How AI and IoT Are Reshaping Agriculture

Agriculture is quite literally the foundation of civilization. Agriculture 4.0 is important to the future of civilization.

Richard Pallardy, Freelance Writer, Information Week

September 27, 2024

1 Min Read
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Agriculture – the cultivation of domestic plants and animals – is believed to have begun in earnest some 12,000 years ago in the so-called Fertile Crescent of the Middle East. The management and harvest of plants likely began much earlier, but the techniques developed in this region allowed humans to form large settlements that developed into the complex, urban centers that now define our species. This was the first of a series of agricultural revolutions.  

The increasing sophistication of agriculture in the ensuing centuries has supported an ever-burgeoning population. A second agricultural revolution began in Britain in the 17th century and included the introduction of new irrigation techniques, fertilizers and means of transporting agricultural products. And the projected population collapse of the 20th century was averted by the Green Revolution or third agricultural revolution, beginning in the 1940s, which saw huge increases in crop yields due to new fertilizers and pesticides.  

Now, a fourth revolution is in the offing. Technological advancements including deployment of the Internet of Things (IoT) – digitally enabled devices that collect and transmit data – and artificial intelligence are creating new efficiencies that are likely to again fundamentally change the practice that has allowed our species to dominate the planet.

Related:4 Impactful Ways AI is Transforming Farming

Read the full story from AI Business' sister publication Information Week >>>

About the Author

Richard Pallardy

Freelance Writer, Information Week

Richard Pallardy is a freelance writer based in Chicago. He has written for such publications as Vice, Discover, Science Magazine, and the Encyclopedia Britannica.

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