Deepak Joshi

Assistant professor and extension specialist,
Precision Agriculture

Deepak Joshi's work focuses on integrating precision agriculture, agronomy and artificial intelligence (AI) in various agronomic decisions.

What does being an ID3A affiliate mean to you?

To me, being an ID3A affiliate means being part of a collaborative community where multidisciplinary experts, including scientists and community members, come together to address challenges in the agricultural field in an innovative way. It’s a common space where I can bring real-world issues from the field, share the problems our farmers are facing, and work with experts to develop solutions using advanced sensor technologies and data-driven approaches. Being an ID3A affiliate provides a unique platform where we can come together to brainstorm research ideas to find practical applications that can directly benefit the farming community.

What excites you most about being an ID3A affiliate?

The most exciting thing about ID3A is the collaboration opportunity. I can find computer scientists, engineers, remote sensing, geo-spatial experts, data scientists, social scientists, agronomists, and soil scientists in the same place. Such a multidisciplinary platform with the passion to answer multiple questions that our farmers are facing. It is a place where I can meet such diverse disciplinary teams to learn different disciplines, gain different fresh perspectives, create more meaningful ideas to solve farmers' issues in collaborative ways. I am looking forward to learning about different perspectives and building a strong collaboration network.

What skills and experiences do you bring to the institute?

My background involves working closely with growers, which gives me firsthand insights into the real challenges that our farmers are facing. Academically, I specialize in applied research that integrates drones, satellites, ground-based sensors, and data-driven approaches such as artificial intelligence and machine learning to support on-farm decision-making. In my past research, I have combined different open-access data sources, including satellite imagery, topographic data, weather information, and soil properties, in different studies for farm-based crop yield prediction and to assess the impact of different management practices. I bring this interdisciplinary experience to the program, along with a passion for collaboration with different disciplines to help solve farmers' issues.