July 2020 - 33

MANAGEMENT
MANAGING INCREASED
DEMAND AND ECONOMIC
VIABILITY
Where AI comes into play is in
making it economically viable to
locate a greenhouse close enough
to an urban area that food can be
delivered in a few hours. Consumers
may want to have food produced
locally and they may want it produced
sustainably, but if the ROI isn't there,
growers aren't going to do it.
According to the USDA Economic
Research Service report released in
December 2019, a staggering 31%
of all food produced in the United
States is lost. Computer vision
and AI systems give growers the
ability to predict what their yield
will be with significantly higher
accuracy than what exists in most
operations today. Think about the
figures that the industry currently
accepts as acceptable for what's
commonly called scrap or dump,
almost one-third, and then think
about significantly reducing that rate
each year because optical scanners
are able to monitor a plant from
propagation to harvest.
As AI systems come into
widespread use, that 31% loss figure
will drop precipitously. Greenhouses,
not vast farming operations will solve
the problem of food deserts. Food will
be produced more economically in the
U.S. - and that's what will generate
the demand for more greenhouses
and, thus, more greenhouse workers.
" I should be able to guide workers, "
Maks says. " I'm not looking to reduce
my labor force, I'm trying to utilize
them so they can be more productive.
I don't want them doing a bug count
manually, I'd much rather use them
to treat problems they find. There's
really not an added value to have
someone count bugs on a card; a
machine can do that. But the human
can look at the data and then make
decisions on what to do. "
Artificial intelligence will drive the
intersection of increased demand
and economic viability in four key
sectors: First, by reducing food waste;
second, by increasing yield; third,
by identifying pathogens and pests
sooner; and fourth, by shifting
workers out of looking for problems
and into solving them. And, the
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beneficiary will be job growth and
quality of life at every level of
the industry.
Let's give the USDA the last word
on this discussion.
According to the USDA's
Economic Information Bulletin
Number 216, published in January
2020, " These production systems
(CEAs) also allow production
schedules to synchronize to the
timing of typical consumer demand
patterns rather than to favorable
weather patterns, which may
also reduce waste through closer
alignment of the timing of the
demand and supply of perishable
produce. "
Carl Silverberg is senior vice president
of outreach and public affairs for iUNU
and can be reached at csilverberg@
iunu.com.
Where do you
If you want your business to perform better,
grow stronger, and be positioned for whatever
the future brings, there's no better place to
belong than AmericanHort.
For more than 220 years, we've been the green industry's leading association, answering
your questions, representing you in government, and connecting you with other
horticultural professionals at our annual trade show, Cultivate.
Join us today, and see how
we're better together.
go to grow?
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July 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July 2020
