ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Dr. Kausar Abdullah Malik on Thursday emphasised the need for focusing on technological needs of small-scale farmers and stated that Artificial Intelligence (AI) has a huge contribution to the cause of a sustainable agriculture sector of Pakistan.

“Artificial Intelligence is a beacon of hope in transforming the agriculture landscape of Pakistan,” he said, assuring that the government is committed to leveraging cutting-edge technologies for the advancement of agriculture in the country.

The minister was addressing a conference on ‘Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture’, jointly organised by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and the Ministry of National Food Security and Research at HEC Secretariat.

Researchers, agricultural scientists, faculty members and students from agricultural universities participated in the conference, which comprised two technical sessions entitled “Application of AI in Agriculture”, “Application of AI for Food Security” and a panel discussion on “Priorities for Policy, Ownership and Resources of AI in Agriculture and Food Security”.

Dr Kausar Abdullah Malik highlighted the challenges posed by climate change and food security amidst the growing world population. He stated, “integration of Artificial Intelligence in agriculture is not just an option but it is a strategic imperative to address these challenges head-on.”

He maintained that accumulation of data and utilising it is of extreme importance to mark remarkable growth in the agriculture sector, which is the largest industry of Pakistan.

He asserted that the academic community has a great role in the development of agriculture in Pakistan and the work of all the universities in this sphere is applicable to the sector.

Welcoming the participants, Chairman HEC Dr Mukhtar Ahmed acknowledged the important role of universities in keeping Pakistan considerably away from the hazards of food scarcity.

However, he identified administrative issues as a grave challenge in enhancing collaboration among the academia, agriculture sector experts, farmers and the national entities working on the development of agriculture sector.

He stressed the need for consolidated efforts of HEC, Ministry of National Food Security, Pakistan Academy of Sciences, Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, Pakistan Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco), and other relevant stakeholders.

“Let’s make difference based on real data that may be put together and analysed for informed decision-making,” he underscored.

Dr Mukhtar Ahmed said that HEC was encouraging the universities to keep their research focus in line with the impending national challenges, adding HEC has established two data centres in Lahore and Karachi, while it is committed to employing cloud computing for improved efficiency.

Executive Director HEC Dr. Ziaul Qayyum termed the lack of collaboration among the relevant stakeholders, including academia, industry, agriculture scientists, research organisations, and technology experts as the most important challenge to address for effective utilisation of AI.

He underlined the need for synergising and coordinating efforts being made to cope up with the contemporary needs of agriculture sector.

Sharing recommendations of the conference, Member Research & Innovation HEC, Dr Bushra Mirza said the speakers emphasised catching up with the latest technology for efficiency; setting up a common platform for data collection; and taking refined steps to align policies with the requirements of Agroecological Zones. Adviser Sybrid Private Ltd. Dr. Faud Imran Khan shared an overview of the applications of AI in agriculture. He said AI relies on data and algorithms to make decisions, adding that it is a tool that helps accomplish tasks more efficiently.

Published in Dawn, February 2nd, 2024