EXPERT SYSTEMS IN AGRICULTURE
Dharmanand Rao M
 

"Expert System" is an Information Technology tool which helps us make the right decisions. Expert systems also called Decision Support System (DSS) had been developed and applied to many fields such as office automation, science and medicine including agriculture. In Agriculture mostly the DSS’ are engineered to cater to the problems of farmers as they are facing severe management problems which include yield loss, soil erosion, increasing costs of inputs, pest and diseases influx and economic barriers hindering adoption of farming strategies creates a need that they become good managers of all aspects of their farming operations.

The most commonly known type of knowledge based system is the rule based expert system in which the experience and knowledge of a human expert is captured in the form of IF-THEN rules and facts which are used to solve problems.

The main objective of the DSS is to provide expert advice for use by a decision-maker.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF EXPERT SYSTEMS

Expert systems developed in the 1960s and 1970s were typically written on a mainframe computer in the programming language based on list Processing (LISP). Evolving from university research laboratories, they were limited to the applications developed by these research sites.  Most of these expert systems were not intended for commercial use.

They incorporated the specific knowledge of the experts. About the problem area, termed "domain knowledge." Problem-solving heuristics (or "rules of thumb") and inferences capabilities, and an interface mechanism between the user and the system.

EXPERT SYSTEMS ARE USED TO AID

Single point decisions.   e.g. Planning

Designing. e.g. Design of an irrigation system

Selection. e.g. The most suitable Crop variety or market outlet

Diagnosis or identification.   e.g. Of a livestock disorder

Interpretation.  e.g. Of a set of financial accounts, income tax

assessment, import of export policies, CCS pension rules.

Ø     Prediction e.g. of extreme events such as thunderstorms and frost

Ø     A sequence of tactical decisions throughout a production cycle.

       E.g. plant protection and nutrition decisions, livestock feeding.

AN EXPERT SYSTEM FOR A PARTICULAR DECISION PROBLEM CAN BE USED

Ø     as a stand alone advisory system for the specific knowledge domain perhaps with monitoring by a human expert

Ø     to provide decision support for a high-level human expert

Ø     to allow a high-level expert to be replaced by a subordinate expert aided by the  expert system

Ø     as a delivery system for extension information

Ø     to provide management education for decision makers (farmers)

Ø     for dissemination of up-to-date scientific information in a readily accessible and 
easily understood form, to agricultural researchers, advisers and farmers.

It is one of the most efficient extension tool to take the technology from scientists and make available to the farmers directly without any dilution or distortion of content which normally happens in because of the number of agencies and intermediaries involved in normal technology transfer systems.

Use of Expert Systems are most appropriate where the expert possesses complex knowledge about a highly specific subject area for which no complete algorithms have been formulated and no complete theory exists.

In most of the developed countries today complex medical, mechanical design and agricultural extension problems are being solved by expert systems. In highly developed agricultural countries like Australia and United Kingdom expert systems are freely accessible to individual farmers at their farm offices, where they can get Subject Matter Expert opinion on their field specific problems from the expert systems by hooking to their agricultural network which is in turn connected with all the agricultural universities and research stations. In our country this type of a system is still in the infant stage.

Advantages
 

Ø      Helps provide the right information which is timely and actionable

Ø      Provide a frame work to capture and apply non-algorithmic knowledge.

Ø      Have the ability to imitate human thought and reasoning

Ø      Provide expert level recommendations understandable to users

Ø      Have the ability to handle uncertain information

The idea of an expert system is shifting the focus of the research community to knowledge dissemination in contrast to knowledge accumulation.  The expert system in combination with powerful personal computers and new devices like CD-ROM has the potential to open whole warehouses of accumulated knowledge to agricultural produce.

SOME AGRICULTURAL EXPERT SYSTEMS IN INDIA

Only a few DSS’ are developed in India, below are given a few which have made significant impact in the lives of the farmers who have used them:

Ø     Rice-Crop Doctor

Ø     Expert System for Horticultural Crops

Ø     AGREX

Ø     Farm Advisory System

Ø     Expert System for SERICULTURE

Ø     Expert System for GROUND NUT CROP

Ø     Knowledge Based Expert Systems

There are three levels in which the basic process of agriculture is happening. 
They are

1.  Low level farmers.

2.  Middle level agricultural officers.

3. Higher level research institutions.

Each level requires a data depending upon its requirements with interrelationships among them.  The farmers interface is designed in such a way that the communication between the expert system and the farmer will be in the farmers own native language.

The knowledge base acts as a bridge between farmers and research institutions. The production systems at farmers level knowledge base which are not able to find an answer are formed as unanswered dynamic framers and tried for solution by agricultural officers.  These frames are transferred to research institutions with the same additional view of points of agricultural officers.  Hence research institutions can come to know about the new undiscovered problem that exists at farmers level.

THE PROMISE OF AGRICULTURE EXPERT SYSTEM

Expert Systems will play a major role in the dissemination and application of useful knowledge leading to economic growth and higher standards of living. They are not only the vehicles to apply experts knowledge to particular problems but are potentially powerful learning resources to help farmers to develop their own expertise. The capacity building potential may be one of the most important aspects of the spread of the expert systems with in the developing countries. For both developed and developing countries this can bring

Ø     More productivity and employment in Agriculture through wider and more diverse applications of new scientific results.

Ø     Wider scope for individual managerial initiative by all farmers reinforcing local abilities to solve local problems.

Conclusion
 

The Expert system which when used effectively brings enormous benefits to the farmers must be developed in local languages which will help the Farmers to develop their own expertise which in turn will enhance the production and productivity of Indian Agriculture.  These expert systems must be available in village booths which act as information resource center for the farmers in the villages.

Jai Kisan Jai hind
Authored by Dharmanand Rao M
A student of the Post Graduate Programme in Agri-Business Management (PGPABM)
National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE), Hyderabad.

Rated #4 among the best sectoral Business Schools in India (Outlook-MDRA survey September 2001).