Data-driven decision making is at the core of the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). To support this effort, Extension is about to get a software makeover with $2.7 million in strategic funding from the office of UF President Ben Sasse.
“IFAS is one of UF’s powerhouses, positively shaping the future of Florida’s agricultural industry,” Sasse said. “The Modernizing IFAS Extension Through AI project will allow IFAS to do so much more with the aid of technology, enhancing its productivity and furthering sustainable farming practices statewide.”
The vision is to upgrade the UF/IFAS Extension on the UF campus and across Extension offices in 67 counties by embedding state-of-the-art business intelligence software systems into the technology infrastructure. The technology will use artificial intelligence (AI) to collect, store and analyze data produced by Extension agents and programs.
