How is AI in Agriculture Transforming the Farming Industry?

The integration of AI in agriculture helps advance farming by analyzing market demands, monitoring soil health, and addressing labor shortages.

Updated 16 January 2024

Anand Prakash
Anand Prakash

VP – Pre Sales at Appventurez

Can you think of a more dangerous industry than agriculture? They believe you reap what you sow. They leave out the phrase “if you’re lucky.” Farmers can barely talk about yields when bad weather occurs or crops are afflicted by illness. Or, if a worldwide epidemic strikes, managing numerous procedures becomes more difficult because most are not digital.

At the same time, the world’s population continues to rise, and urbanization continues. Consumption patterns are shifting as disposable income rises. Farmers are under a lot of pressure to meet rising demand, and they’re looking for a method to boost output.

We need to find strategies to assist farmers in reducing their risks, or at the very least making them more manageable. One of the most intriguing potentials is to use AI in agriculture on a worldwide scale. 

AI has the potential to change the way we think about agriculture, enabling farmers to do more with less labor while providing additional benefits. On the other hand, AI is not a self-contained technology. The integration of AI app development services in agriculture can advance the now-proven technology as the next step on the path moving from the traditional to innovative farming.

Why is AI adoption so difficult for farmers?

Farmers tend to think of AI as something that only applies in the digital world. They may be unable to see how it may assist them in working the real land. This isn’t because they’re fearful of the unknown or conservative. Their opposition stems from a lack of awareness of how top AI trends with technologies may be applied in the real world.

Because AgriTech vendors fail to adequately explain why their solutions are valuable and how they should be applied, new technologies sometimes appear complex and unduly expensive. This is what the implementation of AI in agriculture looks like. Although AI app development might be beneficial, technology companies must still do a lot of work to assist farmers in properly using it.

What are the Advantages of AI in agriculture?

Agriculture entails a variety of procedures and phases, the majority of which are performed manually. The use of AI in agriculture can help with the most complicated and ordinary jobs by supplementing existing technology. When integrated with advanced technologies, the role of AI in agriculture can range from can gathering and evaluating massive data on a digital platform, to determining the best course of action, and even take that action.

Role of AI in the agriculture information management cycle

The following processes may benefit from combining artificial intelligence with agriculture:

role of ai in agriculture

Analyzing market demand

One of the significant advantages of artificial intelligence in agriculture is that it can make crop selection easier and assist farmers in determining which product is the most profitable.

Managing risk

Forecasting and predictive analytics can help farmers decrease mistakes in business operations and lower the chance of crop failure.

Breeding seeds

By gathering data on plant growth, AI can assist in developing crops that are less prone to disease and more adaptable to environmental conditions.

Monitoring soil health

Chemical soil studies may be performed by AI systems, and precise estimations of missing nutrients can be provided.

Protecting crops

AI can track the health of plants to detect and even anticipate illnesses, identify and eliminate weeds, and offer appropriate pest control.

Feeding crops

AI can help in determining the best irrigation patterns and fertilizer application times, as well as predicting the best agronomic product mix.

Harvesting

It is feasible to automate harvesting and even forecast the ideal time for it using AI.

Applying AI in agriculture to solve farming challenges

AI enables better decision-making

Predictive analytics has the potential to be a game-changer. Farmers can collect and analyze substantially more data using AI than they could without it, and they can do it much more quickly. With the application of AI in agriculture,  farmers are able to handle critical difficulties, including analyzing market demand, projecting pricing, and deciding the best time to plant and harvest.

However, the challenges of AI in agriculture can be solved with AI that can also acquire information about soil health, provide fertilizer suggestions, check the weather, and track the readiness of the product. All of this helps farm management software make better decisions at every stage of the crop-growing process.

AI addresses labor shortages

Agricultural work is difficult, and labor shortages are nothing new in this business. With the use of automation, farmers can address this problem. Farmers may save money by using driverless tractors, smart irrigation, and fertilization systems, smart spraying, vertical farming software, and AI-based harvesting robots. AI-driven agricultural equipment is quicker, tougher, and more precise than any human farm worker.

Problems farmers can face while adopting AI

Considering the benefits of artificial intelligence for sustainable farming, implementing this technology may look like a logical step for every farmer. However, there are still some serious constraints.

