Today we face a daunting challenge: to provide enough healthy food for the world’s rapidly growing population while preserving the environment.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the most promising avenues to help the world overcome this challenge. It has already revolutionized several industries and is now increasingly being used to transform the fields of agriculture and water management. Whether improving agricultural practices, optimizing resource utilization or reducing the workforce required for agricultural tasks, the world is on the cusp of an artificial intelligence revolution with ramifications across every branch of agriculture.
Israel is ideally placed to lead this revolution. With world-class agricultural and artificial intelligence research and start-up ecosystems, a significant diversity of climatic conditions and an educated agricultural workforce, Israel is the perfect setting to develop and test artificial intelligence applications for agriculture.
The Volcani Center – Israel’s leading agricultural research institute – is committed to playing its part in this revolution and to significantly increasing research in this field.
To realize this vision, together with the Volcani Center we successfully raised $4 million to establish the Helmsley Center for Artificial Intelligence Research in Agriculture.
The Center will be established thanks to an incredibly generous grant from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust. It will possess the necessary equipment to undertake cutting edge research and will be staffed by leading experts in artificial intelligence and in agriculture. Located in the center of Israel on Volcani’s main campus, the Center will foster collaborative work with companies and research institutes across Israel alongside all of Volcani’s departments and the model farm in Neve Ya’ar. The Center will help secure first-mover advantages for Israel in this field and develop efficient solutions to a wide array of agricultural problems.
At this time of significant challenge, Volcani has the ability and the resolve to usher in the next generation of artificial intelligence for agriculture, for the benefit of farmers in Israel and throughout the world.
If interested in collaboration opportunities with the new center please email dchapot@vipartnerships.org
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