Artificial intelligence and smart agriculture in the light of COVID-19

ABSTRACT

Significant up gradation of agriculture sector is vital to meet the growing needs of food and other agricultural produce by the rapidly increasing population. Artificial Intelligence with various applications in several fields is making innovative inroads in to farming sector to improve productivity, identify diseases with 98% accuracy, and recognize pest damage. It gives growers a weapon against cereal-hungry bugs. Sensors monitor the fruit ripening, adjusting the light to speed up or slow down the pace of maturation. Farmers can monitor the well-being of their crops or the movement of their animals from their home farm, it can make agriculture less labor intensive, and more efficient. Companies are using high-resolution imagery from drones, planes and satellites to diagnose problems of pests, diseases, moisture stress and nutrient deficiencies in the field. BEEWISE uses artificial intelligence to automate beehive maintenance;and ARMENTA is working on new therapies to treat sick dairy cows. Other firms are targeting trendy sectors like pharmaceutical crops and alternative proteins. This kind of farming requires considerable processing power and is expensive. Artificial Intelligence has to be deployed with discretion by the natural wisdom of users. Machine Learning can just do the repetitive jobs taught and lacks creativity and doesn't get better with experience. The point that use of AI can lead to unemployment is debatable in the face of shortage or non-availability of laborers. This paper attempts to discuss the promises AI holds for farming, problems of its application/implementation, current concerns briefly touching upon the future prospects and Sustainable Agri-Food System Business Models in the COVID-19 Scenario.