Transforming agriculture: 5 AI concepts to enhance productivity
UK farming plays a vital role in our lives, providing 54% of our food (EFRA, 2023) and safeguarding our food security and natural environment. To keep delivering this essential service in the face of significant challenges, including a growing labour shortage, farmers need support to boost their productivity. Could adopting and integrating AI-powered tools and capabilities to transform existing processes be the answer?
From the report
We’ve brought together adopters, innovators, thought leaders, and academics to identify five key AI development opportunities. These use cases have the potential to supercharge productivity; optimising inputs and maximising yields to add billions of pounds in value to the sector, whilst promoting sustainable practices. If you’re eager to reshape the agricultural landscape, this is where you may want to begin…
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The Challenge
What innovators can offer
Farm yields depend on countless variables, but many farmers still make decisions based on intuition and past experiences. With a wealth of data and numerous factors involved, it’s extremely challenging to make choices that efficiently use resources, minimise waste, and boost yields.
A solution that can capture and process the vast array of data involved in each farming process more precisely and effectively than any human. Providing decision making support for optimising inputs and interventions to increase yields.
What industry says:
76% surveyed said this was likely or very likely to benefit the agriculture industry.
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The Challenge
What innovators can offer
Due to the significant risk of crop damage from pests and the relatively low cost of spraying entire fields, farmers often use pesticides without precision, leading to excessive use. This inefficient approach not only increases costs for farmers but also results in greater damage to the environment.
A system that can identify and pinpoint pest infestations, allowing farmers to target them with precision.
What industry says:
82% surveyed said this was likely or very likely to benefit the agriculture industry.
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The Challenge
What innovators can offer
Farmers must oversee their crops and livestock but can’t be everywhere all at once. As a result, monitoring is often done sporadically. This approach can lead to farmers overlooking gradual changes, or only detect events once it has become too late to react.
A continual monitoring system for crops and livestock that detects changes and flags issues in real time. Greatly improving accuracy and reducing the time cost of farmers physically inspecting their fields and animals.
What industry says:
62% of agriculture managers would be likely or very likely to purchase and use this solution.
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The Challenge
What innovators can offer
Farmers lose many valuable hours that could be spent tending to crops and livestock inputting data into the huge number of forms required to secure vital agricultural subsidies or remain compliant with the latest farming regulations.
A solution for collecting and extracting the relevant data to automatically fill forms as required, significantly reducing the time burden for farmers.
What industry says:
64% surveyed said this was likely or very likely to benefit the agriculture industry.
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The Challenge
What innovators can offer
Understanding the quantity and quality of farm yields is essential to the strategic decision making of farmers. However, despite this strategic importance, many farmers are making decisions based upon short to medium-term market predictions.
A solution that empowers farmers to predict the long-term quantity and quality of their yields, considering a range of factors such as soil, environment, and farm specific conditions. Enabling farmers to make important decisions grounded in precise, long-term forecasts.
What industry says:
53% of agriculture managers would be likely or very likely to purchase and use this solution.
What are the takeaways?
Data is key: In agriculture, data is paramount. Farming systems are intricate, driven by numerous processes influenced by factors like weather, soil variations, and farming practices. This variability underscores the importance of big data. To harness AI’s potential for agriculture, innovators must master the data challenge. Identifying key data, optimising collection methods, and leveraging it can significantly boost productivity. Siloed data limits AI’s potential in agriculture. Collaborative data sharing is essential for unlocking the full benefits of AI innovation in farming.
Accessibility matters: In contrast to other nations such as the United States, where farm holdings are much larger, 76% of UK farm businesses have 0 or 1 employee.[1] Therefore, innovators should focus on providing solutions that boost productivity on the many small farms, without imposing costs that farmers can’t afford.
Start smaller: Some of the described use cases are quite extensive and can be applied to various processes. To create solutions and try out ideas, innovators might want to start small, focusing on a single, more manageable aspect. For instance, they could begin by predicting the yields of a particular crop rather than multiple crops.
So, what’s your next move?
- Explore: Take a look at the report and visit the BridgeAI programme page to discover how the programme can benefit you.
- Innovate: Dive deep into the use cases we’ve outlined or create your own. Your innovation could be the one that changes the game!
- Apply for funding: Don’t hesitate; the opportunity is knocking. Apply for the latest BridgeAI competition to receive up to £1.2 million for your project and turn your AI idea into reality.
- Subscribe: Stay updated with BridgeAI to make sure you don’t miss out on future opportunities!
[1] Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, ‘Business Population Estimates 2022’, Oct. 06, 2022. Available: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/business-population-estimates-2022
Related programme
BridgeAI
Empowering UK organisations to harness the power of AI through support and funding, bridging the AI divide for a more productive UK.