Farms have already begun to prepare for the harsh conditions of the future. Drones, robotics, AI and big data help farmers increase the volume and quality of crops with minimal environmental damage.
Computerization is gaining popularity in agriculture — digital systems make it possible to select the right amount of water and fertilizer for each plant so to increase yield. For example, the California winery Gallo, which, together with IBM, developed a new smart irrigation system. The system takes into account data from sensors in the vineyards, as well as satellite images and weather forecasts. Based on this information, an irrigation program is selected. The results were not long in coming — smart irrigation reduced water consumption by 16% and increased the yield of grapes by a third.
Sensors are installed not only on plants, but also on animals. Well Cow, a UK-based startup, places sensors in the cow’s stomach and monitors feed quality and digestive system performance. Using this data, farmers can adjust the animal’s diet and reduce methane emissions, which are considered a major environmental problem caused by cattle breeding.
Without a doubt, innovation has a positive effect on farming in poor regions. Technology opens up new market opportunities, frees up time and reduces costs. The World Bank is already testing Internet-of-Things watering systems in Vietnam and India. Many of the technologies described are also widely used in North America, the UK and some regions of South America. According to 2018 data, in Australia, 83% of grain farmers used GPS on-field navigation technology. In the USA, for example, some farms began to switch to automation due to a lack of labour and migrants. It turned out that it was easier for farms to replace workers with robots instead of hiring holders of American citizenship.
New Agriculture Technology in Modern Farming 2021
However, soon alternative vertical farms that grow vegetables and leafy plants in enclosed spaces and containers may actually start to replace traditional ones. Such systems consume much less water and do not need pesticides, while in terms of yield they are several times higher than ordinary greenhouses.
At the same time, experts give completely different forecasts — they believe that vertical farms will not be able to feed the inhabitants of large cities. The problem is that there is not enough space for growing grain on vertical farms, which is the main component of the diet of most people.
Digital farming has the potential to make agriculture more productive, more consistent and to use time and resources more efficiently. This brings critical advantages for farmers and wider social benefits around the world. However, the approach is still very new, costs are high and the details of the long term benefits are rarely available. That means to secure its widespread adoption will require collaboration and consensus across the value chain on how to overcome these challenges.