Lengthy technology adoption process

Farmers must realize that using AI in agriculture is a more advanced version of basic technology for processing, acquiring, and monitoring field data. For AI to function, it requires a robust technological infrastructure. As a result, even those farms with some technology in place may find it difficult to progress.

This is a problem for software firms as well. Farmers should be approached gradually, with simpler technologies such as an agro trade platform being offered first. It will be appropriate to step up and provide something additional, including AI features after farmers have been accustomed to a less difficult solution.

A lack of familiarity with new technology

The agricultural industry in emerging nations differs from that in Western Europe and the United States. AI in agriculture might assist certain locations, but it may be difficult to market in areas where agricultural technology is not popular. Farmers will almost certainly want assistance in implementing it.

As a result, IT businesses interested in doing business in rising agricultural economies may need to be proactive. They’ll have to give training and continuing assistance to farmers and agribusiness owners who are ready to embrace innovative solutions in addition to their goods.

Privacy and security issues

Precision agriculture and smart farming create several legal difficulties that frequently go unanswered since there are no defined laws and regulations around the use of AI not only in agriculture but in general. Farmers may face major challenges as a result of privacy and security risks like cyberattacks and data breaches. Unfortunately, many farms are at risk from these dangers.

How AI is Used in Agriculture?

To improve a wide range of agriculture-related tasks throughout the entire food supply chain, the industry is turning to AI in the agriculture market. In fact, the global AI in agriculture market is projected to reach $4.7 billion in the next five years. The applications of AI in farming can help produce healthier crops, control pests, monitor soil, and growing conditions, organize data for farmers, lessen workloads, and organize pests. 

Use of weather forecasting

Farmers find it challenging to determine the best time to sow seeds due to climate change and rising pollution. With the aid of artificial intelligence, farmers can analyze weather conditions by using weather forecasting, which helps them plan the type of crop that can be grown and when seeds should be sown.

Soil and crop health monitoring system

The kind of soil and nutrition of the soil have a significant impact of AI in agriculture on the crops that are grown and their quality. The quality of the soil is declining as a result of increased deforestation, making it difficult to assess.

An IT startup established in Germany PEAT has created an AI-based tool called Plantix that can detect nutrient deficits in the soil as well as plant pests and illnesses, giving farmers the knowledge they need to utilize fertilizer to increase the quality of their crops. The technology behind this app is based on picture recognition. Using cell phones, the farmer may take pictures of the plants. Through brief movies on this program, we can also view soil restoration methods with advice and other alternatives.

Analyzing crop health by drones

Drone-based Aerial imaging solutions for crop health monitoring have been introduced by SkySqurrel Technologies. This method uses a drone to collect data from fields, which are subsequently sent by USB drive to a computer for expert analysis.

This business analyses the photographs it has collected using algorithms and then provides a thorough report on the state of the farm. It aids in the identification of pests and germs, enabling farmers to utilize pest control measures and other approaches when necessary to take the necessary action.

Agricultural Robotics

Robots that can effortlessly carry out a variety of activities in farming areas are being developed by AI businesses. When compared to people, these robots are trained to harvest crops more quickly and in greater quantities while controlling weeds.

These robots are taught to harvest and pack crops while simultaneously inspecting the crops’ quality and looking for weeds. The difficulties experienced by agricultural force labor can likewise be overcome by these robots.

AI-enabled system to detect pests

One of the deadliest adversaries of farmers that cause agricultural damage is pests.

The advanced use of AI in agriculture helps in employing satellite photos and historical data to determine if any insects have landed and, if so, which species—such as locusts, grasshoppers, and others—have done so. AI in agriculture aids farmers in their battle against pests by sending notifications to their cell phones so that farmers may take the necessary measures and employ the necessary pest management.

How should AI be integrated with other technologies?

As we’ve already established, large data, sensors, and software are all necessary components when choosing the development of an AI app. Similar to how AI is required for other technologies to work successfully. For instance, huge data does not always have much value by itself. The processing of it and its applicability are what is important.

Whether AI suggestions based on a collection of data will be useful depends on the situation, the setting, and the selection criteria. To make AI technology function, it’s also critical to have competent data engineers and analysts. Let’s go more specifically about how artificial intelligence is used in farming. 

Big data for informed decision-making

Utilizing the data is the true objective of its generation and collection. By implementing AI in agriculture, farmers can leverage data analytics that leads to enormous productivity gains and huge cost reductions. Farmers may receive reliable advice based on well-organized real-time information about crop needs by fusing AI and big data on mobile app development. In turn, this will eliminate any uncertainty and allow for more exact agricultural techniques including irrigation, fertilizing crop protection, and harvesting.

