Agriculture in the AI era

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This article was published 22/06/2023 (857 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s impossible by now to ignore the constant warnings being issued over the risks that artificial intelligence (AI) may pose for humanity. While in some ways warranted, these concerns must be balanced by recognizing the role AI and related technologies can play in achieving sustainability in the face of climate change — especially for growing healthy, nutritious food for Canadians and global markets.

Our agricultural sector is central to the country’s opportunities related to developing a more prosperous and ecologically sound economy.

The agriculture and agri-food sectors combined provide one in nine Canadian jobs — employing some 2.1 million people — while generating nearly seven per cent of national GDP, around $135 billion annually. This includes jobs that take place on and off the farm.

Meanwhile, a recent federal discussion paper outlining a proposed sustainable agriculture strategy notes that consumer and investor priorities are evolving. In terms of Canada’s agricultural exports, “increasingly, competitive advantage is going to countries that can produce more, with less energy, water, and environmental impacts.”

The discussion paper also highlights an inherent complexity Canada faces in trying to achieve greener outcomes. Our agricultural industry spans over 190,000 farms, each producing a different mix of commodities in various geographical regions, meaning “there is no one-size-fits-all solution.”

Another underlying aspect of agricultural sustainability is the supply of labour to fill important roles on farms and within the agri-food value chain.

A report published in April by the Royal Bank of Canada forecasts that, “by 2033, 40 per cent of Canadian farm operators will retire, placing agriculture on the cusp of one of the biggest labour and leadership transitions in the country’s history.” Left unabated, a decade from now, the report says, Canadian farms, nurseries and greenhouses could be 24,000 workers short of what’s needed to sustain their operations.

Organizations such as Actua and Agriculture in the Classroom are helping mitigate this labour deficit by bolstering education initiatives to cultivate a digitally savvy agricultural workforce. Since 2021, with support from Protein Industries Canada, Winnipeg-based Enterprise Machine Intelligence and Learning Initiative (EMILI) has worked with these organizations to introduce 91,967 students from K-12 to the agri-food sector, including thousands of Indigenous youth.

Others, such as MacDon and Farm Credit Canada, are investing in research and development projects to accelerate how digital agriculture technology (ag-tech) and automation can be applied to enhance on-farm productivity, including here on the Prairies.

These are encouraging signs. If Canada is to live up to its international climate commitments while sustaining the vitality of a critical economic sector, embracing new technologies must be central to the development of Canadian agriculture going forward.

Indeed, Canada is already recognized worldwide as a leader in both AI and agricultural innovation thanks to heavy investments into basic research at our public institutions. Yet there exists a stubborn gap between devising new digital tools — such as remote sensors, data analytics, visual recognition software and autonomous robotics — and these tools being adopted at the farm level.

To fill this gap, EMILI’s Innovation Farms Powered by AgExpert (located 20 minutes northwest of Winnipeg), and other members of The Pan-Canadian Smart Farm Network are working collaboratively to advance Canadian agriculture. By providing industry and academia with exposure and access at commercial scale to cutting-edge equipment and emergent technology, and sharing best practices, we can support farmers and industry actors to more comprehensively address specific regional needs and opportunities.

To cement Canada’s status as an agricultural leader will require years of sustained investment, progressive industry leaders with a commitment to innovation, and relentless efforts by the industry to optimize the ways we produce food to feed a growing global population.

As this unfolds, we must focus on fostering enterprising start-ups and new entrants in the ag-tech space, to spur innovation and the adoption of new technologies at the local levels.

Growers of all sizes will be better served by an innovative, adaptive digital agriculture ecosystem built on partnerships and symbiotic relationships rather than a winner-take-all mindset.

All told, in the coming decades, climate change and global market forces will mean sustainability will continue to be demanded of Canadian agriculture. Harnessing homegrown technology will help meet that challenge.

Jacqueline Keena is managing director at EMILI, and a professional agrologist with degrees in agribusiness and public policy.