The video explores the historical impact and future potential of agricultural revolutions, specifically focusing on the third and the forthcoming fourth agriculture revolution. It details how innovative communities played significant roles in the third agricultural revolution, contributing to the global population boom and advancing food sufficiency through shared knowledge and technology. The speaker emphasizes the influence of cross-border collaboration on increasing food production and improving global agricultural systems.

The fourth agricultural revolution is poised to integrate advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, sensors, biotechnology, and robotics into agriculture. These technologies promise to dramatically enhance food production quality and efficiency. The speaker argues that artificial intelligence will transform agriculture by enabling more precise decision-making for each plant, maximizing resource conservation, and optimizing food production and quality. This revolution also requires technological parallel processes in data collection and prescription application across fields.

Main takeaways from the video:

Please remember to turn on the CC button to view the subtitles.

Key Vocabularies and Common Phrases:

1. innovation [ˌɪnəˈveɪʃən] - (noun) - The action or process of innovating; introducing new ideas or methods. - Synonyms: (creativity, invention, transformation)

This revolution is a testament to the power of innovation communities.

2. testament [ˈtɛstəmənt] - (noun) - Something that serves as a sign or evidence of a specified fact, event, or quality. - Synonyms: (proof, evidence, indication)

This revolution is a testament to the power of innovation communities.

3. revolution [ˌrɛvəˈluʃən] - (noun) - A dramatic and wide-reaching change in conditions, attitudes, or operation. - Synonyms: (transformation, upheaval, change)

Over the past hundred years, a global revolution was waged in one.

4. biotechnology [ˌbaɪoʊˌtɛkˈnɑləʤi] - (noun) - The use of biological processes, organisms, or systems to manufacture products intended to improve the quality of human life. - Synonyms: (biochemicals, genetic engineering, bioengineering)

The fourth agricultural revolution will bring together both agriculture and advanced technology. Sensors, biotechnology, robotics, and artificial intelligence.

5. autonomous [ɔːˈtɑːnəməs] - (adjective) - Having the freedom to govern itself or control its own affairs. - Synonyms: (independent, self-governing, sovereign)

I talk to a lot of people about artificial intelligence, and often what they bring up in agriculture is the autonomous tractor.

6. optimization [ˌɑptɪˈmaɪzeɪʃən] - (noun) - The action of making the best or most effective use of a situation or resource. - Synonyms: (enhancement, improvement, refinement)

Never before seen resource conservation and optimization.

7. prescription [prɪˈskrɪpʃən] - (noun) - A recommendation that is authoritatively put forward. - Synonyms: (directive, recommendation, instruction)

We'll need artificial intelligence tools that tell us from that what is the exact prescription each individual plant needs?

8. collaboration [kəˌlæbəˈreɪʃən] - (noun) - The action of working with someone to produce or create something. - Synonyms: (cooperation, partnership, team effort)

These actions are collaboration, collision, competition, and convening.

9. collision [kəˈlɪʒən] - (noun) - An instance of two or more people or things coming together in conflict or contact. - Synonyms: (clash, encounter, confrontation)

These actions are collaboration, collision, competition, and convening.

10. convening [kənˈviːnɪŋ] - (noun) - The action of bringing people together for a meeting. - Synonyms: (assembly, gathering, meeting)

These actions are collaboration, collision, competition, and convening

AI and innovation communities in the 4th agricultural revolution - William Aderholdt - TEDxFargo

Over the past hundred years, a global revolution was waged in one. The third agricultural revolution, where innovation communities work together to increase the global population by 6 billion people. These communities provided the necessary infrastructure, funding, and knowledge sharing platforms. They facilitated testbeds, scaled up processes, and trained farmers on new ideas. And they collaborated across borders and around the world. As a result, food production soared, and communities and countries that had been on the brink of famine became self sufficient in food production. This revolution is a testament to the power of innovation communities, and shows when diverse people come together, they can achieve extraordinary things.

At the brink of the fourth. We are now at the brink of the fourth agriculture revolution, and I believe it's time to harness that collaborative spirit again. The fourth agricultural revolution will bring together both agriculture and advanced technology. Sensors, biotechnology, robotics, and artificial intelligence. I talk to a lot of people about artificial intelligence, and often what they bring up in agriculture is the autonomous tractor. I think it's very natural and human to think about how our AI and artificial intelligence will impact our lives in the way that we see ourselves working in these systems, like driving a tractor. But I believe the real value of artificial intelligence in agriculture will be our ability to vastly increase the amount of food that we produce and the quality of that food and the tools that will allow us to do that.

