CHINESE multinational technology corporation Huawei has stated that it will join efforts with international organisations and more local partners to promote industrial application and popularisation of cooperation in artificial intelligence (AI) in Latin America and the Caribbean, and will first select joint innovation pilots in the field of agriculture to help agricultural digital development in the region.

At the Smart Agriculture Roundtable held during Mobile World Congress 24 (MWC24) in Barcelona, Spain, on Tuesday, Huawei said it will explore cooperation with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and other organisations, which will promote innovation and the application of AI technology in the agricultural sector in Latin America and the Caribbean. It will also facilitate the digital development of agriculture in the region.

In July 2023, UNIDO and Huawei, alongside other international companies, established the Global Alliance for Artificial Intelligence in Industry and Manufacturing.

This alliance aims to facilitate global collaboration, share knowledge, and showcase AI development as a best practice platform.

According to Farrukh Alimdjanov, UNIDO’s industrial development officer, we are now witnessing mobile connectivity and industrial innovation coming together.

He pointed out that 5th generation mobile network (5G), combined with AI and cloud computing, create a lot of value for sectors such as industry and agriculture, resulting in significant improvements in efficiency and quality of work, and greatly improved site security.

“The application of AI in agriculture has great potential to effectively address challenges such as low productivity and decrease in labour force,” said Alimdjanov.

In the meantime Nigel Davy, CEO of Innovative Energy Company Limited of Jamaica, considers decarbonisation to be an important method and goal for the future of agricultural production.

He shared the latest practices of the Essex Valley Agricultural Development Project in Jamaica, which applies intelligent photovoltaic power generation systems to maximise power generation within the available terrain.

According to Davy, the project is expected to save at least 30 per cent of electricity consumption per season each year, solving problems of insufficient electricity supply for agricultural irrigation and high electricity costs in the region, and significantly improving the efficiency of agricultural production.

For Atilio Rulli, vice-president of public relations, Huawei Latin America and the Caribbean, connectivity is the first step in achieving digital transformation and industry refresh.

“The new generation of digital technologies represented by Internet of things (IoT), cloud computing and artificial intelligence are accelerating their implementation and convergence, enabling the digital transformation of diverse industries.

“Huawei, along with its partners, has accumulated a wealth of experience in industrial applications and is eager to work with UNIDO and Latin American partners to bring these successful digital transformation experiences to the agricultural sector,” said Rulli.