Data-driven agriculture programme ‘FarmBeats’ will facilitate more sustainable food production
Microsoft has partnered with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) in a new pilot to help farmers leverage artificial intelligence (AI) in food production.
The organisations want to help farms cut costs, increase yields and sustainably grow climate change-resilient crops. They will do this through a data-driven agriculture programme called FarmBeats.
FarmBeats uses geographic information system mapping software from Microsoft partner Esri to collect data from sensors, drones, satellites and tractors. It then feeds this data into cloud-based artificial intelligence models that provide a detailed picture of farm conditions. However, as most farms have little or no internet access, FarmBeats transmits data through the unused broadcasting frequencies between television channels, to an edge device at the farm and onto the Microsoft cloud.
The USDA is piloting the programme at its 7,000-acre farm at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center in Maryland, US. Its fields are fitted with a network of sensors that measure the soil temperature, humidity and acidity that result from cover crops, plants which are grown off-season to limit weeds, manage pests, prevent erosion and improve soil for the main crops.
The sensors also track water levels in the soil, which help determine how much water is retained and inform water budgets. A weather station tracks air temperature, precipitation and wind speed, and a tractor fitted with sensors assesses crop heights, biomass and greenness, which all indicate plant health.
If successful, the project will enable farmers to see the data generated by FarmBeats in real time. USDA researchers can then use that data to provide web-based tools and site-specific insights to farmers to help them better allocate resources and refine their methods.
“We can’t simply double our acreage to produce this food,” says Dan Roberts, research leader at the Sustainable Agricultural Systems Research Laboratory, located at the Beltsville centre. “What we need to do is develop more environmentally benign crop production systems — the new green revolution, if you will.
“As a result, farmers will have a quicker and more innovative way to implement practices that directly benefit the climate, and the partnership will also provide an avenue for them to cost-effectively bring new agriculture products to market based on good science.”
Programu ya kilimo inayoendeshwa na data ya FarmBeats itasaidia uzalishaji wa chakula endelevu zaidi, Microsoft imeshirikiana na Idara ya Kilimo ya Marekani (USDA) katika majaribio mapya ya kusaidia wakulima kutumia akili bandia katika uzalishaji wa chakula. Mashirika hayo yanataka kusaidia mashamba kupunguza gharama, kuongeza mavuno na kukuza kwa njia endelevu mazao yanayostahimili mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa. "Kama ilivyoelezwa hapo juu, mpango wa ""Ukanda wa Kilimo"" unaoitwa ""FarmBeats"" ni mpango wa kilimo unaoendeshwa na data." FarmBeats hutumia programu ya ramani ya mfumo wa habari ya kijiografia kutoka kwa mshirika wa Microsoft Esri kukusanya data kutoka kwa sensorer, drones, satelaiti na trekta. Kisha inatoa data hii katika mifano ya akili bandia ya wingu ambayo hutoa picha ya kina ya hali ya shamba. Hata hivyo, kwa kuwa mashamba mengi yana upatikanaji mdogo wa mtandao, FarmBeats inatoa data kupitia masafa ya utangazaji yasiyotumiwa kati ya vituo vya televisheni, kwa kifaa cha ukingo katika shamba na kwenye wingu la Microsoft. Shirika la kilimo la Marekani (USDA) limekuwa likifanya majaribio ya programu hiyo katika shamba lake la ekari 7,000 katika Kituo cha Utafiti wa Kilimo cha Beltsville huko Maryland, Marekani. Mashamba yake yana vifaa vya mitandao ya sensorer ambayo hupima joto la udongo, unyevu na asidi inayotokana na mazao ya kufunika, mimea ambayo hupandwa nje ya msimu ili kupunguza magugu, kudhibiti wadudu, kuzuia mmomonyoko na kuboresha udongo kwa mazao makuu. Sensorer pia kufuatilia viwango vya maji katika udongo, ambayo kusaidia kuamua kiasi cha maji ni kushikiliwa na taarifa bajeti ya maji. Kituo cha hali ya hewa hufuatilia joto la hewa, mvua na kasi ya upepo, na trekta iliyo na sensorer inathamini urefu wa mazao, biomass na kijani kibichi, ambayo yote yanaonyesha afya ya mimea. Ikiwa itafanikiwa, mradi huo utawezesha wakulima kuona data zinazozalishwa na FarmBeats kwa wakati halisi. Watafiti wa USDA wanaweza kutumia data hiyo kutoa zana za wavuti na ufahamu maalum wa tovuti kwa wakulima kuwasaidia kugawa vizuri rasilimali na kuboresha mbinu zao. "Hatuwezi tu mara mbili eneo letu kuzalisha chakula hiki", anasema Dan Roberts, kiongozi wa utafiti katika Maabara ya Utafiti wa Mifumo ya Kilimo Endelevu, ziko katika kituo cha Beltsville. <unk>Kile tunachohitaji kufanya ni kuendeleza mifumo zaidi ya uzalishaji wa mazao ya mazingira <unk> mapinduzi mapya ya kijani, kama utakavyo. "Kama matokeo, wakulima watakuwa na njia ya haraka na ya ubunifu zaidi ya kutekeleza mazoea ambayo yanafaidika moja kwa moja hali ya hewa, na ushirikiano pia utatoa njia kwa ajili yao kwa gharama nafuu kuleta bidhaa mpya za kilimo kwenye soko kulingana na sayansi nzuri. """