Delivering sophisticated smart farming solutions through generative AI

Commercial context

As an inherently resource-intensive activity, farming can benefit significantly from using automation to lower labor costs, increase efficiency and improve sustainability. For CSPs, smart farming solutions unlock new opportunities to grow revenues from advanced connectivity and IoT solutions via B2B2X commercial models. To deliver an optimized experience to the participants in the agricultural value chain, CSPs must be able to bundle 5G private networks, network slicing and edge computing with industry-specific solutions and expertise to build connection across the value chain.

“The evolution from conventional to smart farming hinges on the integration of automated technologies—ranging from sensors and robotics, such as harvesting robots and automated tractors, to drones and computer vision software, alongside robust connectivity infrastructure and edge or cloud capacity,” notes Jesús García Flórez Robla, B2B BSS Architect at Telefónica.

The solution

The AI-powered sustainable smart farming Catalyst demonstrates how CSPs can use AI to help meet the challenges presented by smart farming. By drawing on data analytics and generative AI (genAI), CSPs can create bespoke solutions while optimizing network and cloud resources, radio spectrum, and agricultural processes and resources in real time via a smart farming as a service (SFaaS) solution.

TM Forum APIs are used to integrate CSP BSS systems including CPQ, charging, PRM, COM & SOM with third-party agricultural IoT solutions. The Catalyst developed a set of specialized AI agents which are proficient in sustainable agriculture practices to interpret responses from these APIs. Equipped with genAI algorithms, the solution makes real-time, automated decisions executing proactive, preventive and prescriptive actions to optimize the services required at different stages of the crop lifecycle. Deploying a dynamic lifecycle adaptation (DLA) technique ensures the solution can support different crops, different field sizes and all the varying stages within the farming life cycle. These decisions are implemented via the IoT solutions using TM Forum APIs, thereby helping the farm to optimize the process and resources including energy, water and fertilizers.

Applications and wider value

The solution is designed to enable more efficient utilization of the resources required for crops, increasing the yield while optimizing the inputs. The data from agricultural sensors and solutions is used to continually optimize the usage of energy and boost sustainability. Through automation, the solution will bring CSPs a range of efficiencies: genAI will facilitate automatic interactions between the telco and the agricultural company, including presenting information about available services; contracting new services; recommending best suited services for their respective crop; land and crop stage in their contracted portfolio; and providing optimal care to the customer. It will also streamline communications between the farmer and the CSP by encapsulating the technical terms and concepts required for crop resource management.

The Catalyst highlights how genAI can enable CSPs to establish efficient B2B2X collaborations with IoT farming platform providers offering a range of solutions from connected sensors to automated irrigation systems.

“Society demands data-driven automated solutions,” concludes Jose Luis García Amores, Head of B2B IT Architecture at Telefónica. “Thanks to AI, we can generate more accurate decisions with potential impacts across the supply chain of a farm making them smarter than ever in terms of efficiency and sustainability, with automated ordering based on customer needs in real time, and also improved customer support and operational efficiency.”