Farmers across the globe face a multitude of challenges, exacerbated by climate change: in Africa, 65% of the population relies on subsistence farming, which is especially vulnerable to climate-related issues, like severe drought and floods. Alongside this, rising costs are crippling many farmers, impacting production alongside both economic and food security.
With climate change significantly impacting the livelihoods of farmers and leaving them with reduced yields, many farmers are resorting to less environmentally friendly methods, like synthetic fertilisers. In the digital age, it’s important that we use the tools at our disposal, like AI, to support farmers to adopt more sustainable practices, while improving access to information and optimising resource management, crop yields and supply chain efficiency.
Keeping an ‘AI’ on crops for more informed decision making
As climate change continues to disrupt growing conditions, intensifying the pressure on farmers, AI-powered tools are playing an increasingly central role in providing critical insights. Such tools are helping farmers make more informed decisions, moving away from short-term solutions which may harm the environment, and towards more sustainable strategies.
Using these insights, supported by machine learning, farmers can also get better sight of their expected yield. AI can analyse crop development alongside environmental data, which can empower farmers to plan ahead, therefore reducing food waste and managing water more efficiently. In this way, AI can support productivity and a more resilient system.
Breaking down language barriers with AI
One of the biggest barriers to sharing guidance around sustainable farming is language. In Africa alone, there are over 1,000 languages spoken, making it a significant challenge to spread information and awareness. As such, AI-powered transcription tools are critical to delivering information at scale.
By translating chatbot responses in real time and localising training courses, AI can provide guidance in the languages farmers can understand best, thus improving the accessibility of resources around sustainable practices.
Sharing is caring: How AI is allowing farmers to access guidance
For farmers living in remote, rural areas, access to timely and relevant information is a significant hurdle in exploring more sustainable practices. While internet infrastructure is often limited in these areas, the sharp uptake in smartphone usage presents a major opportunity. AI is proving to be critical in bridging the information gap, delivering tailored guidance directly to farmers.
By analysing large datasets on factors like soil type and climate patterns, AI algorithms can generate recommendations on more sustainable practices and regreening techniques catered to farmers’ unique contexts. As such, instead of relying on generic advice, farmers can get genuinely useful, actionable insights.
Beyond this tailored advice, AI within platforms can provide AI-powered chat functions, giving farmers instant answers to their questions, enhancing access to information which can be shared within communities, facilitating the wider adoption of more sustainable practices.
Tools like our GreenGPT are also being tested to move towards proactive guidance, suggesting relevant courses and prompting farmers to consider alternative methods of farming. With endless land and crop types, hundreds of courses are needed – AI will play a key role in accelerating content creation and localisation to better suit the needs of farmers across the globe.
Blending AI with nature
As climate change continues to impact farmers across the globe, particularly those whose livelihoods are in smallholder agriculture, the need for more sustainable solutions is increasingly urgent. With pressures mounting, AI is a critical part of this solution, offering vital resources to farmers.
From optimising supply chains to enhancing the accessibility of guidance for a wide range of land types for remote communities, AI has huge potential to empower farmers to make more informed, sustainable decisions.
Of course, technology alone will not solve the issue. It’s essential that we combine digital tools with nature-based solutions to pave the way for a genuinely sustainable future, allowing farmers to not only survive the escalating challenges that come with our changing climate, but actually thrive.
