GREATER adoption of technology in agriculture can attract more youth to the sector while bringing Malaysia closer to its goal of becoming more self-sufficient in food.
For instance, using mobile applications to monitor and control the crop growing environment, along with introducing robots equipped with sensors to dispense the right amount of water and fertiliser based on the changing needs of different crops, is the way forward.
Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) Faculty of Agriculture dean Prof Dr Loh Teck Chwen said the youth of today and the generations to come are digital natives who relish using technology in everything they do.
Their creativity and strong inclination towards technology, especially in embracing artificial intelligence (AI) to improve crop yield, can help the sector flourish if we leverage these characteristics.
However, Malaysia is falling behind compared to developed nations in harnessing the advantages that today’s youth can bring to agriculture.
This, he said, is where agriculture-based degree programmes that are rooted in technology play an important role in ensuring the nation’s food security and boosting the sector.
“Take UPM’s Bachelor of Technology (Smart Agriculture) programme, for example.
“We have a degree programme for smart agriculture that has been designed with AI embedded in the course,” said Prof Loh.
Enrolment in the programme has been growing steadily since it began two years ago, said the faculty’s Department of Agriculture Technology head Prof Dr Siva K. Balasundram.
He said students learn, among others, the fundamentals of agriculture such as crop science and pest control, the Internet of things (IoT), AI, precision agriculture and irrigation technologies.
“Smart agriculture is about real-time data acquisition using drones and sensors. AI comes in handy for this,” he said, adding that there is a huge demand for experts in this area.
Even if graduates do not continue in the agricultural sector, there are a lot of opportunities out there for people with knowledge of data science, he offered.
Innovation in the works
Universities are producing various smart agriculture solutions and other AI innovations to improve the sector.
Down south, Assoc Prof Dr Mohamad Shukri Zainal Abidin from the Control and Mechatronics Engineering Department at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) Electrical Engineering Faculty has, together with his team, developed robotic products to carry out precision farming on farms under the varsity’s trademarked MyAgriTech Smart Agriculture Solutions (MyAgriTech).
The team comprises researchers and students from different disciplines, including computer science, biology, mechatronic engineering and electrical and electronic engineering.
One of their innovations is using drones to carry out imaging of crops to identify those that are ready for harvest.
These drones have been equipped with AI algorithms to allow them to manoeuvre with precision.
AI then processes the images to assess the condition of the plants – whether they are healthy, of optimal size, or need additional nutrients or pesticides.
“This can provide precise information on the crop,” said Mohamad Shukri.
Based on the information, robots can be deployed to provide more or less of the resources the crops need, he added.
These robots, another innovation of MyAgriTech, make use of different types of technology, including AI and IoT.
“The goal is to have the robots making decisions, leading to full automation,” he said.
He, however, pointed out that this does not mean AI will handle everything “from A to Z”, stressing that a workforce trained to manage technology is still needed.
Universities, according to UPM Faculty of Agriculture senior lecturer Dr Clement Roy de Cruz, are collaborating with their own faculties as well as those from other institutions to develop innovations for the sector.
“We are not working in silos. This requires interdisciplinary work,” said Clement, who is currently collaborating with a researcher from the Engineering Faculty to develop an underwater camera that can identify fish using AI.
“Our underwater camera will also be able to identify the biomass of the fish, which will save us the trouble of sampling the fish and estimating the biomass,” added Clement, who specialises in aquaculture.
Help us
While universities have been able to carry out research and innovations in smart agriculture with grants obtained locally and abroad, Prof Siva said there should be a specific government-allocated fund to drive AI in different fields such as education, research and development.
“The government should also consider offering technology incentives for eager farmers to increase the uptake of AI because it is so expensive right now,” he added.
Mohamad Shukri said UTM has support from the Agriculture Department, and through small funding, they are able to share innovations with smaller, independent farmers.
They have also collaborated with city councils to introduce smart farming practices to the community.
According to the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (Mardi), it is a misconception to say that anything to do with technology must be expensive.
While this may have had some truth in the past, technology has gotten to a point where solutions can be modular, said the institute.
“It really depends on the scale of what the farmer wants to do.
“Instead of having to invest a large sum of money from the beginning, farmers can make small, progressive investments in a modular unit and allocate more later on based on the available capital,” it added.
Mardi said data based on satellite imagery, which can provide information on crop health, is also becoming more affordable.
“The technology has become mature enough that farmers can subscribe through service providers to obtain this data for a reasonable fee,” it said.
While there are different price points for agricultural equipment, the institute said farmers can obtain loans through various programmes from the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry.
These loans are disbursed in cooperation with Agrobank. Mardi also has a number of initiatives to help farmers increase their use of technology, including its Young Agropreneur (“Agropreneur Muda”) programme, which teaches participants not only how to produce crops from the technical aspect, but also educates them about the business and administration.
“The Malaysian government is always keen to invest in young people as they are the future of the nation,” said the institute.
‘Smart’ students
UPM Bachelor of Technology in Smart Agriculture undergraduates share their passion for modern farming.My interest in smart agriculture began during my foundation year when a lecturer said, “It’s amazing how, with technology, we can have classes even though we are far apart, yet when it comes to harvesting oil palm, we are still doing it manually.” As the son of a farmer, this struck a chord with me. It marked the start of my journey to discover the role of technology in smart agriculture so that I could help my parents upgrade our farm. Technology allows us to optimise resources, reduce manual labour and complete tasks more efficiently. I strongly believe that revolutionising this sector holds the key to helping our country gain greater international recognition.
– Muhammad Fadzreen Ahmad, 21
I have seen the weaknesses of conventional agriculture. There is a lot of waste. The excessive use of fertilisers and pesticides is also harmful to the environment. There is a lot of potential to create a much more sustainable agriculture sector in Malaysia through technologies such as IoT, smart sensors and remote sensing. This would lead to higher yield quality, and more precise control of resources. It is also much more environmentally sustainable. I see myself opening my own farming company one day. My dream is to integrate different aspects of agriculture, such as livestock, fishery and polyculture farming all in one farm.
– Leix Zairie Luqman, 21
I have always wanted to join the agriculture industry since my school days. During crises like Covid-19 and floods, food security becomes critical. I can see what the industry lacks and I want to fill the gap. What I am learning is very practical. It teaches me to consider important factors like the feasibility of solutions and how to apply them in different situations. I really enjoy the coursework and class projects because we get to explore so many different techniques used in agriculture today.
– Emmy Afila Tumin, 21
