The answer to this challenge, according to Thomas Jung, head of IT Research and Development at Syngenta, is regenerative agriculture. Just as important as clean water and clean air, soil is the critical foundation of agriculture. The crux of regenerative agriculture is to grow more food with less environmental impact by enhancing the health of soil. "So not much has changed, but we need to feed more and more people," he continues "How do we address this challenge of feeding the world in a sustainable fashion without exploiting our soils more?" Regenerative agriculture efforts look to find solutions to help plants stay healthy, find solutions to make crops more resistant to climate change-induced droughts and heatwaves, and use less water in farming. Therefore, what's necessary is, "moving beyond the traditional agriculture and the way we've been doing this for probably 100 years or more. I mean, this is a leap," says Jung. "This is an agricultural revolution that is ongoing, and artificial intelligence will play the decisive role in it."

Syngenta Group is a $28B leading science-based agtech company, operating in more than 100 countries, with more than 50'000 employees. We are proud to stand at the forefront of the tech revolution in agriculture. Using the latest digital innovations, data, and cutting-edge technologies we want to transform the way that crops are managed and enable farmers and agronomists to enhance efficiency and sustainable food production. Our business success reflects the quality and skill of our people. We recognize that human diversity is as important to our business as biodiversity.

Artificial intelligence already is making strides in the development of new drugs, and now the pesticide industry wants in on the action. Switzerland's Syngenta has teamed up with Insilico Medicine to use its deep-learning tools to produce sustainable weedkillers. As well as taking on some of the early-stage work traditionally conducted in a lab, AI could design molecules used in crop-protection tools that are more sustainable and environmentally friendly, the companies said last week. AI is among new methods emerging as environmental and health concerns spur a quest for sustainable alternatives to traditional pesticides used by farmers. Demand also is being supported by regulatory pressures and lawsuits, most notably Bayer's $11 billion settlement deal over claims its long-used glyphosate herbicide causes cancer.

Researchers have taught a clever new tool how to carry out one of crop breeding's more challenging tasks. Growers need seeds that germinate effectively and uniformly within a given period to maximise crop productivity. Seed suppliers must therefore test seed samples to ensure a certain germination rate is met, a process that is difficult and time consuming. SeedGerm – based on machine learning-driven image analysis – performs this tricky process in a low-cost, high-throughput and semi-automated way. The product is the result of a collaboration between the Earlham Institute (EI), the John Innes Centre, Syngenta and NIAB. Details of the research step-forward is published, open-access in New Phytologist, along with the open-source software and data.

Syngenta Seeds announced the launch of a new digital platform to help farmers maximize profit potential through data-driven seed recommendations. The NK Seed Analyzer combines artificial intelligence, two decades of agronomic information and a simple user interface, extending the NK brand's focus on innovation by adding value beyond seed. The adaptability of the platform allows retailers and farmers to proactively plan for weather volatility, soil variability and planting specifications by seeing actual results from numerous sources. The tool complements retailers and agronomists' expertise with 18 years of data at no cost to the user. "The NK Seed Analyzer represents the best that NK has to offer," said Todd McRoberts, NK agronomy manager.

YVERDON-LES-BAINS, Switzerland/CHICAGO (Reuters) - In a field of sugar beet in Switzerland, a solar-powered robot that looks like a table on wheels scans the rows of crops with its camera, identifies weeds and zaps them with jets of blue liquid from its mechanical tentacles. Undergoing final tests before the liquid is replaced with weedkiller, the Swiss robot is one of new breed of AI weeders that investors say could disrupt the $100 billion pesticides and seeds industry by reducing the need for universal herbicides and the genetically modified (GM) crops that tolerate them. Dominated by companies such as Bayer, DowDuPont, BASF and Syngenta, the industry is bracing for the impact of digital agricultural technology and some firms are already adapting their business models. Herbicide sales are worth $26 billion a year and account for 46 percent of pesticides revenue overall while 90 percent of GM seeds have some herbicide tolerance built in, according to market researcher Phillips McDougall. "Some of the profit pools that are now in the hands of the big agrochemical companies will shift, partly to the farmer and partly to the equipment manufacturers," said Cedric Lecamp, who runs the $1 billion Pictet-Nutrition fund that invests in companies along the food supply chain.

In a field of sugar beet in Switzerland, a solar-powered robot that looks like a table on wheels scans the rows of crops with its camera, identifies weeds and zaps them with jets of blue liquid from its mechanical tentacles. Undergoing final tests before the liquid is replaced with weedkiller, the Swiss robot is one of new breed of AI weeders that investors say could disrupt the $100billion pesticides and seeds industry by reducing the need for universal herbicides and the genetically modified (GM) crops that tolerate them. Dominated by companies such as Bayer, DowDuPont, BASF and Syngenta, the industry is bracing for the impact of digital agricultural technology and some firms are already adapting their business models. Herbicide sales are worth $26billion a year and account for 46 percent of pesticides revenue overall while 90 percent of GM seeds have some herbicide tolerance built in, according to market researcher Phillips McDougall. 'Some of the profit pools that are now in the hands of the big agrochemical companies will shift, partly to the farmer and partly to the equipment manufacturers,' said Cedric Lecamp, who runs the $1billion Pictet-Nutrition fund that invests in companies along the food supply chain.

YVERDON-LES-BAINS, Switzerland/CHICAGO: In a field of sugar beet in Switzerland, a solar-powered robot that looks like a table on wheels scans the rows of crops with its camera, identifies weeds and zaps them with jets of blue liquid from its mechanical tentacles. Undergoing final tests before the liquid is replaced with weedkiller, the Swiss robot is one of new breed of AI weeders that investors say could disrupt the US$100 billion pesticides and seeds industry by reducing the need for universal herbicides and the genetically modified (GM) crops that tolerate them. Dominated by companies such as Bayer, DowDuPont, BASF and Syngenta, the industry is bracing for the impact of digital agricultural technology and some firms are already adapting their business models. Herbicide sales are worth US$26 billion a year and account for 46 percent of pesticides revenue overall while 90 percent of GM seeds have some herbicide tolerance built in, according to market researcher Phillips McDougall. "Some of the profit pools that are now in the hands of the big agrochemical companies will shift, partly to the farmer and partly to the equipment manufacturers," said Cedric Lecamp, who runs the US$1 billion Pictet-Nutrition fund that invests in companies along the food supply chain.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is often discussed in terms of the threat it poses, whether real (automation disrupting numerous industries) or imagined (AI taking over the human race). The AI for Good Foundation, however, is committed to helping the world through AI, and has partnered with Syngenta, an agrochemical company, to launch the Syngenta AI Challenge. Participants are required'to develop a model that could be used to help scientists analyse large amounts of seed data more efficiently and effectively'. They will be tasked to find out'which soybean varieties will perform better in farmers' fields in 2015 & 2016?'. To do this, entrants will be provided with a large range of data over a four-month period, before officially submitting their efforts by June 1 of this year.