IoT sensors for capturing and analyzing data

Farmers may monitor, analyze, and save data from fields in real-time on several parameters using IoT sensors and other supporting technologies (such as drones, GIS, and other tools) for IoT app development. Farmers may obtain more accurate information more quickly by integrating AI agricultural technologies with the impact of IoT on app development. Less time and money are wasted on trial and error when there is better data to base decisions on.

Automation and robotics for minimizing manual work

One of the most prevalent issues in farming, a manpower shortage, may be resolved with the help of artificial intelligence, autonomous tractors, and the Internet of Things. Due to their increased accuracy and consequent reduction in mistakes, these technologies may also be more affordable. Precision agriculture relies on AI, autonomous tractors, and IoT when used collectively.

Robotics is a less popular yet quickly developing technology. For laborious tasks like harvesting fruits and vegetables and trimming lettuce, agricultural robots are already in use. Robots have several benefits over human farm workers. They are more accurate, have a longer working time, and are less prone to mistakes.

size of the asia pacific ai in agriculture market by application, 2014-2025 (in usd million )

Future of Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture

The growing number of active smartphone subscribers is assisting the rise of the Internet of Things and AI.

Agricultural AI is predicted to grow significantly between 2021 and 2025. It is expected to be valued at $32.40 billion by 2025.

Global population growth is pushing rising demand for agricultural products. Advanced technology, sophisticated forms of gear, and an effective data management system may help maintain demand-supply balance.

As a result, artificial intelligence is in great demand in the agricultural industry.

attractive iot opportunities in the construction industry

Significance of Training Data in the Agriculture Sector

In addition to helping farmers automate key agricultural processes, AI in agriculture also promotes precision cultivation for increased crop yield and quality while consuming fewer resources.

Future technological advancements, which will help the world deal with food production delays for a growing population, will benefit businesses that improve machine learning or AI-powered products or services, such as agricultural training data, unmanned aerial vehicles, and industrial robot manufacturing.

We create agriculture training datasets that may be used for a wide range of applications, including field monitoring, crop health and soil monitoring, agricultural robots, and many more. To handle tasks of any complexity, a variety of annotation techniques are utilized, including bounding boxes, polygon annotation, semantic segmentation, cuboid annotation, key points, and polylines.

Conclusion

The agriculture sector is expanding as a result of rising investment in agricultural and IT infrastructures.

AI in agriculture will speed up all the knowledge that producers have traditionally possessed as it refines the formula for each crop. Without a doubt, AI operates by sustainable farming principles. Being effective with it might be the difference between a profitable farm and an agricultural business.

For farmers to earn more money and for the agricultural industry to remain viable in the long run, it is essential to close the knowledge gap between them and emerging technology.

AI is a particularly formidable instrument that can dramatically speed up the reaction to the global climate. Global business leaders provide AI development services that have the opportunity to use AI’s advantages to successfully address the most difficult problems preventing these corporations from significantly decreasing their emissions.

Appventurez an AI app development company is happy to be actively contributing to the development of this new industry and is committed to leveraging all of our skills and talents to help our clients traverse their end-to-end net zero journeys in the coming years.

 

FAQs

Q. How will robots affect agriculture?

The primary purpose of agricultural robots is to automate field operations, which means saving farmers time on mundane, routine jobs so they may focus on more vital duties. There are several types of such robots for various tasks, including sowing, harvesting, weed management, tilling, chemical application, and more.

Q. What is the importance of artificial intelligence in everyday life?

Every day, artificial intelligence improves the effectiveness of our lives. Many applications and services that assist us in doing routine tasks, including contacting friends, utilizing email, or using ride-sharing services, are powered by AI.

Q. How will AI in agriculture impact productivity?

Farmers can implement AI in agriculture to automate field operations and free them from tedious tasks so they can concentrate on more crucial work. This will ultimately improve their operational efficiency and increase productivity to a large extent.

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    Anand Prakash
    Anand Prakash

    VP – Pre Sales at Appventurez

    Anand specializes in sales and business development as its VP - Sales and Presales. He supervises the pre-sales process by upscaling on establishing client relationships. He skillfully deploys instruments such as cloud computing, automation, data centers, information storage, and analytics to evaluate clients’ business activities.