By 2050, the world population is projected to reach 9.7 billion people. Therefore, the demand for food and what is needed to produce it will increase. While resources such as water will decrease even more. Other problems also afflict the agricultural sector such as climate change, as well as labour and raw material high costs. So, preparing for these changes is essential, so digital transformation in agriculture is vital to adapt to the times that come.
Rethinking agricultural systems towards digitalization is key to facilitating cooperation throughout the value chain, supporting farmers and empowering new innovative developments.
Digital transformation in agriculture can also have a positive impact on the environment. This can lead to improvements in resource efficiency, through tools such as precision agriculture. Digital tools may be able to reduce food waste by following market trends and data. Also, through proper product labelling, consumers can make transparent choices about food grown in an environmentally responsible way. The possibilities are diverse, all of them having positive consequences throughout the value chain.
This commitment represents great opportunities for the sector. But not without some problems to solve. One of the threats in this and other sectors that need to take advantage of technology is the digital gap. This is one of the main risks towards transformation. For digital transformation in agriculture to reach its potential, it implies an integrated approach that addresses people’s capacity, talent, and that is able to reach a large number of local and rural communities to be involved in the digital future.
Different initiatives have started to generate digital agriculture systems and projects addressing the digital gap, improving yields and reducing food waste to generate sustainable agriculture. Now, thanks to the fact that today many farmers can access information and data promptly, they can track their shipments and sell at a fair price. Little by little, information asymmetries are broken, promoting assertive and transparent decision-making.
- Organizations such as DHI (Digital Innovation Hub) are initiatives created to support access to knowledge, technologies, and infrastructure to begin the transformation towards the digitalization of processes in the agricultural sector. It works as a support network to catalyse digital innovation, aimed at the livestock, environmental, agricultural and forestry sectors. (Livestock, Environment, Agriculture and Forest – DIH-LEAF). https://www.dih-leaf.eu/es
Digitization technologies for agriculture
Technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, Edge Computing, 5G, IoT, blockchain and much more have the potential to make agriculture more efficient, sustainable, and competitive. Let’s see some of them:
- Robotics in agriculture: Robotics is an opportunity for productivity improvement to generate higher profits and faster yields. Farming is surrounded by many backbreaking tasks that have long been carried out by workers. A new generation of farm workers may be trained to control robots that milk cows, pick fruit, and other physical tasks. Robotics in agriculture presents a global market of more than 5 billion dollars in 2022, which will double in the next 5 years.
- IoT Internet of Things: IoT can simplify and streamline the collection, inspection, and overall distribution of agricultural resources using sensors on equipment and materials. It is possible, through sensors located on the ground, to monitor any crop from anywhere in the world. The ability to track and trace products, detect issues, and assess the environment within a farm or soil moisture uptake in real-time is invaluable in addressing processes and the value chain within agriculture. This technology in the sector presents a current market of 11,400 million dollars. Where on the other hand, it strengthens sustainable strategies and against climate change, achieving optimized processes with less waste.
- Drones for the monitoring and care of crops: Drones can go where humans cannot while generating real data to provide detailed and intelligent monitoring of crops. Farmers can view their crops from an aerial source, without having to charter a plane, and this is a competitive advantage. This technology is already being applied to monitor crops as a means of combating drought and other damaging environmental factors. These drones produce 3D images that are used to predict soil quality through analysis and planting pattern planning. Another application is to spray crops with chemicals or simply irrigate them precisely.
- Data Analysis. We know that data are the companies’ treasure, counting that by 2025 the world will store around 175 zettabytes of data. Data capture, control, protection, and processing are important parts of Agrotech development. Data analytics enables significant new insights to be generated for industry, farmers, and food producers.
- Artificial intelligence (AI): AI systems help improve crop quality and precision, which is now known as precision agriculture. This technology can help detect plant diseases, pests, or specific problems in a certain part of the crop. Through sensors, it is possible to detect and eliminate weeds and even decide which specific herbicide to apply within each region. These systems are a great support to reduce the number of herbicides and water that crops efficiently, at the same time, save costs and improve the environment. Artificial intelligence works hand in hand with drones, robotics, IoT, and other technologies, in a coordinated effort to improve cultivation processes, as well as the quality of agricultural products and generate profitability.
- Machine learning and analytics: Using machine learning is one of the agriculture digital transformation key pieces. Its application can start even before seeding, learning, and generating alternatives. For example, it is possible to predict which traits and genes may be best for crop production, providing the best option depending on soil characteristics, location, and climate. This technology is one of the top digital agriculture trends to keep track of.
Digital agriculture has great potential to drive the transformation of the agri-food sector and promote rural development. If we analyze all the technologies mentioned above, they can work together to generate new systems where information and action are combined towards new and improved processes for sustainable agriculture with good results.
Countries need to give value to their agri-food sector, often forgotten and underestimated when in countries like Spain it represents the economic sector that generates the most wealth. Technology is a key aspect to achieve a fairer sector that generates value for farmers, who are ultimately the ones who drive the industry. So, it is imperative to take steps towards digital agriculture. We stake our future as a society on it.