Precision Agriculture On The Rise As More Farmers Look To Technology For Help
A growing number of farmers today are becoming interested in using a myriad of technologies to try and improve their business. There are a variety of tools out there available for them today that are marketed towards helping farmers with their crops, assisting them with gathering data, managing resources, crop variability, and much more.
The global market for precision agriculture is expected to almost double by 2023, growing to more than $9.5 billion, with many farmers in the U.S. and Canada being among the first to embrace this way of doing business.
Precision agriculture is a merge between farming and new technology that enables farmers to boost productivity. With the help of GPS guidance, drones, yield maps, and other tech, farmers are able to make better decisions about what they're going to do with their land.
It's estimated that farmers make at least 50 critical decision during every cropping season.
A recent report found that agriculture workers and farmers in the U.S. have a higher suicide rate than any other occupation.
However, one thing that will keep many farmers from embracing precision agriculture is the cost of the tools. If they aren't going to be able to recoup that cost in a reasonable amount of time, then that makes it all the more likely that they won't take the chance to use it at all.
Aside from the high cost related to some of the precision farming tools, there is also the specified knowledge often required to use that technology and so that brings along with it another cost to farmers. Because of the high cost involved with making the change and starting to use the new, more advanced tools as a part of the business operation, it's more often large farms that have been venturing toward precision agriculture before the smaller ones.
By utilizing precision agriculture tools, farmers are better able to control and monitor for pests, manage fertilizer and pesticides, to be able to specifically target problem areas rather than resorting to widespread treatment. They can also manage the data about their farms conveniently from their phone, computer, or tablet etc.
Right now, New Zealand is one country that is said to be leading the race when it comes to adopting precision farming methods.
Farmers around the world are now able to use a variety of apps, drones, and other technologies, that can help them to network with other farmers and share their knowledge and expertise. By being able to better communicate with one another, it might help them to boost their productivity and reap better overall results. With the technology that we have available today it also makes it easy for any farmer, whether in the U.S. or India, to be able to gain an abundance of knowledge about their growing operation right from their own phone.
Pics:
Pixabay
Sources:
https://news.nationalgeographic.com/future-of-food/food-future-precision-agriculture/
http://www.farmersreviewafrica.com/kalro-gives-avocado-farmers-reason-smile-launch-new-mobile-app/
https://www.itweb.co.za/content/Pero3qZg2D4vQb6m
http://www.brunel.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/articles/Smartphone-to-help-farmers-test-for-poultry-infection
http://www.kfvs12.com/story/38343870/report-ag-workers-farmers-face-high-suicide-rates
http://www.newtimes.co.rw/news/new-app-increase-farmer-funding-through-de-risking-agriculture
https://www.futurefarming.com/Smart-farmers/Articles/2018/1/Precision-farming-tools-must-be-affordable-2700WP/
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/precision-farming-market-worth-953-billion-usd-by-2023-682180441.html
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-farmers-edge-keeps-focus-firmly-on-what-tech-can-do-for-farmers/
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Tech + ag is really interesting to me. I'm sure you are aware of the variety of aeroponic and hydroponic options available. Imo, the future is going to be applying these in modular structures allowing for micro farms to be dispersed throughout urban environments.
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Thank you for writing this I found it very interesting. I have been a farmer myself for a long time and have some perspective on how things are changing.
One thing I will add is that contrary to NZ's 100% pure advertising campaign the majority of the rivers in NZ do not qualify as being clean enough to swim in because of the large doses of agrochemicals being washed downstream.
This is sad as it was not the case 20 years ago.
I so much love the idea of Precision Farming, so to say, but can it predict to an 100% an outbreak? I think that's very crucial, moreso is it readily available, I've used and met so many farmers application that looks more like an academic publication than a solution.
Does this means that poor harvest or planting gone bad, or other factor is responsibile for this? I mean it's an alarming stat and I tend to wonder if failures to deliver cause these?
good. very good
I like you @doitvoluntarily
I think it's only normal and natural. After all technology can only improve.
The first big revolution that humans had I think it was the agrarian one (I think). We stopped the nomadic ways, because we learned how to grow and farm crops.
Interesting!
I believe this will be adopted in North America. Might take longer but it basically has to happen
The new tech is very interesting. But I think western farmers have nothing to complain about in comparison to Indian of African farmer who are being ripped of but the industry at every turn.
We need to embrace more organic ways of farming which when done properly has an increased yield. The key it to work with the environment not the last tech. Admittedly some of the tech is goo but much of it is detrimental to the cause 💯🐒