Agriculture has always played a significant role in a country’s economic development. The global population increased by leaps and bounds in the past half a decade. So, there is a huge demand for high-quality healthy food. The fast-growing real estate sector has converted many of the farming lands into real estate projects. In many countries, traditional methods have failed to give the farmers good yields. Now, scientists/agriculture experts have formed an uncanny pact to combine AI with farming methods to improve agriculture yields. The combination has brought about excellent results from every corner of the globe. For example, improvement in crop yields; better quality fruits and vegetables. In this article, we will discuss in detail the impact of AI tools in agriculture.
AI Tools towards Future Farming
Agriculture experts face many challenges when it comes to harvesting crops. Gone were the days, when water resources were aplenty. Mother Nature used to favour the farmers with rainfall/favourable climate. There used to be large areas of land for farming. In recent times, they have to act as per the climate conditions with less land for farming. However, with the usage of AI tools in agriculture, according to report and surveys, there has been an improvement in profits as compared to two decades ago.
It is quite heartening, that start-ups and established businesses are investing in AI tools that can make a positive impact on agriculture.
Now, let us look at the practical applications of Artificial Intelligence tools in Agriculture.
1. AI Tools for Reaping the Benefits – Sowing of Seeds
Recently, farmers across the globe are finding it difficult to know the right time for sowing seeds. This is due to dramatic climate changes. However, with AI forecasting tools, farmers can get the right information on the weather. Accordingly, they can sow seeds that can suit the climate and get good yields.
An Israeli Startup has invented a device that has a cloud solution. When it is fed with images and data from the soil, it can give accurate predictions on harvesting time and climate conditions.
2. AI Tools transforming Agriculture by improving Crops Health
To get a good price, farmers need to get high quality crops and yield. However, with growing deforestation, micronutrients/macronutrients in the soil have reduced to a far lower extent.
A new innovation aids the farmers to take an image of the soil, crop in the app and get information on the soil deficiency, pest problems and crop diseases. They can then take suitable measures to improve the quality of soil as well as give treatment. Some apps with AI programs can also suggest a suitable fertilizer to improve soil health.
3. AI tools for Pests Detection & Removal
Weeds & pests are another problem that farmers face in farms. With proper consultation, the farmers can remove weeds with the best pest control measures. When you have large hectares of land, weed problem does not come in a single night. It starts in a small patch and then spreads to the entire land. Sometimes, farmers may find it difficult to identify these weeds. However, drones with AI sensors can easily detect these weeds and alert farmers. The same goes for pests which destroy fruits and vegetables. The AI sensor drones can also be used to spray herbicides to save crops, fruits and vegetables. There are Robots (with AI software) that have the capability to identify weeds by means of images. They drive a bolt in the field mud and uproot them from the soil. By means of sensors and images, these robots can identify the farm plants and help the farmers in eradicating the weeds.
How are AI tools helping agriculture?
International corporations and companies have understood that human population is depending on agriculture. So it is not only start-ups but also established companies that have designed tools with AI software which can transform agriculture.
For example, in a field, there will be plants that need nutrients or need spraying of pesticides than other plants. With the See & Spray technology, the vehicles can detect these kinds of plants. Then, they can spray the required amounts of micronutrients/macronutrients and pesticides on only individual plants. By this act, the farmer can save money that has to be invested in pesticides and other factors.
Then there is the CNC precision farming machine that is open source and has a software package. It is making many heads turn because of its multi-task nature. This machine can help a farmer plant seed and also identify weeds with a software and physical bot. With the help of web apps, it can be made active from a smart phone or any computer device to do the needful.
Then there is an app, it makes use of machine learning as well as computer vision to monitor the crops. It also checks on their health by calculating the nutrient fertility in the soil (rate of phosphorus, potassium as well as nitrogen).
Challenges of adopting AI tools in agriculture
Millions of years ago, it was man’s quest for higher productivity which set the pace for improvement in agriculture. Right from the invention of the plough for sowing seeds to using bullocks for toiling the soil, farming has come a long way. However, now it has shifted from animals to using tractors to using recent technologies such as AI, and Machine Language (ML). Farmers are incorporating some of the latest AI tools to reap millions of profits.
However, the analytics points towards some distressing figures. Statistics convey the same for developing countries. Do you know farming contributes a major scale of the nation’s economy? Yet, the agriculture industry is underserved. There are many villagers who are not familiar with the usage of new technologies. Be it AI-enabled equipment and solutions or other technologies such as cloud and machine learning. However, there is still hope. Companies that design AI tools for farming should get into contact with villagers at the grassroots level. They need to provide training to make them familiar with the AI tools. This act will impart confidence to farmers to use the tools in their farming methods.
So, at the present moment, start-ups and investor companies have stepped forward to make investments for AI tools in farming. Also, we have to understand, that improvement for greater yields as well as usage of technologies may take at least a decade to happen. Let us, being a human race, and living in this planet, called as Mother Earth, keep our fingers crossed and pray that AI tools that are being used in agriculture get used to the fullest to fulfill the needs of the global population.
Blog By B Sathya Narayana
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