool for predictive analytics in agriculture. By integrating weather forecasts, historical climate data, soil information, and crop growth patterns, AI algorithms can generate accurate predictions regarding yield, disease outbreaks, or pest migrations. This empowers farmers to plan their operations effectively, optimize resource allocation, and minimize losses. Predictive analytics also aid in risk management and enable proactive measures for disease prevention and pest control.

Maintaining soil health is critical for sustainable agriculture. AI helps in soil analysis by processing data from various sources, such as soil samples, satellite imagery, and historical records. By examining soil composition, moisture levels, and nutrient content, AI algorithms can provide tailored recommendations for fertilization, irrigation, and crop rotation. This precision approach optimizes resource usage, minimizes environmental impact, and improves long-term soil fertility.

One small country is a world leader when it comes to precision farming. It is Israel. With little farmland along the coast it was doomed to figure out how to irrigate the desert. In Israel's case- the Negev.?

Drip irrigation, one of the most significant breakthroughs in Israeli agritech, was invented in the 1960s by Israeli engineer Simcha Blass and his son Yeshayahu. This method revolutionized irrigation practices by delivering water directly to the roots of plants, reducing water waste and increasing efficiency. Drip irrigation quickly gained popularity in Israel and eventually became a widely adopted technique worldwide.

Today Israel is leading the way when it comes to the application of AI in agriculture. I had the pleasure of speaking with Dror Haor, PhD Haor representative of the leading company SeeTree :

But AI-powered agritech today is primarily a solution for the large Indian and Chinese markets.

Pinduoduo is a Chinese e-commerce platform that was founded in 2015 by Colin Huang. It is one of the largest and fastest-growing e-commerce companies in China. Pinduoduo operates as a group-buying platform, which means that users can team up with others to purchase products at discounted prices. Back in 2018, Pinduoduo sent shock waves through the investor community when it?raised $ 1.6 billion?from a Nasdaq listing as 3 year old company. Much of it is being invested in intelligent agritech:

https://techcrunch.com/2020/12/16/pinduoduo-agritech/

AI powered agritech is also potentially a great tool for vertical farming. Vertical farming is an innovative method of growing plants in vertically stacked layers or structures, often indoors or in controlled environments. It aims to maximize crop production in a limited space by utilizing vertical space rather than expanding horizontally. Vertical farming is a solution for expanding cities and rapid urbanisation. It also often uses deserted urban real estate like warehouses or former factories.

Will AI and robots feed the world?

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