Green pushes AI-powered farming revolution

Jamaican farmers could soon be turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to help them decide what crops to plant, as the Government moves to tackle the longstanding problem of oversupply that often leaves farmers struggling to sell their produce.

Agriculture Minister Floyd Green says a new technology-driven system is being piloted to help farmers make more informed planting decisions, potentially preventing situations in which large quantities of the same crop flood the market and drive prices below production costs. He was speaking at the World Food Day National Ceremony and Mini Expo on Wednesday, held under the theme ‘Innovate Today, Nourish Tomorrow’.

“What we want you farmers to be able to do, if you are going out to plant tomorrow, we want you to be able to go on to a system and look how much people across Jamaica are planting tomato now, how much people a plant cabbage now, how much people in your area a plant sweet potato, so that, if yuh know say a too much, nuh badda do it,” Green explained.

He said the initiative is intended to address a recurring problem in the agricultural sector, where farmers frequently plant the same crops at the same time, resulting in a glut when those crops are ready for harvesting.

“Then the price go down below your cost for production and then yuh cya get it sell and then yuh cuss the minister and say, ‘Bwoy, the market mash up’,” Green said.

According to the minister, the Government is working through the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) to collect production data from farmers, which will be combined with AI to analyse historical planting patterns and expected crop growth cycles.

“We are using AI in a positive way so we can look at what has happened historically and we can look at the growth cycle that we expect, and we can tell you it look like we will be good with tomato, so maybe try something else,” he said.

“We are now piloting that system and we expect, by next year, we will really be able to say to you, log on,” he added.

The national ceremony and expo provided an opportunity to showcase agricultural initiatives and encourage greater participation in food production. Green said the occasion also served as a reminder of the importance of strengthening Jamaica’s ability to feed itself, particularly in the face of global disruptions, such as COVID-19, and increasingly unpredictable weather conditions. Green also outlined plans to improve access to agricultural extension services through technology, including allowing farmers to arrange visits from RADA extension officers using an application. He said farmers would also be able to photograph problems affecting their crops and submit the images for diagnosis, reducing the need to wait for an officer to visit their farms.

“You can take a picture of what is affecting your crops and you can send that in and we can diagnose the problem and give a response without coming to your farm,” Green explained.

The initiatives, he said, form part of a broader effort to modernise agriculture as farmers contend with changing rainfall patterns, drought, and rising temperatures.

“The climate has changed, the weather patterns are different, the overall heat is much greater than it used to be. Even up in the cool, cool Blue Mountains is struggling because of drought and a lack of rainfall,” he said. Green stressed that ensuring Jamaica’s future food security would require a departure from traditional farming practices.

“We have to look at: how do we innovate, what are the new practices that we can employ to ensure that we will have food for tomorrow?” he said.