In the third agriculture revolution, we became very good at making decisions on our agricultural fields. Typically, that was one decision for each individual action. I liken artificial intelligence to giving someone glasses. They begin to see more detail, and as farmers see more detail, they can make more decisions on their field. They become better at making quality decisions, and that increases the resolution of that decision making. So instead of just one decision per field, they're making ten, and then 100, and then 1000, and then eventually, when they get to one decision per plant, we'll be at the middle of the fourth agricultural revolution.

Imagine if every seed we planted was planted in the perfect orientation, given the perfect amount of water and the perfect amount of nutrients. And we didn't just do this one time. We did this millions of times across every field around the world to produce the perfect amount of food and quality. One decision per plant, then ten, then 100, and then 1000. But why does this matter? Technology is rapidly changing society, and it's also changing agriculture. And through the fourth agricultural revolution, we'll see that landscape change and continue to change.

I believe, and I am excited about what this will unlock. Never before seen resource conservation and optimization. Substantial emphasis on food quality, not just quantity, and a deeper connection of everyone to the food they eat. A connection, I believe, has been weakened over time. To achieve this, we will need the work of innovation communities similar to that of what we saw over the past hundred years.

We will need. And what's different from this agricultural revolution versus the third is that technology requires a parallel process of elevating the adjacent systems. As we look at the development of artificial intelligence, it will require our tools to collect data, and the tools to actually leverage that data onto the plants themselves.

We'll need to develop data collection tools that can go out and scan an entire field on a per plant basis, and tell us which ones are diseased and which ones aren't. We'll need artificial intelligence tools that tell us from that what is the exact prescription each individual plant needs? And then finally, we'll need the equipment that lets us go out and apply that prescription, stopping the disease in its tracks.

Just like the third agricultural revolution, though, innovation communities will lead the way in how we do this. innovation requires community. innovation requires trust, relationship, resources, and thrives on the exchange of ideas. But by bringing together scientists, researchers, farmers, entrepreneurs, and policymakers will be able to watch the fourth agriculture revolution take root.

We've seen innovation communities do this throughout history, where they often self organize. But I believe that we can improve upon this model. There are four actions I've seen in innovation communities that help them excel. These actions are collaboration, collision, competition, and convening. The four C's.

When people from different disciplines, talents, and experiences collide, they form new ideas, ones that they wouldn't have been able to come up on their own. Through informal interactions like coffee room conversations and hallway chats, we get inspired. And spontaneous discussions are necessary for the cross pollination of ideas. Where formal meetings might not allow.

Collaborations across the world lead to solving complex problems from multiple perspectives. They take into account culture, not just outcomes. They take into account people's ability to share in resources, goals, and risks, things necessary for us to work better together. And even competition allows us to drive each other to excel. Multiple players working on similar problems helps us move faster together, thinking about how we can leapfrog over each other as we're coming up with new solutions and building those parallel systems. And it helps create a healthy competitive spirit.

Finally, by bringing together innovation communities, especially in neutral spaces, we multiply the impact of all the other actions I just mentioned. By gathering and convening, we provide an opportunity for presence, intentionality, and rhythm. And that rhythm that these communities engage together in builds both momentum and focus.

Society is changing, often more than we're comfortable with, and a lot of that is through advanced technology. There are going to be substantial changes we undergo, and a lot of them I'm really excited about join me in dreaming about what this might mean for the agriculture industry.

What if every plant was given just the precise amount of nutrients that it needed to thrive, nothing more, nothing less? What if all of our food was given the exact amount of resources across an entire field, where we can reduce the amount of inputs put in and make sure that farmers have efficient business practices and optimal return on investment? What if every animal was given a specialized individual diet, both maximizing quality of life and nutrition? And what if we had a deeper connection to the food we ate every day? I challenge each of you to take on the first of the four cs I mentioned collision. Find ways to engage with people different than you in your day to day life. Inspire each other, share your ideas, and build on both your strengths and your weaknesses. Together, we can shape a world where innovation knows no bounds and the potential for progress is limitless.

Agricultural Revolution, Artificial Intelligence, Innovation, Technology, Collaboration, Food Security, Tedx Talks