(NAFB) – The USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the National Science Federation announced a $220 million investment in 11 new NSF-led Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes.

NIFA and other agencies and organizations have partnered with the NSF to pursue transformational advances in a range of economic sectors and science and engineering fields, ranging from food system security to next-generation edge networks.

“These investments in new institutes leverage the scientific power of U.S. land-grant universities in close partnerships with farmers, producers, educators, and innovators to provide sustainable crop production solutions and address these pressing societal challenges,” says NIFA Director Carrie Castille. “These centers will speed our ability to meet critical needs in the future agriculture workforce, providing equitable and fair market access, increasing nutrition security, and providing tools for climate-smart agriculture.”

Washington State University is one of the 11 institutions to receive funding and will work to integrate AI methods into agriculture operations for prediction, decision support, and robotics-enabled agriculture to address complex challenges. They’ll look to deliver solutions related to labor, water, weather, and climate change.