Future Farming: AI-Enabled Approaches to Agricultural Sustainability

Artificial intelligence (AI) plays a vital role in promoting agriculture and farming, thus helping agro-based economies grow. Agriculture is a major industry that plays an important role in maintaining the economy of a country. The Economic Survey states that India’s agriculture sector provides livelihood support to about 42.3 percent of the population and accounts for 18.2 percent of the country’s GDP at current prices. Current population growth, food quality demand and other environmental factors demand more technology than fertilizers. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that the agriculture and horticulture industry contribute $330 billion annually to boost the economy. The world population will exceed 9.1 billion, and in 2050 it will require 70% more food than is needed today. On the other hand, only 4% of the earth is cultivated for subsistence. The clear advantages that farmers enjoy from higher crop yields, lower farming expenses, and improved decision- making are being highlighted by key fields, including precision farming and disease detection. This paper introduces various AI applications in agriculture, reviews the case studies of AI-based farming in India, and discusses the challenges and opportunities that AI brings to the agricultural sector moving forward.