One of the most important professions in the world–literally the one that feeds the world is agriculture/farming. In the past ten years alone, nevermind the past several centuries, we’ve come a long way in the way that we grow our crops and feed our people. As the population of the world continues to expand and the land in which to grow becomes more and more scarce, we’re going to have to become even more efficient and effective in our farming methods.
Agriculture today is a five trillion dollar industry and now that industry is expanding even further. In an effort to expand effectively and to feed the people of the world we’re turning to artificial intelligence to help us to control the pests, to monitor the moisture and other soil issues and to give us healthier and better crops.
AI is helping to organize farmer data, lower the workload for them and improve more than a thousand different issues iwht the food supply chains of the world. It is saving farmers time and money. In a time when farms are falling to the wayside at a rate of several hundred per year, we simply have to find ways to keep farmers in the business of supplying us with food.
How are we using AI?
Every day there are many hundred thousand data points on the ground for each farm. AI can use those data points to analyze in real time. It offers farmers a head start at things like temperature and weather or precipitation. This allows the farmers to prevent crop damage in many cases. AI can also be used to plan different crops and crop rotation in order to make the best use of the planting areas. It can help help to determine crop choices and the best seeds to use for the ground in which they are planting.
AI is being used in many farms for things like water usages, weather data and weather forecasting. These systems are helping to improve the quality of the harvest. Many farmers believe that AI use is only for larger, commercial farms. In fact, quite the reverse is true. AI helps the smaller farmers more than it does the larger ones who have deeper pockets than the small farmer.
Not only does AI help the smaller farmer save money and time, it actually makes the crops safer for consumption. Did you know that AI technology can be used to aid in which herbicides to apply within the proper zones. That will help to avoid toxins and excessive application of herbicides that can find their way into the foods that we eat.
Smaller farms produce more than 70 percent of the world’s food. AI can help them by allowing them to create seasonal forecasts that will improve their yield and their bottom line, keeping them in business and the rest of us in meals.