The report has been released by WEF AI for Agriculture Initiative (AI4AI).
- AI4AI brings together public and private sector partners to scale agritech solutions and accelerate the transformation of global food systems.
Key Challenges in Agriculture
- Declining Agricultural Workforce: Rural-to-urban migration and an ageing farmer population reduce labour availability.
- Climate Change and Weather Extremes: Global calorie yield from staple crops could fall by 24% by 2100 without emission cuts.
- Degradation of Natural Resources:
- Agriculture uses 70% of freshwater; 71% of aquifers are depleted.
- One-third of soils degraded; 90% of topsoil may be degraded by 2050.
Key Use Cases for Deep Tech in Agriculture highlighted by the Report
- Intello Labs AI and computer vision-based solution Fruitsort: It uses advanced cameras and machine learning to rapidly analyse fresh produce, identifying defects.
- Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY): It uses Remote sensing (satellite imagery) for efficient crop insurance along with High-resolution drones and a dedicated mobile app.
- Infosys “5G.NATURAL” programme: It focuses on creating a scalable, modular and intelligent swarm system, specifically for harvesting.
- Boomitra launched Vital Agricultural Regeneration and Adaptation (URVARA) project for carbon monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV).
