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How AI Will Keep People Fed Amid Agriculture’s Turmoil
- As AI disrupts nearly every industry, the agriculture sector is embracing machine learning, computer vision, and other data-driven processes for efficient farming. The agriculture industry faces a long, diverse list of problems and disruptions including labor issues, war, and climate change that will further inflate food insecurity figures if not quickly corrected. The first step in supplementing shrinking profits and meet global demand is for tech providers to build trust with growers, which can happen by highlighting where AI is already making a massive difference.
- Critical roles like scouting, harvesting, and managing irrigation systems require expert knowledge and training to be performed acceptably, and emerging technological tools aim to simplify and enhance these tasks. The US is investing in AI and robotics to help aging growers to boost the productivity of labor-intensive tasks like picking and plowing while providing data-driven insights to make informed decisions. AI can provide relevant ammunition in the battle to boost food security.
- The Netherlands have embraced AI in agriculture to implement precision farming practices and leverage computer vision to monitor plant health, and make data-driven decisions in farms and greenhouses. The country is investing in crop varieties that can be more resilient to climate change and less dependent on chemical crop protection. Many small-scale, local growers who do not have the resources to absorb the impact of pandemics, wars, or climate change are also embracing AI's applications.
- In many industries, AI applications are more theoretical and need time to undergo testing and quality assurance. Healthcare, a prime example of an industry that needs AI help, is limited by concerns surrounding data privacy and malpractice. However, in agriculture, we are seeing more farms and farmers empowered by new AI applications. AI is helping growers make agriculture a more viable business endeavor, more sustainable, and more efficient overall.
- The UN estimates that farmers must produce 70% more food to feed the predicted global population of 9.1 billion people in 2050. With rising input costs, shrinking production values, and shifting markets, and the added pressure from climate change, farmer's profit margins continue to decline resulting in food insecurity worldwide. Sophisticated AI tools and advancements in technology can provide farmers with a better understanding of their yield and crops. However, replacing skilled workers who can perform critical roles like scouting, harvesting, and managing irrigation systems is not as simple.
- Data sharing and collaborations between growers and tech providers can help spread valuable information that boosts productivity and crop knowledge, enabling AI systems to improve while allowing growers to gain valuable insights. AI and data sharing can even help alert farming communities of new crop threats spreading in a specific region. Rising food insecurity will ultimately lead to economic hardships, conflicts, and widespread destabilization affecting all aspects of humanity. Expanding and spreading AI's positive impact on agriculture can help tackle the problem.
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