Opinion: Artificial Intelligence in the Field Promises Higher Yields, Healthier Crops

Anthony Vasquez runs a farm.

Sometimes the farm runs him.

Like the time he encountered an invasion of gophers. He tried chasing them, then spraying them with water – all to no avail. So, against his better judgement, he took a shovel and whacked them.

He has since found a slightly better way — a CO2 tank or cattle gun, similar to the one villain Anton Chigurh used in the movie “No Country for Old Men.” He’s still looking for a more humane way.

AI, or artificial intelligence, can provide that — and more.

Vasquez is studying how AI sensors can be placed throughout two acres of growing area and alert him to intruders. Employing IoT (Internet of Things) and AI algorithms will help him analyze how gopher behavior depends on weather and soil conditions, giving him extra time to intervene.

AI can also show him how, where and when to employ sensors or vibrating devices that will convince gophers to go elsewhere. These same sensors can be linked to triggers that set off more humane traps while avoiding trapping other animals.

Also, AI-powered robots or drones equipped with sensors and cameras can patrol Vasquez’ farm 24 hours a day to identify where gophers are likely to burrow, so that traps can be placed only when and where needed.

To incorporate all this, he’d have to access multiple AI technologies, such as machine learning algorithms and robotic platforms, to develop an overall plan to incorporate everything related to pest management. In the field of agriculture, including San Diego and nearby counties, this is still a new and mostly untried concept.

Rather than spending valuable time fending off pests, however, Vasquez would prefer increasing his crop yield by up to 50% so he can make enough to pay off personal debts, such as leasing the land, and to expand his ultimate goal — encourage youngsters in disadvantaged communities to consider farming as a way out of poverty, which is one of the reasons he started the farm in the first place.

Vasquez, 41, grew up in the Los Angeles area and became a career counselor for high school students as well as their parents, who needed help getting back into the work force. But a near tragedy was to change his life. In 2013, his son Elijah, then 2, began suffering terrible seizures, which, Vasquez later learned, were linked to food additives and chicken byproducts, sometimes found in medicines, as well, he contends.

“I stopped everything. I found myself in the hospital day in and day out,” he said. After two months, “I asked God that if he would help me remove this pain, I would give up anything,” Vasquez added.

His son got better. And Vasquez fulfilled his promise by renting two acres of empty land in Winchester, at the base of the San Jacinto Mountains, from a private developer. Today, he raises 96 different crops — all natural and organic – on two acres.

With 15 volunteers, his Pacific Fertilizer Company Farms trained some 10,000 students last year on how to raise healthy produce as well as consider careers in agriculture. In addition to getting his own land, “the biggest challenge now is expanding our farm and opening nutritional stores so we can deliver straight“ to market, said Vasquez. AI can provide direction there, as well.

Some farming organizations elsewhere in the country are already using data to understand every step of the growing process — from the health of soil to weather conditions — and how and when to apply fertilizer and pesticides. Farm management software can boost production and profitability, enabling farmers to make better decisions. Here are a few other ways Vasquez might improve his yield:

• Predictive analytics uses AI algorithms to analyze historical data on weather soil quality and crop types, then feeds the information into predictive models to forecast optimal planting times, potential pest outbreaks and ideal harvesting conditions.
• Precision farming uses AI-powered sensors and drones to collect real-time data on the moisture and nutrients in soil and, by integrating this with AI algorithms, creates precise plans for irrigation and fertilization of specific crops, thereby reducing waste and accelerating productivity.
• Image recognition software identifies pests, weeds and even disease in enough time to — excuse the pun — weed out the culprits, targeting intervention in real time and thereby minimizing the use of chemicals while maintaining crop health.
• Crop monitoring uses satellite imagery and machine learning algorithms to study crop growth and detect anything interfering with it, then makes adjustments, such as applying nutrients to speed up the growing process.
• Supply chain optimization, from planting to distribution, analyzes market demand, transportation, logistics and storage conditions to help make informed decisions on what crops to plant, when to harvest and how to efficiently transport product.

All of this minimizes waste while fostering increased productivity.

Without the Internet, however, none of this would be possible. Thus, access to the Internet — in the field — is crucial. Without the Internet, it’s just pie in the sky — or gophers in the dirt.

Leonard Novarro and Rosalynn Carmen are vice president and president of the Asian Heritage Society Novarro is also author of WORDSLINGER: The Life and Times of a Newspaper Junkie.