Agriculture is a vital part of any nation’s economy. As the global population rises, so does the want for more food. The farmer’s traditional Practices are now resulting in insufficient food to meet demand. As a result, new forms of automation are developed to meet these demands and provide employment prospects for various individuals in the agricultural industry.
Artificial Intelligence is one of the most crucial technologies in any industry. The agricultural sector is being revolutionized as a result. Agricultural Practices have changed significantly due to technological developments, and the impacts of these changes have multiplied over time. In agriculture, AI solving farming challenges such as climate change, population growth, labour shortages, and food safety.
Top Applications of Artificial Intelligence In Agriculture
There are several agricultural procedures that might benefit from combining AI with agriculture. Some of the best applications of AI solving farming challenges are listed below:
- AI for Crop and Soil Monitoring:
Soil micronutrients and macronutrients affect crop health, production, and quality. After planting, crop growth must be monitored to maximize productivity. In order to improve crop health, it’s crucial to understand crop growth and the environment. Instead, we may use drones (UAVs) to take aerial photos and train computer vision models to monitor crop and soil quality. AI can monitor crop health and anticipate yields with precision. AI can easily identify crop malnutrition.
- AI for Smart Robotics Harvesting:
Artificial intelligence firms are creating robots that can efficiently carry out a wide variety of agricultural activities. Compared to people, this robot can manage weeds and harvest crops more quickly and in greater quantities. These robots are programmed to simultaneously pick and pack crops while inspecting for defects and weeds. These machines may also help farmers overcome some of the difficulties of their work.
- AI for Smart Pests or Weed Detection:
Insects that feast on crops are a major threat to farmers. Artificial intelligence algorithms analyze satellite images to detect what kind of insect, such as a locust, a grasshopper, etc., has landed. AI helps farmers fight pests by alerting them on their phones so they may take preventative actions and use effective pest control.
- AI for Predictive Analytics:
Artificial intelligence businesses are now developing robots that can do a variety of agricultural activities. Robots of this sort are programmed to do tasks formerly performed by people more quickly and in greater quantities, such as weeding and harvesting crops. In addition to selecting and packaging, these robots can inspect crops for quality issues and weeds. These robots may also be used to combat the dangers of manual farm work.
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Weather Forecast Agricultural Apps:
Since the weather is continually changing and pollution is becoming worse, it is difficult for farmers to decide when to sow seeds. Artificial intelligence has greatly enhanced a farmer’s ability to analyse weather forecasts, determine which crops are viable, and know when to sow seeds.
- AI for Adaptive Spraying Techniques:
AI-powered sensors can quickly and accurately identify weed infestations. Once identified, herbicides may be applied accurately, saving time, money, and yield. Several machine learning firms are developing AI-powered weed-spraying robots. Artificial intelligence sprayers might minimise pesticide usage in agriculture, leading to higher-quality, cheaper produce.
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Plant Disease Diagnosis:
AI predictions may help farmers track plant diseases and their causes. So they can identify plant diseases accurately and quickly. By using it, plant and farmer life may be prolonged. Initially, computer vision technology is used for pre-processing plant photos. This guarantees that photos of plants are correctly segmented between infected and unaffected areas. A sample of the affected region is submitted to labs for examination when the issue is found. Pests, vitamin shortages, and other issues may be identified using this procedure.
Benefits of AI with Other Technologies in Agriculture:
Artificial intelligence (AI) is impossible without other technologies, such as big data, sensors, and software. In a similar vein, AI is essential to the operation of many other technologies. In the case of huge data, for instance, the data itself is of little use. The processing information undergoes and the relevance it has are what really important.
AI suggestions based on a collection of data are only useful if they are appropriate for the given time, context, and selection criteria. That’s why having skilled data engineers and data analysts is crucial to the success of artificial intelligence. So, let’s go further into the ways in which AI is being used in agriculture.
Big data for informed decision-making:
The ultimate goal of creating and collecting data is to use it. Data analytics has the potential to make agriculture much more productive while also cutting costs. When artificial intelligence (AI) is combined with a lot of data, farmers may get good advice based on data that is up-to-date and well-organized about what their crops need. This will help farmers do things like water, fertilise, protect crops, and harvest with more accuracy.
IoT sensors for capturing and analyzing data:
The Internet of Things (IoT) lets farmers monitor, measure, and store data from their fields about a variety of factors in real time using a variety of supporting technologies (such as drones, GIS, and other tools). When Internet of Things (IoT) sensors and software are used with AI farming solutions, they may give farmers more accurate and timely data. When you have more information, it’s easier to make well-informed decisions.
Automation and robotics for minimizing manual work:
One of the biggest problems in farming is a lack of workers, which could be fixed by combining AI, self-driving tractors, and the Internet of Things. Also, because these technologies are more accurate and less likely to make mistakes, they may save money in the long run. The Internet of Things (IoT), self-driving tractors, and artificial intelligence (AI) must all work together for precision farming.
Robotics is a new and not very common technology. Robots are already doing physical work in agriculture, like picking fruits and vegetables and cutting lettuce. There are many ways robots could do the work of humans on farms. They work better, make fewer mistakes, and can keep going for longer.
Future of Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture
Future technological advances will help businesses that use machine learning or artificial intelligence to improve products or services, such as agricultural training data, drone delivery, and automated machine manufacturing, which will in turn help the global community address food production issues caused by population growth.
AI has the potential to automate whole agricultural processes. AI applications, systems, and devices will help farmers in many ways, such as planting seeds, monitoring soil quality, getting rid of weeds, harvesting crops, and keeping track of the supply chain. The applications of AI solving farming challenges will grow rapidly, leading to better agribusiness practices.
When combined with the Internet of Things (IoT) and computer vision, AI is a game-changer in the agricultural industry for keeping track of and controlling pests and other insects. Using artificial intelligence (AI) in agriculture has the potential to change how farming is done all over the world, and using AI-powered drones could take it to the next level.
Statistics:
- According to Forbes, “smart” agricultural investments like AI and machine learning are expected to treble worldwide expenditure to $15.3 billion by 2025.
- According to Markets&Markets, spending on AI technologies and solutions in Agriculture alone is expected to increase from $1 billion in 2020 to $4 billion in 2026, for a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 25.5%.
- BI Intelligence Research predicts that by 2025, global investments in smart, connected agricultural technology and systems like AI and machine learning will have tripled to reach $15.3 billion.
Conclusion:
With the aid of AI, farmers can automate their operations and take the next step toward precision cultivation, which will increase their yields while also improving the quality of their harvests and reducing their environmental impact.
