For years, farmers globally have had to make decisions on which crops to plant, based on their forecasts of growing conditions and of market demand; now, AI apps will be able to do so, says the Centre
The agrarian economy of India is at the cusp of a technological revolution. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is set to transform farming practices. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, a tripartite agreement between the National Farmers' Welfare Programme Implementation Society, India AI and Wadhwani Foundation) has been signed to leverage artificial intelligence in the agriculture sector.
Why is AI in agriculture trending, not just in India but across the globe? For years, farmers all over the world have had to make decisions on which crops to plant, based on their forecasts of growing conditions and of market demand. For accurate forecasts, more data needs to be fed in and analysed.
The ministry claims that AI apps are specifically designed for this purpose. They can analyse data on crop yields, soil health, and weather patterns and help farmers make informed decisions for a more efficient use of resources.
Apps are being developed which can boost productivity and environmental outcomes for farmers as well as impact livelihoods.
For instance, a company called Blue River Technology has developed cameras that are trained by AI to recognise weeds, so that the sprayer applies herbicides to a targeted area, rather than an entire field.
A smartphone app called Tumain developed by Michael Selvaraj, who is a senior scientist at the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture, allows banana growers to scan plants for signs of diseases and pests. It also advises farmers on selecting disease-resistant crop varieties that are suited to their regions.
In Tanzania, agricultural scientist David Guerena, has helped design the Artemis Project which uses an app to help with phenotyping, the process of breeding new crop varieties based on observations of plant characteristics.
In India (Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh), AI Sowing App provides farmers information on optimal sowing dates and depths.
The use of AI in the agriculture market is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 23.1 per cent from 2023 to 2028. However, as with any technological advancement, AI is also impacting the job market and the future of work in the agricultural sector.
For example, tasks such as harvesting and irrigation are being automated by some AI-powered machines. This could lead to some manual labour jobs becoming obsolete, with some new jobs being created in areas such as machine maintenance and programming.
The AI revolution in agriculture also makes it the latest sector to enter the debate about data privacy and surveillance and agreements like the latest one, will need proper safeguard.
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