As the world’s population grows, so is the need for food. However, as things stand, the current human population is 7.7 billion with 810 million suffering from hunger and starvation. Experts suggests that the population will grow to 10 billion by 2050, which means that the current food resources will not be sufficient enough to satisfy the needs of the human population. This means that we’ll need to come up with creative agricultural solutions to increase our food production. Among these solutions are artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. AI used in agriculture will make farming more efficient and productive, therefore, helping solve food shortage. If you are a farmer and wondering how AI can benefit you, continue reading to learn more.
Precision Agriculture
The use of AI used in agriculture has many benefits. Among all of them, Precision Farming is the leading one. AI can help you better manage your farm by collecting and analyzing crop data, therefore, ensuring that they receive all the nutrients they need for optimum health and productivity. AI also performs spot harvest measuring through its on-the-go crop yield monitoring capabilities, which means that you’ll be able to know the sections of your field that are strongest and which ones are weakest. This technology can also use the data it has collected to provide predictions about what outcome to expect if you change certain variables. Thanks to AI’s precision farming, your productivity will increase and waste reduce.
Managing Irrigation
One of the factors that affects optimal crop performance and yield is water. Not only do we need to properly manage the amount of water used to irrigate the crops for performance and yield, but we also need to do so to minimize the impact excessive usage has on farming cost and the environment. AI and machine learning can help you do this. With this technology, you’ll be able to determine the ideal amount of water to use for a given crop, which can change depending on soil characteristics, time of year, and weather conditions among other factors.
Optimizing Greenhouse Farming
Most people believe that greenhouses offer a controlled environment for farming. This is true but conditions inside the greenhouse do change and might negatively affect the performance and yield of your crops. Using AI can help in optimizing various aspects of that environment, such as sunlight, moisture, humidity, temperature, and climate. As a result, you’ll be able to enjoy higher yield and better quality from your crops.
Other benefits of using AI in your farm include, detecting and preventing weeds and disease, determining specific breeds of plans that will do well in your farm, and analyzing and optimizing soil, among others.
