Artificial intelligence and food security: swarm intelligence of AgriTech drones for smart AgriFood operations

Abstract

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) present the emerging need to explore new ways of AgriFood production and food security as ultimate targets for feeding future generations. The study adopts a Design Science methodology and proposes Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques as a solution to food security problems. Specifically, the proposed artefact presents the collective use of Agricultural Technology (AgriTech) drones inspired by the biomimetic ways of bird swarms. The design (artefact) appears here as a solution for supporting farming operations in inaccessible land, so as unmanned aerial devices contribute and improve the productivity of farming areas with limited capacity. The proposed design is developed through a scenario of drone swarms applying AI techniques to address food security issues. The study concludes by presenting a research agenda and the sectoral challenges triggered by the applications of AI in Agriculture.

Keywords:

• AgriFood sector
• artificial intelligence (AI)
• swarm intelligence (SI)
• sustainable development goals (SDGs)
• food security

Notes

1 This rule is represented by rule (7), which has an empty set of preconditions. This means, that the rule applies always.

2 The overall humidity level of the ground is calculated and analyzed by the drones, while they exchange the data between each other.

3 For more information on GorgiasB argumentation tool, please visit http://gorgiasb.tuc.gr/

Additional information

Funding

Erisa Karafili was supported by the European Union's H2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant [agreement No. 746667].

Notes on contributors

Konstantina Spanaki

Konstantina Spanaki is a Lecturer in Information Management at Loughborough University since 2017. Prior to this appointment, she has been a Research Associate at Imperial College London, where she worked on joint EPSRC projects between the Business School and the Department of Computing. Konstantina’s main research areas lie within the intersection of Information Systems (IS) and Operations Management (OM). Recently, she is actively involved in projects related to Data and Information Management, Technology Management, Data Sharing, Cloud Computing and Disruptive Technologies. Konstantina is a member of EurOMA, of BAM, the AIS and the OR Society.

Erisa Karafili

Erisa Karafili is a Lecturer in Cybersecurity at the School of Electronics and Computer Science, University of Southampton. Previously, Erisa was a Marie Curie Fellow at the Department of Computing, Imperial College London, working on the problem of investigating and attributing cyber-attacks (AF-Cyber Project). Also, Erisa was an RA at Imperial College London working at the EU project CoCo Cloud, EPSRC project CIPART, and DAIS ITA; and a PostDoc at the Technical University of Denmark. Her main research areas are Formal Methods applied to Security problems, Attribution and Analysis of Cyber-Attacks, Data Sharing, Formalising Risks and Threat Models, Knowledge Representation.

Uthayasankar Sivarajah

Uthayasankar Sivarajah is a Professor of Technology Management and Circular Economy and the Head of Business Analytics, Circular Economy and Supply Chain (BACES) Research Centre in the School of Management at University of Bradford, UK. His broad area of research interest and expertise is interdisciplinary focussing on the use of emerging digital technology for the betterment of society, be it in a business or government context. He actively publishes in leading high impact factor journals and his research has also been featured in reputable media/trade publications such as Computer Weekly. To date, he has been involved as Principal and Co-investigator in over £3 million worth of Research and consultancy projects funded by national, international funding bodies and commercial organisations. Some of the notable funders have been the European Commission (FP7, H2020, Marie Curie), Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF), Innovate UK/DEFRA and British Council focussing on projects addressing business and societal challenges surrounding themes such as Blockchain use in Financial Services, Smart Waste and Cities, Energy-efficient data centres, Social innovation and Participatory Budgeting. He is a Fellow of the UK HEA (FHEA), a member of the BAM and AIS.

Stella Despoudi

Stella Despoudi is Adjunct Lecturer in Business Studies at the University of Western Macedonia in Greece and Lecturer in Operations and Supply Chain Management at the Aston Business School, Aston University, UK. Stella’s research expertise lies in the following research areas: food supply chain sustainability and resilience, food waste and food sustainability, circular economy and industry 4.0. She has been the lead investigator in research projects related to Food Supply Chain Management such as ‘Sustainability, Resilience, and the Impact of Industry 4.0 in the Food Supply Chain’. Stella’s previous work has been published in journals such as Production Planning and Control, Annals of Operations Research, International Journal of Production Research and International Journal of Information Management.

Zahir Irani

Zahir Irani is the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Academic, Innovation and Quality) at the University of Bradford. Professor Zahir Irani joined the University of Bradford as Dean of the Faculty of Management and Law in December 2016 and became Dean of the Faculty of Management, Law & Social Sciences in August 2018. Professor Irani has held several senior management positions at Brunel University London, the most recent of which being the Dean of College (Business, Arts and Social Sciences—CBASS) which he set up following an organisational restructuring from eight schools into three colleges. Prior to this role, he was seconded full-time to Whitehall, where he was a Senior Policy Advisor at the Cabinet Office during part of the coalition Government. He is, however, most proud of being Head of the Brunel Business School, which in 2013 was awarded the Times Higher Education Business School of the Year under his leadership. He has an extensive list of 3 and 4 star publications in information systems, management decision making, eGovernment and more recently, food security within a circular economy. He has significant grant income from national and international funding councils such as EPSRC, ESRC, EU (FP6-7, H20202, Marie Curie), Qatar Foundation (QNRF). Professor Irani has a sector-leading H-index of 80.