Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. (NTT) said it is starting testing a farmer support service using drones and artificial intelligence technologies.

The new system, which connects drones to GPS satellites, is expected to help farming in the country in the face of severe labor shortages. With this service, NTT hopes to increase crop yields by up to 30 percent.

From the end of April to March 2021, the telecommunications giant will conduct trial testing of farmers support services on 8 hectares of rice field in Fukushima Prefecture with the prospect of launching the service on a commercial basis in Japan in two years.

Four drones with cameras associated with the quasi-Zenith satellites of Michibiki will fly over farmland and photograph rice plants. Then, the system, using artificial intelligence, will analyze the images obtained along with other data, including temperature, in order to determine the optimal time for fertilizing.

In addition, NTT is working to ensure that the service is able to use the cameras to detect pests and provide information on the required timing of fertilizer application from the air.