How AI is Transforming Agriculture

Agriculture industry and practices have changed so much in the last 100 years. In the past farmlands were plowed by horses and cows. Now they are being processed and monitored by high tech tractors, smart harvesters and intelligent drones. We can use AI technologies to create healthier and more effective farming practices which is key to our survival not only on this planet but also other planets we embarked to go. 

Autonomous tractors and harvesters will know how and when to plow and process farmlands. Smart irrigations systems will water plants based on weather and chemical composition of the soil. Autonomous pickers will pick up and package vegetables and fruits when the right time comes.

%30-%40 of the agriculture production in the world today is lost due to various harmful insects and weeds. We will use AI technologies to detect and eliminate harmful insects and weeds from farmlands. Intelligent drones will fly over farmlands and automatically detect harmful insects and weeds, eliminate them with laser without putting dangerous insect or weed killers to entire farmlands.

Today only large-scale commercial farmers have the ability to afford such technologies. We have the ability to truly democratize this industry and we should. Small-Medium-Large farmers, livestock breathers will all have the ability to afford smart agriculture solutions. Even many individuals who are not farmers would like to grow their own vegetables and fruits in their backyards. This is not only healthier but also testier (Little bit of psychology effect of growing your own crop also😊). But many of us do not know where to start, living in cities disconnected from nature. Through the power of technology everyone soon will have the knowledge and ability to grow their own food if they want to.

We started to see examples of smart agriculture apps in the world. These apps will be our farming assistants. They will know where we are based on our GPS location, will give user the ability to enter basic info about their land or get the land info automatically from local land office open API. It will then guide you week by week, will recommend you vegetables and fruits suitable to grow in that location, where to buy seeds, when to plant seeds, how to water crops, which types of diseases you need to take an action for and how, when and how to prune fruit trees if you have any, what will be the estimated output, after you harvested which market you can you sell your products, estimated selling price, how far those markets are…..etc. With the help of these types of farming assistant apps, more of us will venture to grow our own food with more confidence.

In cities where not now much land is available for farming, vertical farming technologies will help us. In your balcony and even basement, you will be able to grow food through power of AI technologies, robotics, artificial sunlight and recycled water.

Agriculture also directly effects energy consumption. Carrying and distributing agriculture products across the world consumes enormous amount of energy, creating huge carbon footprint every day. Now imagine a world where each house is self-sustainable. This will have significant contribution to solve global warming problem.

We started to use sensors and intelligent systems in breeding and monitoring livestock. Imagine the amount of meat, chicken and fish needed every year for billions of people on planet. These sensors will allow us to monitor animals, which animals are active and why, which animals are sick or when is their ovulation period, detect if they are stolen and raise alert. We even have the ability to detect diseases from their breath, weather they are fed well. With smart cameras we can detect harmful insects on animals, detect their growth in size and identify optimum time to sell them. We will be able to monitor thousands of chickens in farms and identify the unhealthy one instantly. All these solutions will allow farmers to grow, manage and sell their livestock capacity more effectively and healthier.

Fish consumption in the world is passing the meat consumption, putting huge pressure to health of marine environment all around the world. Through the power of AI technologies, we can detect changes in marine systems immediately. For example Turkish AI researcher Derya Akkaynak from Princeton University created an algorithm to remove water from underwater images which will help us to detect changes in our waters. We can also use AI technologies to model marine ecosystems now. Instead of shipping tons of seafood to thousands of kilometers away, we can grow and harvest seafood in places near to us, even in the middle of mainland. Data collected by high definition cameras and sensors from fish farms can be analyzed in real time by AI algorithms to detect changes in fish health and behavior.

Through the power of technology, we all soon have the ability to grow our own healthy food close to us. AI technologies can help us to create such a world where hunger can be a problem in the past, healthy and plenty of food is in the reach of all.

 #AIforAbetterWorld

 Onur Koç, Microsoft Turkey