Researchers in Ethiopia Undertaking Training to Harness AI for Agriculture, Food System

Addis Ababa November 4/2024 (ENA) Researchers are undertaking training to harness Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications for the development of agriculture and food systems in Ethiopia.

The four-day training under the theme “AI for Resilient Food Systems” is aimed at leveraging AI towards accelerating agricultural research for development.

In his opening remark, State Minister of Innovation and Technology Baysa Bedada said that the agriculture sector play pivotal role in the national economic growth and development.

“The national researches systems quality input coupled with government and professionals’ commitment have enabled Ethiopia to successfully replace wheat import with domestic production,” Baysa added.

This underscores the transformative power of agricultural research in policy implementation and boosting food security and economic resilience, he emphasized.

“AI technologies offer wide-range of applications from gene discovery to post harvest quality management, market channels and retailer business. However, challenges like climate change, pest disease, soil degradation threaten agricultural progress and well-being of our people,” the State Minister stressed.

According to him, AI driven technologies such as site and context specific fertilizer technology provision has supported Ethiopia’s wheat production.

 

Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) Director General, Professor Nigussie Dechasa said on his part that agriculture is one of the prominent five pillars of the Home Grown Economic Reform and should be backed with quality researches and AI technology.

Ethiopia’s GDP is expected to grow by 10.2 percent by 2030, he stated, and added that AI can play significant role in enhance the efficacy and productivity of the agriculture sector.

“The objectives are obvious: improve income and livelihood options for farmers, modernize agriculture and ensure national food and nutrition security, increase export of agricultural output and substitute import,” Nigussie elaborated.

AI powered wheat early disease defense, agricultural spraying and mapping drones, and AI powered coffee monitoring systems were demonstrated to participants.