BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 11. The "Smart farmer" national artificial intelligence (AI) platform can be developed in Azerbaijan, the member of Parliament Committee on Agricultural Policy Vugar Iskandarov said at the committee's public hearing on “The use of artificial intelligence in agriculture: results and prospects”, Trend reports.
According to him, Azerbaijan's transition to a smart agriculture model in the next stage is a realistic and necessary direction.
The MP, taking into account the information presented at the meeting, brought to attention two important proposals.
He said that the first initiative is the development of the "smart farmer" platform.
"A single AI platform can be established between the databases of state and agrarian institutions. This platform can provide farmers with various recommendations through a mobile application.
For example, the platform can provide the following capabilities:
- analysis of soil moisture and crop condition based on satellite images and sensors;
- support for early detection of diseases and pests;
- determination of optimal time for irrigation and fertilization;
- preparation of yield forecasts by regions and prevention of preventive problems. This can support a significant increase in productivity, especially by increasing access to technology for small and medium-sized farmers.
The MP emphasized that his second proposal is related to the application of agricultural drones and robotic technologies.
"A special application can be created for agricultural drones and robotics that work with AI.
Within the framework of this program:
- monitoring and mapping of fields using drones,
- precise pesticide and fertilizer spraying (this can prevent waste),
- processes such as automated sowing and harvesting in large areas can be implemented.
Iskandarov added that there is also a great need to accelerate the process of creating laboratories on artificial intelligence and agricultural technologies at the Azerbaijan State Agrarian University.
"All this can reduce water and fertilizer use, increase productivity, and create a more competitive environment in the agricultural sector," he concluded.
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