Latest AgTech Trends 2020: 6 Emerging Trends in Agriculture
Agricultural technology or AgTech is undergoing some revolutionary changes and it’s not happening out in the cornfield. Instead, scientists, farmers, and developers are working together to explore new ways to maximize food production. And that’s why the agricultural industry’s investment in technology is increasing each day. Recent studies have found out that with the use of technology, the industry’s output can reach up to 65% by the year 2030.
So, how is this going to happen? People belonging to this industry — farmers, scientists, and food producers must embrace new digital transformation trends that could help the industry to progress and help farmers to earn revenue. Since the 4.0 generation of technology has emerged, the possibility of utilizing the new technology trends such as IoT, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Food Tracking Mobile apps, Vertical Farming & more are endless.
Here is how technology can be used as a sustainable and scalable resource to take the agricultural industry to new heights.
1- IoT-Based Sensors In the Agricultural Field
IoT development is set to transform the agricultural industry. IoT solutions have the extreme potential within the food sector. According to Cisco reports, there is almost $14.4 trillion in value at stake in the food industry due to the emergence of IoT technology.
IoT technology is streamlining and simplifying the agricultural processes and overall distribution of resources using material equipment and resources. IoT-sensors placed strategically anywhere in the field can send farmers up-to-date information and they can also view corps production from anywhere around the world.
One of the most important applications of IoT that has the most immediate effect is water and soil sensors. These are very efficient, reliable, and relatively less expensive. The sensors placed can detect weed and pest data, and also monitor soil & crop health.
Farmers can place them throughout their lands to determine the moisture level, nitrogen, & other essentials and then use water and fertilizers accordingly. This will help farmers to estimate the required amount of materials, therefore lowered cost.
2- Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning
According to experts, almost 50% of the farmers are ready to apply digital technology in their lands to boost productivity. Introduction of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning has influenced the industry in numerous aspects. From checking the soil health to sowing seeds, AI and ML continue to supply useful solutions.
Drones: AI is providing us next-generation farming solutions and drones are one of them. Most of the companies use drones merely for entertainment purposes, however, they are being used in agriculture as the next-gen farming tool. Drones are being used to monitor moisture level and crop production while saving the farmers’ time and allowing them to use fertilizers and soil enhancers more effectively.
Smart Analysis of Farm Data: AI tools also provides in-depth reports including weather predictions thus helping the farmers to take decisions accordingly and utilize available resources strategically.
3- Harvest Strategies
Software giants such as Microsoft are now entering into the agricultural industry. They are experimenting with a wide range of technologies such as hydroponic towers, onboard cameras, and software analysis.
Microsoft is working to not only create tools that will help in boosting crop production but also working to develop harvesting technologies. Some farmers have large lands and they spend days harvesting crops. Microsoft and other tech giants are working to develop machines that will help the farmers to harvest their crops in the minimum time possible.
4- Food Tracking Mobile Apps
With the growing population and emergence of new issues, the need for more advanced food tracking apps has become more urgent. Consumers are more concerned about how crops are handled and shipped to the masses. That’s where food tracking mobile apps come into the picture.
Food tracking mobile apps not only help the consumers to know the source of food but also how it has been processed and shipped. These apps help people to pinpoint the locations where they can get quality food. That’s why developers are designing food tracking apps to help both grocers and consumers track the food as it travels through the supply chain.
5- Mini-chromosome Technology
Mini-chromosome technology is probably the most amazing technology that comes in a tiny package but can create wonders. It is a small structure within a cell containing a small amount of genetic package that contains a lot of information.
With minichromosome technology, farmers can add hundreds of characteristics to a plant. These droughts can produce plants that are more resistant such as drought-tolerant, pest tolerance, and better in quality and taste.
The best thing about mini-chromosome technology is that a plant’s original genome is not altered in any way. If implemented strategically, the results are faster and can help to overcome the food shortage in the world.
6- Vertical Farming
Vertical Farming might have been a myth back in the 1960s, however, it has become a reality now.
Vertical farm technology enables farmers to produce food in vertically stacked layers, thus producing fresh food at lower costs. This technique has been adopted in urban areas where people do not have vast lands to grow food. However, it is not limited to urban areas only but farmers in rural areas can also use this technology to grow crops.
Conclusion:
Technology is revolutionizing almost every aspect of life and agriculture is not left behind. It likely means that the face of the agricultural sector will be completely different in the future from what we have seen in the past.
The population is increasing each day and people in many parts of the world are dying because of the non-availability of the food. The techniques mentioned above can play a major role in overcoming agricultural problems and boost crop production.
