Farming has never been the easiest job and farmers must deal with extreme weather conditions, load shedding, soaring input prices, fuel costs, and worst of all, climate change. Could there be a possible solution to these challenges? Experts believe artificial intelligence (AI) could be the answer.
AI has become the buzzword in sectors across the world, therefore it comes as no surprise that has also made its way to the agricultural sector.
In simple terms, artificial intelligence is the science of making machines that can think like humans. It can do things that are considered “smart”. AI technology can process large amounts of data in ways, unlike humans.
The goal for AI is to be able to do things such as recognise patterns, make decisions, and judge like humans.
What you should know
Stellenbosch University economic research professor, Johann Kirsten, says as far as he has observed, AI is playing a role in the advisory and information space especially as it relates to information on how to deal with diseases, pests, and applications of chemicals, pesticides, and medicine.
“In essence, it can replace the agents and advisors of fertilisers and plant chemical companies. There could also be applications in the optimal size for tractors, and perhaps also advice on the ideal crop given the soil, profile, and climate and distance to markets which you provided to the chatbot,” he explains.
‘AI is here to stay’
Economist Willem van Jaarsveld gives a thumbs-up to the introduction of AI to farming but believes that the positive use of AI in farming depends mainly on the types of AI apps.
“AI is as intelligent as the level of ‘intelligence’ of the question asked and the data it derives the answer from. In other words, if you are non-specific in your question, you may get a frustrating answer.
“Use of AI can be used immediately. It is there to use. I believe we will see more and more AI apps for assisting farmers as we go. The question is, how long will it take for farmers to trust AI to the extent that they will transition from the more known sources they trust to this new source,” he said.
Moving with the times
Farmers believe that applying innovation and technology to agriculture makes operations easy for farmers.
According to Gauteng rooftop farmer Andile Matukane, running away from AI is running away from reality.
“AI in the agricultural sector is becoming a thing as we are all trying to innovate and introduce smart farming. We are moving towards urban farming which requires more usage of technology,” Matukane said.
She believes that artificial intelligence makes it easy for farmers to get data and have most of the jobs completed faster than before. However, she fears that people might lose their jobs because of AI practices.
Only as good as the data available
Meanwhile, Van Jaarsveld said AI is here to stay and it is important for farmers to understand that AI can only be as good as the information in the database allows it to be.
“At the moment we are all still in the early days with AI, however as time lapses, more data will be added to the pool of knowledge from where answers can be derived. Over time, trust in AI as a reliable source of knowledge will grow and as trust grows, more farmers will use it on a regular basis.
“Like everything in life, there will be pros and cons. The biggest advantage may be the ease with which knowledge can be obtained. Maybe the biggest disadvantage will be the manipulation of the database to serve certain agendas globally,” he said.
Van Jaarsveld urged farmers and agricultural leaders to verify AI answers. “Good measure of logic and interpretation should be the guardians of knowledge at all times,” he said.
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