Hyderabad, India: Millets have sometimes been hailed as the next quinoa but researchers collating a global database of millet products have found this ancient grain to be orchestrating a silent food revolution that could see quinoa outstripped. The "Millet Finder", launched today, discovered a surge in the use of millets, with over a thousand modern convenient products in a very wide range, across all the inhabited continents. Launched today at FoodTec Expo by the International Crops Research Institute of the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and the ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR), the "Millet Finder" will help users find over 500 products across 30 countries. Another 500 products are identified and set to be included and mapped by end of the year by the Smart Food team at ICRISAT, who created the database and will continue growing it. "Unless there is a consumer driven demand and movement to diversify diets, farms cannot diversify and agriculture cannot be sustainable. By diversifying staples, we can have a major impact on diets, farms and the environment. ICRISAT strongly believes in creating awareness and helping consumers make informed choices while keeping their health and the environment in view. In that respect, millets check every box," said Dr Jacqueline d'Arros Hughes, Director General, ICRISAT, and Chair, Smart Food Executive Council.

Data scientists used the opportunity to learn advanced trends in artificial intelligence, machine learning and deep learning methods in genomic prediction models. A deeper understanding of advanced trends in artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and deep learning methods in genomic prediction models is critical to the success of smallholder agriculture. AI and ML algorithms are now being used to reduce risks in agriculture while also making it possible to forecast pest and disease outbreaks and alert farmers in advance. The annual collaborative workshop for Bioinformatics & Biometrics Community of Practices (CoP) under Excellence in Breeding (EiB) Platform Module 5, held in July in Montpellier, France, discussed the untapped potential of deep learning methods to make a significant impact on farming. With the theme: "Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning with Genomic Selection Use Cases", the workshop served as a platform for data scientists across CGIAR institutions to explore using advanced agricultural research ML algorithms for genomics including prediction of plant phenotype, image identification, disease identification, and annotation of DNA sequences.

It is one of the marvels of human innovation but artificial intelligence (AI) offers tough competition for us. The days of speculating rain and sunshine may soon fade with artificial intelligence's capability to predict right conditions with precision to an extent. It comprises one of the basic aspects of precision agriculture (PA) promoted even by the government to boost productivity and in turn, farmers' income. AI-based sowing advisories lead to 30 per cent higher yields as Microsoft, in collaboration with ICRISAT, developed an AI Sowing App powered by Microsoft Cortana Intelligence Suite including Machine Learning and Power BI. The app sends sowing advisories to participating farmers on the optimal date to sow without them installing any sensors in their fields or any additional cost; all they need is a phone capable of receiving text messages.

It is one of the marvels of human innovation but artificial intelligence (AI) offers tough competition to us. The days of speculating rain and sunshine may soon fade with artificial intelligence's capability to predict right conditions with precision to an extent. It comprises one of the basic aspects of precision agriculture (PA) promoted even by the government to boost productivity and in turn, farmers' income. AI-based sowing advisories lead to 30% higher yields as Microsoft, in collaboration with ICRISAT, developed an AI Sowing App powered by Microsoft Cortana Intelligence Suite including Machine Learning and Power BI. The app sends sowing advisories to participating farmers on the optimal date to sow without them installing any sensors in their fields or any additional cost; all they need is a phone capable of receiving text messages.

Here's how Artificial Intelligence is going to change the way farming is done in the country. Right from sowing to harvesting and then to post-harvest help, the AI solutions promise informed inputs to farmers and other stakeholders in the ecosystem. The solutions are going to give them heads up on the likelihood of rain, outbreak of diseases or attack of pests and on soil health condition. The information gathered from the field using satellite images and sensors on balloons would be juxtaposed with historical weather and other agronomic data to generate customised data for a specific farmer on a specific crop. Microsoft has tied up with International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) to develop a system designed specially to suit the needs of farmers in countries like India, while IT major Tech Mahindra is planning to have a team of 1,000 employees to focus exclusive on its initiative for agriculture.

NEW DELHI: New technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cloud Machine Learning, Satellite Imagery and advanced analytics are empowering small-holder farmers in India to increase their income through higher crop yield and greater price control, Microsoft India said. In a few dozen villages in Telengana, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, farmers are receiving automated voice calls that tell them whether their cotton crops are at risk of a pest attack, based on weather conditions and crop stage. In Karnataka, the government can get price forecasts for essential commodities such as tur (split red gram) three months in advance for planning the Minimum Support Price (MSP). "Sowing date as such is very critical to ensure that farmers harvest a good crop. And if it fails, it results in loss as a lot of costs are incurred for seeds, as well as the fertilizer applications," Suhas P. Wani, Director, Asia Region, of the International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), said in a Microsoft blog post.

New technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cloud Machine Learning, Satellite Imagery and advanced analytics are empowering small-holder farmers in India to increase their income through higher crop yield and greater price control, Microsoft India said. In a few dozen villages in Telengana, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, farmers are receiving automated voice calls that tell them whether their cotton crops are at risk of a pest attack, based on weather conditions and crop stage. In Karnataka, the government can get price forecasts for essential commodities such as tur (split red gram) three months in advance for planning the Minimum Support Price (MSP). "Sowing date as such is very critical to ensure that farmers harvest a good crop. And if it fails, it results in loss as a lot of costs are incurred for seeds, as well as the fertilizer applications," Suhas P. Wani, Director, Asia Region, of the International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), said in a Microsoft blog post.

Here's how Artificial Intelligence is going to change the way farming is done in the country. Right from sowing to harvesting and then to post-harvest help, the AI solutions promise informed inputs to farmers and other stakeholders in the ecosystem. The solutions are going to give them heads up on the likelihood of rain, outbreak of diseases or attack of pests and on soil health condition. The information gathered from the field using satellite images and sensors on balloons would be juxtaposed with historical weather and other agronomic data to generate customised data for a specific farmer on a specific crop. Microsoft has tied up with International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) to develop a system designed specially to suit the needs of farmers in countries like India, while IT major Tech Mahindra is planning to have a team of 1,000 employees to focus exclusive on its initiative for agriculture.

A new Sowing Application for farmers combined with a Personalized Village Advisory Dashboard for the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, is hoping to see feedback and radical improvements for agriculture and small-holder farmers in the state. The sowing app is to help farmers achieve optimal harvests by advising on the best time to sow crops depending on weather conditions, soil and other indicators. This has been made possible through a partnership between the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Microsoft and the Andhra Pradesh government. The pioneering digital tools are released by ICRISAT with development undertaken by Microsoft. The Personalized Village Advisory Dashboard has been especially developed to enable officials of Andhra Pradesh Primary Sector Mission (APPSM) – Rythu Kosam, to better manage programs of scale.