Research project Flanders AI research program (FAIR)

General introduction

The Flanders AI Research Program (FAIR) aims to accelerate advancements in AI across various industry domains and societal sectors. ILVO leads the "Robotics in Agrifood" use case, which facilitates data collection to enhance AI developments for agricultural practices. The research supports the ongoing shift toward Precision Crop Farming, which focuses on minimizing inputs (e.g., fertilizer, plant protection products, fuel, and labor) while optimizing net yields for sustainable agricultural production.

Research approach

The ILVO robot platform fleet plays an important role in data collection, providing the extensive real-world datasets needed to capture the complexity of agricultural environments. These datasets are used to develop and validate new models. Additionally, the data is used to create simulation environments that accelerate the research. There is a synergy whereby AI is used to enhance the simulation environments, which then, in turn, further improves new AI models.

Relevance/Valorization

Agriculture presents a challenging and dynamic environment where AI solutions can address problems previously unsolvable with traditional automation, such as pruning, harvesting, and spot spraying. Furthermore, these innovations enable more sustainable practices, such as mechanical or thermal weed control, to become economically viable. Investing in AI technology is crucial for the agricultural industry in Flanders to maintain and improve its leading role in farming innovations.