Technological trends pave way for smart farming
The world's agricultural sector, poised to serve around 9.7 billion people by 2050, is facing more challenges to meet demands while tackling pressures brought about by climate change and shifting land use. Though the crops themselves certainly cannot "evolve" that fast, fast-tracking technological advancements can bring about the much-needed agricultural revolution.
Clear Currency, a group of international technology transfer specialists, stated that "smart" farming is the only way to make an agricultural revolution happen. Smart farming is an advanced technology-aided way of planning, cultivating, and harvesting crops and managing livestock. Smart sensors monitoring temperature, land chemistry, and other vital environmental components will allow farmers to efficiently decide with precise and real-time data.
Beyond just monitoring, data can be utilized through artificial intelligence (AI) to automate farming activities. Through AI, farms can perform several tasks, such as watering, through robotic machinery and do well-calculated crop and machine management to reduce costs and increase production efficiency.
With climate change-related issues gaining more attention, farms will face more pressure to also address their environmental impacts. This can be less of a burden through AI-aided planning that can help farms transform their fields into a more robust ecosystem through regenerative farming. For those in storm-prone areas, indoor vertical technologies can also provide farmers more control over their crops and make them resilient against extreme weather events.
The technological trends in agriculture look promising, but with such advancements come larger capital costs. The world's farmers need more support to continue providing for the needs of civilization.