【2020 Solutions】 Yunlin Farmer Chen Wenliang Uses AI to Create a Smart Pesticide-Free Agricultural Ecosystem
Amid the global rampage of the novel coronavirus, countries have implemented lockdown policies, leading to emerging food shortages as many countries halt exports. By integrating technology with agriculture, productivity can be increased while also addressing issues like soil acidification and labor shortages in farming.
Dr. Chen Wenliang, an associate professor at the College of Biotechnology of National Chiao Tung University, along with students, established Agritech Translation Technology. They integrated biotechnology, Internet of Things, big data analysis, and artificial intelligence to develop the 'AgriTalk Management Platform', a pesticide-free agricultural pest and fertilizer monitoring system. Utilizing big data analysis and AI learning from environmental data collected by various sensors, the platform can precisely adjust and control six major production factors: disease, pests, soil fertility, moisture/humidity, temperature, and light.
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▲ CEO of Agritech Translation Technology Chen Wenliang
'Growing up, my father planted peanuts, watermelons, and sweet potatoes in Yunlin, which gave me a special affection for agriculture and a desire to contribute what I've learned.' Born into a farming family in Yunlin, Chen Wenliang utilized his expertise in biotechnology, along with the AI team led by Lin Yiping, Vice President and Professor of Computer Science at National Chiao Tung University. They received NT$68 million over two years from the Ministry of Science and Technology's Innovative Technology Agriculture System project, setting a benchmark for 'professor entrepreneurship'.
Two Major Rural Dilemmas - Soil Acidification and Labor Shortage in Farming
Chen Wenliang stated that the current rural dilemmas include severe problems of soil acidification and labor shortage on farms. Long-term pesticide abuse has led to soil acidification, reducing soil fertility and decreasing crop values. Therefore, prior to the company's establishment, his research team isolated and developed a biological insecticidal agent from over 5,000 types of spider neurotoxic proteins, which can kill specific pests but is harmless to humans and bees.
After the sensors collect all data on soil, it is combined with an environmental control system. Once the environment reaches specific parameters, various actions such as watering, fertilizing, and lighting are initiated to maintain optimal growing conditions. Additionally, this data is uploaded to the cloud, stored as big data, and analyzed by the AgriTalk platform's AI algorithm to predict future pest outbreaks and adjust the cultivation environment accordingly, thus preventing pest issues from the source.
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▲ Agricultural Control Module Controls Various Machines
Agritech Translation Technology selected turmeric as a crop because it is entirely edible, has few pests, a short growth period, and high economic value. Currently, Agritech Translation Technology has four demonstration sites in Taiwan located at altitudes of 1,200 meters in Wufeng, Nanzhuang, Baoshan, and areas around Qionglin and Zhubei. They use sensors to collect data and AI to automatically adjust soil nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium content, control moisture, and soil pH. Before introducing AI, the maximum turmeric plant height was 140cm. After introducing the AI management system, plants could grow to 158cm in a week, and up to 170cm overall, achieving a curcumin concentration of up to 55000mg/100g – 4-5 times higher than usual.
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▲ From Seeding to Producing High-Quality Final Crops
AgriTalk Management Platform Prioritizes High Economic Value Crops for Introduction
Following the successful introduction of turmeric, Agritech Translation Technology's next phase will introduce the cultivation of dan-shen using the AgriTalk Management Platform, continuing to prioritize the cultivation of high economic value crops in the future.
Chen Wenliang indicated that he once saw an 80-year-old farmer still working bent over in the fields in Nanzhuang, highlighting the severe labor shortage. Also, traditional farming knowledge is gradually being lost. Agritech Translation Technology aims to attract young farmers back to agriculture and preserve the older generation’s planting expertise through an AI algorithm, establishing an expert system. Generally, with a single master's guidance, all data is captured, allowing even novice farmers to quickly cultivate crops with the aid of the expert system.
Agritech Translation Technology adopts a one-stop service approach for farmers, from sensor integration to monitoring and management platform implementation, even buying the produce at double the price, to attract enterprises and agricultural product channels to invest, creating a guaranteed contract farming business model, thereby finding a sustainable and profitable model for the entire rural area and Taiwanese agriculture. This will attract more young people to return to rural areas, and solve the labor shortage problem.
Besides its own sites, the company adopts a flexible partnership model to promote its products, offering complete solutions, using single products, or even just AI services.
With complete solutions and significant results, Agritech Translation Technology's system not only became a focal point of Taiwanese agriculture but also has partnerships in Japan, the Philippines, the USA, and even Armenia in West Asia, introducing the system to crops like bananas, grapes, and olives. Chen Wenliang noted that the AgriTalk Management Platform elevates agriculture from semi-automated or manual processes to automated and AI-enhanced, creating a win-win situation for both the economy and agricultural environmental protection.
「Translated content is generated by ChatGPT and is for reference only. Translation date:2024-05-19」