Driving Innovation from Kansas to the World

Kansas farmers face increasingly complex challenges — balancing water use, profitability and sustainability in an era of unprecedented volatility. At Kansas State University, Dr. Deepak Joshi, precision agriculture extension specialist, is working to ensure those challenges become opportunities. His research in precision agriculture is harnessing drones, sensors and artificial intelligence to create smarter tools for decision-making — tools designed to improve profitability and resilience on Kansas farms and advances that also contribute to agriculture worldwide.

Joshi joined K-State in 2024, bringing with him a background that bridges subsistence farming and high-tech innovation. Raised on a small farm in Nepal where his family grew rice, wheat and lentils while keeping a few cattle, he saw firsthand both the challenges and the promise of agriculture. That perspective shaped a career devoted to advancing technologies that address real-world challenges in the field.

“By equipping Extension agents, producers and other stakeholders with knowledge of the benefits and practical applications of these technologies, we can drive broader and more effective adoption,” Joshi said. “I believe data-driven precision agriculture has the potential to significantly enhance on-farm decision-making, leading to more efficient, sustainable and profitable farming practices throughout the state.”

Research Grounded in the Field

At the Flickner Innovation Farm in McPherson County, Joshi leads applied research that connects cutting-edge technology to the daily decisions of Kansas farmers. Using high-resolution drone imagery collected at critical points during the growing season, he is able to capture a precise, real-time picture of crop health and performance.

“My next step is to integrate [this] data with other earth observation and ground-based datasets,” he said. “These combined datasets will be used to train AI models aimed at developing decision-support tools that can provide yield prediction and site-specific recommendations to Kansas growers.”

For Joshi, the value of his work lies in moving beyond theory into practice. He emphasizes that solutions must be scientifically sound and technologically advanced while remaining practical and adoptable in producers’ fields. Conducting applied research directly on farms allows him to see the immediate impact of new technologies, making the results both meaningful and relevant for Kansas agriculture.

What’s Next in Precision Agriculture

Joshi’s forward-looking research reflects the rapid acceleration of technology in agriculture. He points to the integration of multiple data streams — drones, satellites and ground-based sensors — through AI platforms that will soon provide real-time recommendations.

“[An] example is the development of an AI-powered automated pipeline that integrates multiple sources of earth observation data- such as optical, LiDAR and SAR satellite imagery- along with drone and ground based sensor data to provide farmers with data driven recommendations for various input applications.”

He sees such advancements as a turning point for agriculture, with the potential to expand farmers’ ability to make informed decisions and strengthen the resilience of farming systems.

Good for Kansas. Good for the World.

Farming helps protect natural resources while sustaining profitability.

“Recent advancements in AI and sensor technology excite me about the future of agriculture. I believe AI will significantly enhance our ability to make informed decisions on the farm, ultimately improving efficiency, sustainability and resilience of our farming systems.”

His vision reflects the land-grant mission: building solutions in Kansas that strengthen producers here at home while offering insights that can guide agriculture more broadly. Joshi is also an affiliate of the Institute for Digital Agriculture and Advanced Analytics (ID3A), where his work contributes to the university’s broader mission of integrating data science and agriculture. To learn more, visit ID3A’s website.