Good news for farmers, but not only for them, but also for the planet, for all humanity and one of the natural resources that is most consumed but least cared for and preserved, water. Drinking water, of course. Through smart devices and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, farmers in Aragon will be able to make more efficient consumption of natural resources, especially water.
Field-installed Internet of Things (IoT) equipment and data analysis in the cloud, in this case Microsoft Azure, provide information about the optimal time to sow, water, fertilize or harvest crops, in such a way that that farmers can obtain greater traceability of the production of their farms.
Ibercaja, with the collaboration of Microsoft Azure, has been in charge of launching this project to support farmers in the growth of their farms through the development of smart agriculture. In this way, greater efficiency is provided to farms, thanks to the fact that the technology itself is more sustainable.
With artificial intelligence, producers are provided with greater traceability of their exploitation, since it allows them to know the optimal moment to sow, water, fertilize or harvest. Information about the state of the crops is obtained in real time to analyze the evolution of indicators such as environmental and soil temperature, soil moisture, atmospheric pressure, plant vigor, rainfall recorded on the ground or wind speed. Thus, decision-making is facilitated at each of the moments of the production cycle.
The system also allows all variables to be managed remotely and remotely, which provides farmers with greater efficiency in their farms and a greater development of their business that can contribute to improving the productive fabric in the territory.
The project has been put into operation in several agricultural operations in Aragon, and will soon be extended to other regions of Spain. To launch this innovative initiative, Ibercaja and Microsoft Azure have had the collaboration of farmers as well as leading companies in artificial intelligence technologies from the Aragonese Community such as EFOR Internet y Tecnología and Libelium, incorporating Microsoft’s AI services into their strategy IoT.
Another example of the incorporation of artificial intelligence solutions to the field of agriculture is found in the American company Intel. Experts say that by 2050 the world will have to manufacture 50% more food than is produced today, but with fewer resources, and being more efficient. Gayle Sheppard, Intel vice president, says that “artificial intelligence can help farmers get more out of the land by using resources in a more sustainable way.”
