Huawei recently demonstrated how the convergence of these technologies could contribute to a more sustainable future for the agricultural sector in South Africa.
At present, the sector is responsible for between 19 and 29 percent of greenhouse gas emissions.
“A more efficient and sustainable agricultural sector would not only benefit the South African economy, but also aid in job creation,” said Kian Chen, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Huawei South Africa.
He said Huawei remained committed to ensuring that technology creates more sustainable practices, while improving lives and livelihoods.
“Projects such as the one undertaken by our Austrian colleagues and Dronetech not only show that this is possible, but that it could be done anywhere around the world, including in South Africa.”
At the Nussböckgut vineyard, a centuries-old estate in Upper Austria, Huawei and Dronetech (Austria’s largest drone provider) demonstrated what this future might look like.
The two companies provided an update on a pioneering project that’s been running since last year and introduced how their 5G and IoT technologies can advance sustainability in agriculture.
In the latest phase of the project, Huawei will provide cloud computing services on top of 5G, which will serve as the foundation for real-time artificial intelligence (AI) analysis.
Dronetech’s drones, equipped with high-resolution cameras and sensors will meanwhile survey the land and objects, to capture images and data that will be processed by AI, and provide actionable findings to the users instantly.
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The technology helps farmers detect small insects, monitor crop status and predict harvests, allowing them to optimise the use of water, chemicals and pesticides precisely, and with minimum waste.
Huawei and Dronetech are exploring a shared-use approach for the
technologies.
Such an approach could be particularly helpful for a country like South Africa, where the farmers who could most benefit from such revolutionary technologies often cannot afford to adopt them.
Agriculture remains critical to the South African economy, having achieved a growth rate of 8,3 percent in 2021, second only to mining.
