AI to boost jobs in farming sector, says AgriNext Summit

Kochi: The advent of artificial intelligence (AI) in agricultural sector will increase the employment opportunities, unlike the general perception, the AgriNext Summit held here on Friday highlighted.The event, jointly organized by Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM), agriculture department and World Bank as part of Kerala Climate Resilient Agri-Value Chain Modernization (KERA) project, saw around 50 MoUs being signed with farmers and startups. Inaugurating the summit at KSUM campus, Kalamassery, principal secretary B Ashok said integrating technology will attract more investment in agriculture and support cultivation of diverse crops. He stressed the importance of recognizing the benefits that technology brings to farmers. Currently, robotics, drones and IoT technologies are extensively used in the plantation sector and large-scale agriculture. However, there is a need for technologies that cater to small farmers as well. The KERA project has a Rs 100 crore budget for drip irrigation systems, and it is anticipated that advancements in AI in other sectors will also extend to agriculture in the near future. He urged farmers to be prepared for this transition. State IT special secretary Seeram Sambasiva Rao said the summit will help in finding practical solutions to problems in the agricultural sector through technology. KSUM CEO Anoop Ambika, who presented the resolution at the event, pointed out that despite the concerns about job losses in other sectors due to AI, employment opportunities in agriculture will significantly increase. The event, themed "Technology to the Fields, Transformation to the Harvest", attracted around 1,000 farmers and over 256 selected agri-startups. The event seeks to bridge gap between lab-based innovation and real-world farming by taking advanced technologies directly to farmers, offering a comprehensive look at how technology is reshaping agriculture.