'We are creating new crops five-times faster'

Jeremy Bunch, the boss of US flour firm Shepherd’s Grain, is worried about the impact of climate change on his business. He believes that weather and the climate pose the biggest risk to his company. To help strengthen their plans, Shepherd’s Grain is now using an AI-powered software system called ClimateAi. This system uses current and past data, such as satellite imagery and temperature and rainfall readings, to give farmers accurate, locally-tailored weather forecasts. It advises on when to plant and harvest particular crops, and predicts their yields. Shepherd’s Grain only started using ClimateAi last year, but already most of its 40 plus farmers are now being guided by the app. Himanshu Gupta, chief executive of San Francisco-based ClimateAi, says that the software helps seed companies to see how specific test seeds have performed in a particular region or locality. This can help seed companies figure out the optimal locations for growing seeds. Last year, a study published in scientific journal Nature warned of the potentially dire consequences of numerous crop failures happening at the same time around the world, as a result of the impact of climate change. With increased pressure on crops and the global population continuing to grow, could AI be key to developing new varieties that can better cope with extremes of weather? In the city of Arusha in Tanzania, David Guerena, agricultural scientist at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture, is leading a project called Artemis. Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, this is using AI to help breed more resilient crops. Specifically the AI is helping speed up work called phenotyping. This is the visual studying of new crop varieties based on observations of their characteristics, such as how many flowers, pods or leaves that a plant has. US agri-tech firm Avalo is also working to create climate-resilient crops. It does this by using AI to help study a crop’s genetics. Using their tech they have been able to create a broccoli that matures in a greenhouse in 37 days rather than the standard 45 to 60 days. Avalo, which works with companies in Asia and North America, is also working to make rice resistant to frost, and potatoes more tolerant to drought.