Relevance of AI in Agriculture

Agriculture is one of the most vital pillars of the global economy as it satiates the global human need for food. It is the primary source of employment in most countries. Issues such as lack of knowledge of types of soil, yields, crops, weather, inappropriate use of pesticides, irrigation-related problems, incorrect harvesting methods, and lack of information about market trends lead to the loss of farm produce and additional costs that the farmer needs to incur. The exponential population growth increases the pressure on the agricultural sector. Better information about the crops, environment, and market helps farmers gather improved decisions related to agriculture. Modern-day technologies including blockchain, IoT,machine learning, deep learning, cloud computing, and edge computing are used to collect information and process it. As per the United Nations’ prediction of data population and hunger, “the world’s population will increase by 2 billion people by 2050, requiring a 60% increase in food productivity to feed them”.

The BI Intelligence Research reported that, “global spending on smart connected agricultural technologies and systems including AI and machine learning, is projected to triple in revenue by 2025, reaching $15.3 billion”.

In this blog, we have discussed

The Role of AI in Agriculture

Artificial Intelligence (AI) facilitates complex and routing tasks like gathering and processing big data on digital platforms, formulating and initiating the perfect course of action after combining it with other technology.

Let us talk about how Artificial Intelligence (AI) helps in the information management cycle.

1. Artificial Intelligence (AI) not only simplifies the process of selecting the right crops but also helps farmers identify the produce that will be profitable.
2. Through accurate forecasting and predictive analytics, farmers can minimize the scope of errors in business processes and reduce the scope of crop failures.
3. Collecting data related to plant growth, Artificial Intelligence (AI) can boost crop produce that is less prone to diseases and can adapt better to weather conditions.
4. Another added benefit of Artificial Intelligence (AI) facilitates chemical soil analysis and provides accurate estimates of the nutrients that are missing.
5. Artificial Intelligence (AI) helps monitor the crop’s state to detect and spot diseases, identify and remove weeds, and recommend effective pest treatment methods.
6. To identify the best irrigation patterns and the right time to apply nutrients, and predict the perfect mix of agronomic products, Artificial Intelligence (AI) proves to be extremely beneficial.
7. When it comes to harvesting, Artificial Intelligence (AI) helps automate the harvesting process and predict the perfect time to do so.

Now, let’s discuss how Artificial Intelligence (AI) helps solve farming challenges.

1. Artificial Intelligence (AI) helps make better farm-related decisions: Through Artificial Intelligence (AI), farmers can collect and process more data quickly. Some of the key challenges that farmers can benefit from implementing Artificial Intelligence (AI) include analysing market demand, forecasting prices, and determining the right sowing and harvesting time. At the same time, Artificial Intelligence (AI) also helps collect soil insights, provide recommendations for fertilisers, monitor weather conditions, and track if the produce is ready. All such information helps the farmer make an informed decision.

 

2. Cost Saving: Precision agriculture, a popular farm field management software helps farmers grow more crops with fewer resources. Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered precision agriculture is going to prove to be the next big thing in farming. It combines the right soil management practices, variable technology, and the most effective data management practices that help farmers maximise yields and minimise spending time. Farmers can receive real-time insights from their fields that allow them to identify the areas that require irrigation, fertilisation, and pesticide treatment. There are practices like vertical agriculture that helps enhance food production while minimising the use of resources.

 

3. Address Labour Shortages: One of the major challenges that agribusinesses face is a labour shortage. Automation in agriculture helps solve this problem by allotting driverless tractors, smart irrigation technology, fertilising systems, smart spraying, vertical farming software, and AI-based robots for harvesting. Artificial Intelligence (AI) equipment is faster and more accurate.

Wrapping Up,

Now that we know how beneficial Artificial Intelligence (AI) is for sustainable farming, implementing this technology is a widely recommended option for every farmer.

For more detailed information on Artificial Intelligence and its role in agribusiness, browse through the KG2 Australia website or contact us for a personalised walk-through.