Pakistan desperately needs to enhance the production and supply of quality food at affordable prices to meet the growing food demand driven by the country’s exponential population growth.
The country also requires an export surplus to generate much-needed foreign exchange. However, achieving these objectives is contingent upon increasing crop yields and improving the efficiency of agricultural inputs, including land, water, fertiliser, pesticide, and labour.
The crop production data from the past two decades reveals that farmers’ conventional methods and technologies have fallen short in addressing the escalating challenges of food security and high production costs.
The current situation necessitates embracing new technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), which is ushering in an agricultural revolution in both developed and developing countries.
Using satellite imagery, weather sensors, and data-based algorithms, farmers can track crop progress over the entire crop cycle
Using satellite imagery, weather sensors, and data-based algorithms, AI has empowered farmers to track crop progress over the entire crop cycle (from planting to harvesting) and make informed decisions regarding various agricultural practices.
AI facilitates the optimisation of tillage and irrigation and allows precise application of fertilisers based on mapping of soil contents (soil type, nutrients, pH level, moisture contents), insights from field trials, and remote sensing.
AI-enabled automated irrigation systems save water by adjusting water quantities and timings based on the data collected through field sensors and weather forecasts. Likewise, AI-powered apps, sensors, and GPS modules embedded in robots, agricultural drones, and unmanned ground vehicles are now used for crop mapping, real-time crop........