Agriculture is an essential industry for human nature, but its continuous lack of investments and compromises are systematic risks to the world. The pressure of climate change is the most challenging to manage, as extreme weather events make it difficult for crops to survive the heat or massive rainfalls.
Several economic factors also contribute to these issues. Subsidies or incentives for farmers are insignificant compared to the demand for new machinery and more investments in water and fertilizers. Commodity prices, on the other hand, have boomed in recent years, while immigration laws and labor have affected the employment market.
Hence, the agriculture industry faces serious problems. However, advanced technology might offer potential solutions, so let’s examine the future opportunities.
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Spectrometers
Spectrometers have numerous use cases across varied industries, including agriculture. Their purpose is to provide detailed spectral analysis to monitor plants in their growing environment. A compact spectrometer can monitor crop health by detecting the levels of chlorophyll or measuring the sugar in fruits to assess their quality.
Therefore, these technologies can offer a deep insight into crop life, helping farmers keep up with soil and weather changes so they can immediately adapt. For example, they can analyze grains to determine organic nitrogen and protein, which play essential roles in photosynthesis. There are many types of spectrometers, each fit for a different task, and you can find the best one for your agricultural activities at https://www.avantes.com/.
Vectoring tools for bees
Bees have become some of the most underrated contributors to life, as their productivity has been compromised due to continuous habitat loss, pesticides, and climate change. However, bees are great pollinators, and their role in biodiversity is unparalleled. Bees are also supporting a third of the world’s food production through pollination.
Agriculture technology like vectoring will help bees continue helping us by delivering targeted crop controls as they pollinate. At the same time, chemical fertilisers will be replaced with environmentally safe options that protect the crop system and the bee. The bumblebee hive will also be prepared with pest control powders on its little legs to spread on crops.
Agriculture management
Resources for agriculture are not endless, but most companies and societies believe everything is free when it comes to crops. This might also be why we’ve been so wasteful, but this can change through proper management and precision agriculture. The strategy revolves around making better decisions about using resources efficiently, being more sustainable and productive, and seeking quality.
Precision agriculture is fit for:
- The ground, where GPS gathers information on irrigation systems and the surrounding landscapes;
- The air, where drones monitor and detect crops through multispectral sensors on disease prevalence and nutrient deficiency;
- Satellites, which can manage bigger ecosystems and provide important data on patterns and vegetation indices;
Lasers for birds and rodents
While birds and rodents are important for the environment, they can be quite a handful when it comes to crops like corn. Their lack of food from other sources pushes them to consume crops. Eliminating them should not be allowed, which is why using laser technology could be a better solution than scarecrows.
For example, researchers found that birds are not fond of the colour green, so they created a laser deploying it that keeps birds away from crops. The laser is also invisible to the human eye in the sunlight, and its range is pretty impressive. Reducing birds’ prominence across lands can minimise crop damages considerably.
Water management system
Water is wasted in agriculture, as most of it evaporates or is poorly used for irrigation. However, as water is starting to become scarce, we must learn to use it mindfully. Considering that more than half of the world’s freshwater is used for agriculture, companies must definitely protect it by leveraging better water management systems.
Micro drip irrigation systems are some of the best for managing water and navigating problems like floor irrigation and overwatering. The system allows plants to grow correctly as the water slowly drips to their roots, contributing to healthy produce. In addition, it reduces water usage by more than 50%.
Still, can technology mitigate climate change?
Climate change is the biggest enemy of agriculture and farmers. It’s considerably difficult to predict extreme weather changes so farmers can adapt and protect crops. At the same time, even if experts predict that future years will become hotter, farmers are always surprised by how drought affects their crops in different regions.
At the same time, crops might adapt to climate change with the proper agricultural systems, but this would require years of studies and experiments. For now, beans, rice, and wheat are the most resilient crops. They can feed the world with minimal water and at higher temperatures, but we need more than this to survive.
Bioengineering climate-resilient crops might become the future of the modern world. These breeding programs will develop better versions of what we consume to withstand climate change. In addition, new crops will need fewer chemical fertilisers and pesticides.
There are also other ways to mitigate this issue, such as:
- Spreading awareness on the problem by educating communities and helping them with valuable resources like technical expertise;
- Improving weather forecasting so they provide early warning signs of hurricanes or floods, so farmers could have more time to save their crops;
- Create resilient structures and farm designs that support irrigation systems and storage facilities prepared for erosion;
- Growing support from the government through proper policies on research and development;
Do you think these technologies will help agriculture thrive?
Agriculture is at risk of extinction, as climate change has destroyed crops. However, industrialisation and consumerism have actively contributed to this, as wasteful materials and fossil-burning activities have made the planet much warmer than it should be. Therefore, farmers must innovate and find ways through technology to continue providing food to the world while saving water, utilising better resources, and relying on data.
