Artificial intelligence could prevent millions from starving by 2030

Research suggests that the use of nanotechnology and artificial intelligence (AI) in agriculture could offer a practical solution to the challenges facing global food security.

A study by researchers at the University of Birmingham in the UK is looking at how “precision agriculture” could enable farmers to use technology to respond in real time to changes in crop growth.

“Precision agriculture” refers to farming methods that measure and respond to crop variability, allowing land to be managed to optimise efficiency and reduce waste.

In this case, artificial intelligence and nanotechnology can be used to help crops and soils perform better.

Climate change, a growing population, competing demands for land to produce biofuels and deteriorating soil quality are making it increasingly difficult to feed the world’s citizens.

Challenges to global food securityThe United Nations estimates that 840 million people will be affected by hunger by 2030. In response, researchers have developed a roadmap that combines smart agriculture with artificial intelligence and machine learning to help reduce that number.

Almost nine percent of the planet’s population is currently hungry.

“Finding sustainable agricultural solutions to this problem will require bold new approaches and the integration of knowledge from different fields, such as materials science and computer science,” said study co-author Iseult Lynch.

“Precision agriculture using nanotechnology and artificial intelligence offers exciting opportunities for sustainable food production. We can combine existing models of nutrient cycling and crop productivity with nano-informatics approaches to enable both crops and soil to perform better – safely, sustainably and responsibly.”

The main motivation for innovation in agricultural technology is the current need to feed a growing world population on less and less land available for agriculture, while preserving soil health and protecting the quality of the environment.

EU reforms to the Common Agricultural Policy are being branded as “greenwashing”

Scientists believe that organic farming could feed the whole of Europe by 2050Water is also a key factor in the current challenges facing agriculture. The COVID-19 pandemic, which put millions of people at risk of acute hunger, has triggered a pivotal year for rethinking the food and nutrition system as a whole. Yet, we are falling short of the 2030 target of ensuring water and sanitation for all, as set out in UN Sustainable Development Goal 6, as many water sources become unreliable, more polluted, or both.

Efficiency gaps and nitrogen emissions in the agricultural sectorThe intensification of agriculture has resulted in extremely low global nitrogen use efficiency. This means how much of the nitrogen used in the agricultural process is actually taken up by the crop. This inefficiency poses a serious threat to the quality of the environment, as large amounts of nutrients are released into the water and air, warming the planet, with nearly 11 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions coming from agriculture.

The “laughing gas” emitted from excessive fertilization of land, nitrous oxide, which is 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide as a cause of global warming, is of particular concern. About 70 percent of nitrous oxide emissions into the air come from the agricultural sector.

Nano fertilizers offer the potential to target fertility improvements, increase nitrogen use efficiency and reduce nitrous oxide emissions, which could contribute to the UK Climate Change Act’s net zero greenhouse gas emissions targets for 2050.

Researchers have identified four key ways nanotechnology can improve agriculture: improving production rates and yields; enhancing soil health and plant resilience; improving the efficiency of resources such as fertiliser and reducing pollution; and developing smart sensor crops that can alert farmers to environmental stresses.

“The integration of artificial intelligence and nanotechnology in precision agriculture will play a vital role in testing the design parameters of nanomaterials used for fertilizer and pesticide application to minimize the impact on soil health, which will help ensure safe and sustainable agriculture,” concludes co-author Peng Zhang.

Source: https://www.euronews.com/green/2021/06/30/could-artificial-intelligence-stop-840-million-people-from-going-hungry-by-2030