A
s both a process and vocation, controlled environment
agriculture (CEA) is intimately entwined with
technology. As CEA gets increasingly sophisticated through
technological advancements, how these developments
will affect horticultural processes and, in turn, world food
supplies, remains largely unknown. At the forefront of new
frontiers in CEA technology lies artificial intelligence (AI),
which can potentially forever change the way humankind
procures fresh produce, largely by replacing human labor
with mechanized production.
We live in a world increasingly dependent upon, and
defined by, technology. This notion rings true in almost
every facet of day-to-day life in the 21st century, including
communication, entertainment, and work. Similarly, for
those living in the Western world, this same technology
contributes to meeting our general human needs, as food
is readily available for most people at grocery stores
and beyond. Yet, our current food subsistence patterns
are far from infallible and the technologies that make
commercial agriculture possible are falling short on several
fronts. These shortcomings are evident in pesticide- and
preservative-laden food sources as well as hungry human
populations in less-fortunate regions of the globe.
Over the last few decades, CEA production has grown
leaps and bounds in its scale and capabilities. Many
believe CEA practices such as urban agriculture and
vertical farming will eventually help resolve global
food crises. This positive outlook is largely because of
technological advancements in “smart” environmental
controls and LED lighting, which have made CEA
production viable, as well as profitable, on a commercial
scale for the first time. Sophisticated irrigation systems
have also drastically reduced the amount of human labor
required in propagating crops. For many CEA advocates
and technology authorities, AI is the next phase in
streamlining and sophisticating agricultural procedure as
well as global subsistence patterns.
Why Artificial Intelligence?
There are several reasons why AI has so much potential
in the world of CEA. These reasons mainly have to do with
notions of horticultural processes and labor efficiency.
Today, automation is already an essential element in
most CEA growing, and its benefits are related to both
consistency and efficiency in operations. For example,
smart controllers take much of the guesswork out of
troubleshooting environmental issues, while fertigation
systems accomplish irrigation in a controlled and effective
fashion. Artificial intelligence has the capabilities to take
these advancements even further.
Technology authorities postulate that AI can potentially
circumvent human interaction with horticultural processes
and garden maintenance almost in their entirety. According
to agfundernews.com: “Hypothetically, it is possible for
machines to learn to solve any problem on Earth relating
to the physical interaction of all things within a defined or
contained environment… by using artificial intelligence
and machine learning.” The important take away here is the
idea AI systems can learn as well as make choices based
on the objective constraints that dictate rational human
decision making. Concerning both production and labor,
this avant garde theory pushes notions of CEA automation
to their absolute extremes. This AI learning concept
postulates robots would be at the controls of environmental
and irrigation systems that currently require human
intervention in the way of fine tuning and decision making.
Also, AI could circumvent human error from these processes
by removing the human labor needed to grow CEA crops.
Maximum Yield
35