The future of AI in agriculture: the keynote address at REAP 2024

We are in the early stages of AI in agriculture. What should growers be thinking about as they plan for the future?

At REAP 2024 we will be considering where the optimum balance lies between “management of the many” and “optimisation of the one.”

Mineral set out to apply the transformative power of AI to help make agriculture more sustainable and to increase its resilience to climate change.  The team developed tools to gather, organise, and analyse information about the plant world at a new level of precision and speed. Using millions of data points, they provided insights into the relationship between crop genetics, environmental impacts, and management practices on the farm.

Elliott argues that plant monitoring at high frequency, not just high resolution, will create additional knowledge that will unlock new paradigms in farming.

Mineral partnered closely with US-based Driscoll’s, the world’s leading berry company, to develop AI tools to improve crop phenotyping, better forecast yields, and optimise quality inspections.

Integrating hundreds of different data types like imagery, soils, weather, planting times, and historical yield is well-suited to the power of AI.  A key learning from these initiatives was the synergy between human expertise and machine intelligence. It was found that the careful combination of human intuition and raw AI power, with each learning from the other, gave the best results.

From this experience, Mineral developed a three-layered perception framework for agriculture: what can a machine see? (perception); what can a machine deduce from this information? (reasoning and decision-making); and how can the machine act on it? (action).

Elliott gives one example of a possible future scenario. Instead of a shed full of task-specific equipment, next-gen farms may have software-defined robots updated with new capabilities remotely. This would enable multi-functional machines, replacing the need for investment in specialised equipment each time the farmer wants to diversify.

“We’re at the cusp of a new era in agriculture,” Grant said. “With the help of AI, we can begin to build farms that are more resilient to climate change and more efficient in their use of resources. The future of farming is bright, and I’m excited to be a part of it.”

In addition to his keynote address, Grant will participate in a panel discussion on the future of agriculture and a farmer breakfast on the morning of 6th November.

To listen to Dr Grant in person and have the opportunity to ask him questions, book a ticket for REAP 2024.

Global agriculture has evolved into a dual landscape of both vast scale and intricate detail, and technologies are now available for the precise management of individuals within the field, herd or flock. But where is the tipping point in which the benefits from bespoke management of individual crops and livestock outweigh the broader, more general oversight of larger populations?

At REAP 2024, we’ll examine the practicality and return on investment of personalised care, the impact on yields and quality, and the implications for achieving net zero GHG emissions.

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