Photonics at the Service of the Farmer

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Photonic

Thanks to photonics, it is increasingly possible to use data to improve yields — and all stakeholders in the agricultural sector need to be aware of this potential. That was the goal set by five research centers specializing in photonics when they organized the Agrophotonics Québec–Brittany Symposium on May 11–12.

From the lab to the farm: the science of light.

Visualizing the present to predict the future is a dream shared by many farmers. But how can this dream become reality? Combined with artificial intelligence (AI), photonics provides an innovative and accessible solution: optical sensors.

Day or night, sensors can collect data by emitting light and measuring its reflection. They can detect surface relief and shapes, color and thickness of visible objects, and even measure the presence of invisible elements such as gases — thus gathering highly valuable data. Once this laborious process of data collection is simplified and accelerated, the “software” step begins with AI technologies, including machine learning and deep learning.

By merging photonics with AI, companies can save significant time and resources while gaining insights that improve productivity across industries — including agriculture.

AI and photons for smart production.

In crop production, livestock, and even food processing, photonics and AI enhance quality by managing lighting, monitoring growth, and detecting diseases, pests, and parasites. Photonics also optimizes processes such as product and facility disinfection, targeted soil fertilization, and intelligent aquaculture management. Fish farming, in particular, has seen major benefits from optical sensors, enabling monitoring of fish behavior, disease detection, and water and feed management.

The versatility of sensors — and the ability to develop them as customized solutions — makes them an invaluable tool to improve yields while reducing agriculture’s environmental impact. Fertilizer management, emission monitoring, and waste sorting are just a few areas where photonics and AI can simplify operations.

A Symposium to Democratize Access to Photonics Expertise

This was the main goal behind the joint organization of the first Agrophotonics Québec–Brittany Symposium by four photonics-focused organizations, to share these insights with professionals in agriculture in both France and Québec.

In April 2021, Optech, Biopterre, Optonique, and Photonics Bretagne launched the first edition of the symposium as a free, fully virtual event, bringing together experts from diverse fields. The focus was on sharing achievements and innovations, but above all on connecting agricultural stakeholders in crop production, livestock, and aquaculture with photonics research centers — a win–win formula. Spread over two days, the event brought together more than 100 participants and proved so valuable that partners decided to repeat it in 2022, this time adding a fifth organization: Zone Agtech.

In a spirit of collaboration and exchange, the 2022 edition of the Agrophotonics Québec–Brittany Symposium featured experts in different areas of photonics and AI, presenting both the Breton and Québec ecosystems through conferences and networking sessions. Participants also had the chance to schedule business meetings for more focused discussions, fostering the creation of international technological and commercial collaborations.

By showcasing the precision of photons, the Agrophotonics Symposium aimed to address the challenges facing the agri-food industry while helping photonics organizations demonstrate their expertise on a global scale. Building tomorrow’s agriculture together is an exciting challenge that Optech, Biopterre, Optonique, Photonics Bretagne, and Zone Agtech are committed to pursuing.

(For ease of reading, the masculine gender has been used as a neutral form to designate both women and men.)