Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute

Sustainable Crop Protection: AI-Powered Pest and Disease Management

Industry

Agriculture

Crop Loss Prevention

Global agriculture loses 40% of crops annually to pests and diseases, representing $220 billion in economic losses​. Using AI-powered tools, crop producers can spot problems early and tackle them efficiently -- protecting harvests while using fewer chemicals and supporting healthier farming practices.

The Problem

Traditional methods for managing pests and diseases rely on broad chemical applications, which are often wasteful, harmful to ecosystems, and financially burdensome for crop producers. These methods lack the precision required to address threats efficiently and sustainably, leaving producers with preventable losses and higher costs.

The AI Opportunity

AI provides tools to predict pest and disease outbreaks, detect early signs of crop health issues, and offer precise treatment recommendations. These capabilities allow crop producers to optimize resources, reduce unnecessary chemical applications, and take control of pest and disease management.

Why It Matters

Addressing pests and diseases proactively helps crop producers protect yields, lower costs, and reduce environmental harm. Early, targeted interventions preserve resources and improve profitability while supporting global food security and sustainable agriculture practices.

Benefits & Impact

Crop Quality Improvement

Early detection and prediction of outbreaks allow producers to act efficiently, reducing unnecessary pesticide and fungicide use for improved crop quality.

Higher Efficiency

Data-informed recommendations can help producers reduce crop loss and make better decisions around resource allocation – resulting in higher yields and lower overall costs.

Environmental Protection

Precise treatments reduce chemical overuse, preserving soil health and biodiversity; sustainable practices also appeal to environmentally conscious consumers.

AI Methods & Models

  • Purpose: Forecast pest outbreaks using environmental and lifecycle data.

  • Why: Enables timely interventions, minimizing crop losses and unnecessary pesticide use.

  • Tools/Models: Time-series forecasting (e.g., ARIMA), neural networks (e.g., LSTMs), geospatial analytics.

Build Your AI Solution with Amii

As one of Canada’s three national AI institutes, Amii brings decades of expertise, advancing AI innovation and delivering industry solutions to your team. Whether you’re just starting to explore the possibilities of AI or are ready to develop advanced AI models, Amii is here to help.

Training

A successful AI solution requires both technical know-how and a strong understanding of your business. Our training aligns technical and non-technical teams, creating a shared language and fostering the collaboration needed for successful AI implementation.

Strategy

We collaborate with your team to brainstorm, evaluate, and prioritize AI use cases aligned with your business goals, building your internal capacity along the way. Our experts then validate the top idea, positioning your team for a smooth transition into development.

Development

Our unique approach places a full-time Machine Learning Resident within your team, supervised by Amii experts, to help build a custom AI solution. After the project, you have the option to hire the resident, ensuring continuity to deployment and expanding your internal AI capacity for future AI innovation.

Ready to get started?

Connect with our Investments & Partnerships team to explore how Amii can help make AI work for your business.