Teaming for Interdisciplinary Research Pre-Seed Program

Agriculture contributes approximately $73.3 billion annually to Georgia’s economy, according to the UGA Center for Agribusiness & Economic Development. As challenges such as climate change, growing global population, and resource constraints loom, it’s imperative that we harness the power of technology to sustainably amplify agricultural productivity. However, technology is not a panacea; with boosted efficiency and productivity, modern farming is becoming more stressful physically and mentally; 240 agricultural workers report a workplace injury each day, and farmers have the third highest suicide rate of any occupation, making farming one of the most dangerous jobs in Georgia. This project aims at enhancing the yield and farm productivity, while also ensuring the mental and physical well-being of farmers and agricultural workers, leading to holistic agriculture system improvement. This project will design, validate and promote future agriculture with a holistic agriculture system. 

A systematic approach is needed in agriculture, yet it remains missing in current practice. This project will connect (1) cost-effective sensors and instrumentations for specific farm needs (Drs. Glen Rains, Hongyue Sun, Beshoy Morkos, Kenan Song and Haijian Sun), (2) satellite and drone imaging for crop health monitoring, land mapping, and yield monitoring (Drs. Mehmet Kurum and Guoyu Lu), (3) social science and ergonomics to track and investigate farmers’ mental and physical fatigue (Drs. Hongyue Sun and Anna Scheyett), and (4) data science and computer vision to process data from sensors, satellites, drones and environment to derive actionable insights and predictive models for decision-making in agriculture system (Drs. Hongyue Sun and Guoyu Lu).  

This project will help improve agriculture systems’ well-being, with improved productivity, reduced farmer risks, reduced uncertainties, ensuring optimal planning and financial stability. Embracing this multi-pronged approach will usher in a new era of agriculture. The project is beneficial to the general society to enhance food security and form prosperous farming communities.  

 We anticipate that this work will attract external funding from sources such as the USDA NIFA program, NSF CPS and Future of Work programs, and NIOSH. 

Team Lead

Hongyue Sun
hs03830@uga.edu
College: College of Engineering
Department: ECAM 

Team Members

Kenan Song
College: College of Engineering
Department: ECAM

Haijian Sun
College: College of Engineering
Department: ECE

Mehmet Kurum
College: College of Engineering
Department: ECE

Guoyu Lu
College: College of Engineering
Department: ECE

Beshoy Morkos
College: College of Engineering
Department: ECAM

Glen Rains
College: College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences
Department: Entomology

Anna Scheyett
College: College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences
Department: Social Work