Foundation Models in Agriculture: A Comprehensive Review

Shuolei Yin, Yejing Xi, Xun Zhang, Chengnuo Sun and Qirong Mao ()
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Shuolei Yin: School of Computer Science and Communication Engineering, Jiangsu University, 301 Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang 212013, China
Yejing Xi: School of Computer Science and Communication Engineering, Jiangsu University, 301 Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang 212013, China
Xun Zhang: School of Computer Science and Communication Engineering, Jiangsu University, 301 Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang 212013, China
Chengnuo Sun: School of Computer Science and Communication Engineering, Jiangsu University, 301 Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang 212013, China
Qirong Mao: School of Computer Science and Communication Engineering, Jiangsu University, 301 Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang 212013, China

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 8, 1-30

Abstract: This paper explores the transformative potential of Foundation Models (FMs) in agriculture, driven by the need for efficient and intelligent decision support systems in the face of growing global population and climate change. It begins by outlining the development history of FMs, including general FM training processes, application trends and challenges, before focusing on Agricultural Foundation Models (AFMs). The paper examines the diversity and applications of AFMs in areas like crop classification, pest detection, and crop image segmentation, and delves into specific use cases such as agricultural knowledge question-answering, image and video analysis, decision support, and robotics. Furthermore, it discusses the challenges faced by AFMs, including data acquisition, training efficiency, data shift, and practical application challenges. Finally, the paper discusses future development directions for AFMs, emphasizing multimodal applications, integrating AFMs across the agricultural and food sectors, and intelligent decision-making systems, ultimately aiming to promote the digitalization and intelligent transformation of agriculture.

Keywords: foundation models; smart agriculture; language foundation models; vision foundation models; multimodal foundation models; agriculture foundation models (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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