Delaware State University

Awards Issued Prior to January 20, 2025, Were Funded Under Previous Administrations and May Not Reflect the Priorities and Policies of the Current Administration. the Agricultural Sector Has Been Undergoing a Period of Rapid Transformation, Driven by the Powerful and Interconnected Impacts of Climate Change, Demographic Transitions and Uneven Economic Growth. Advances in Irrigation, Fertilization, Mechanization, and Breeding Have Helped Agriculture Keep Pace With the Explosive Growth of the WORLD'S Population, But at Enormous Costs to the Environment and Human Health. Conventional Technologies Will Not Solve These Ubiquitous Challenges. Emerging Technologies (ET) Employing Data Science (DS), Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) Has Provided the Impetus to Transform the Overall Agricultural System and Landscape at Multi-scale Levels. Emerging Technologies (e.g. Robotics, Drones, Sensors) Surrounding the Internet of Things (IOT) Has Propelled Agriculture Even Further Through Information and Communication Technologies (ICTS) in the Cyber-physical Cycle of Farm Management This Work Seeks to Strengthen Capacity Amongst the 1890INSTITUTIONS, Catalyzing Our Participation of How Et Shapes Our Future. the Center of Excellence in Emerging Internet of Things (e-iot) Technologies Brings Together Scientists From (9) 1890 Institutions -dsu, Umes, Su, Tu, Aamu, Scsu, Uapb, Nca&t, and Famu With Collaborative Support From Uc Davis Artificial Intelligence for Next- Generation Food Systems and the University of Delaware (UD) Data Science Institute (dsi), All With a Proven Record of Excellence in Ai and Data Science, Agriculture, Outreach, and Education. the Broad Goals of This Project Are to Achieve Foundational Advances in Emerging Technologies to Address Pressing Challenges in Agriculture. the Project Will Tackle Four (4) Key Agricultural Challenges: (1) the Development of Multidisciplinary Educational Programs With Increased Ai, DS, ML Content to Produce Our Next Generation Workforce; (2) Research and Workforce Development Training to Increase Participation of Underrepresented and Disadvantaged Groups; and (3) Extension to Small and Minority Farmers in the Demonstration of Emerging Technology Solutions and Providing Feedback on the Incentives and Barriers to Their Adoption. This Work Will Promote a Next Generation Workforce and Enable Small and Minority Farmers With the Knowledge to Increase Food Production and Profitability in the Long Term as Well as Improve Resiliency to Climate Change.