Issues of the growing population, adverse climate events, and land constraints have put immense pressure on the agriculture sector. The demand for affordable and high-quality food products is at an all-time high, and there’s an urgent need to adopt sustainable agricultural practices. All these shifts in consumer behavior and demands imply that the sector needs to embrace new technologies and farming practices. Agritech integration holds exciting possibilities for the agriculture sector. In 2022 and beyond, we are expected to see several advanced agritech trends that will drive growth and sustainability in the agriculture sector.
TOP AGRITECH TRENDS 2022
Increase in the use of aerial imaging
Aerial imaging helps in the effective management of crops. With the help of aerial technologies, such as – drone technology and satellite imaging, farmers can detect changes more quickly for effective monitoring of crops’ health drought conditions and monitor the need for resources to manage crops. The issues with crops and fields are pretty challenging to find out from the ground. These technologies will enable more accurate monitoring of crop fields and ultimately increase yield and profits.
Focus on sustainability using modern technology
With climate changing faster than expected and extreme weather events increasing, the agriculture sector must focus on embracing sustainable agricultural practices. The industry significantly contributes to anthropogenic global warming and is responsible for greenhouse gas emissions ( ~21–37% of annual emissions), such as – methane and nitrous oxide. Therefore, it is becoming more apparent that sustainable agricultural practices will be given prime importance in 2022 to meet the demands of the burgeoning world population and support sustainability goals.
Intelligent technologies, such as AI, will enable the use of pertinent data in decision-making, leading to low-input agriculture. IoT technology can be used to increase sustainable practices in farming, optimize the use of agricultural resources and improve crop yields.
Also Read: Future of Food and Sustainable Farming through AgTech Innovation
Implementation of regenerative agriculture
Traditional agricultural practices are characterized by heavy use of fertilizer and heavy tillage to increase farm output, but these practices have an adverse impact on the environment and soil quality. Degrading soil quality often results in crops being susceptible to diseases, pests, and droughts, which can have a negative impact on food production. This year we will see a heightened focus on regenerative agriculture using advanced technologies. Regenerative agriculture focuses on restoring the vitality and health of farm soil and improving water retention. Several new technologies will be leveraged to achieve these goals. For example, Soilsens is a soil monitoring system that helps farmers enhance the quality of the soil. Sensors, smart irrigation powered by the Internet of Things (IoT), and drones allow farmers to make smarter decisions based on soil humidity, temperature, pH, moisture, and nutrients. AI and machine learning applications are used to generate recommendations for better soil health.
Consider digital information sharing
Digital information sharing enables farmers to exchange valuable information and knowledge while saving time and money. Farmers can communicate with equipment providers, crop advisors, and other professionals to improve crop yield and make more profits. With 5G rolling out in full throttle very soon, agriculturists will be able to benefit from up to 10 Gbps data speed, which will facilitate real-time communication and exchange of crucial farming-related information.
Exact yield predictions
New technologies, like AI and machine learning, allow farmers to predict the yields before harvesting the crops accurately. Using these technologies, farmers can analyze the exact products and eliminate food wastage to increase profits. This will be a significant trend this year and in the coming years to solve the growing hunger issue in the world. As per a report by FAO, there were about 811 million hungry people in 2020, and the pandemic worsened the matter further.
Technologies such as AI and ML will be used to support decisions on what to do during the growing season of the crops and which crops to grow for which conditions. Deep learning techniques such as convolutional neural networks can predict crop yield much before the harvest.
Field mapping
With the help of field mapping, farmers can look at the latest growth and watch out for perfect planting, spraying, and harvesting conditions. To visualize crops and variability, farmers can collect timely geospatial information related to plant and soil requirements. Farmers can also predict with accuracy which practices will be effective for their field. So what does field mapping technology entail? Field mapping involves using GIS (Geographical Information System) technologies that can help farmers map their fields and extract data about them to achieve the following goals – process data, manage their farm efficiently, and get valuable decision support.
Efficient grow lighting and sensor technology
By adopting LED grow lighting, farmers can have a more capable and customizable lighting solution that will enable them to control heat and light more effectively. They can also find the right solution to match the specific needs of different crops, climate, and available space and reduce long-term costs. Using sensor technology, they can also manage their environment with more precision, which will have several benefits for the farmers.
- They will be able to boost production.
- They can avoid energy wastage and reduce costs.
- This will also allow them to implement more sustainable ways of agriculture.
Agrobots
Lack of low-cost labor for various field tasks is a significant problem the agriculture sector faces today. The way out of this complex situation is using automation or AgRobots. Agricultural Robots can solve a lot of issues in the land. They can operate in any condition and perform several essential tasks on fields while minimizing losses. With high levels of efficiency on the field, they are being viewed as the possible solution to the problem of increasing food demand. These robots can assist farmers with repetitive tasks such as seeding, planting, harvesting, spraying, weeding, lending unmatched efficiency and productivity to farming practices. They also prevent human-induced errors and dependence on manual labor while increasing profits.
Controlled Environment Agriculture
Disruptions by changing and intense weather conditions are issues that adversely affect traditional farming practices. This is a big issue in today’s world, where we are witnessing adverse climate events like never before. Controlled environment agriculture (CEA) provides a practical solution to this problem. Under this farming practice, crops are exposed to a specific amount of temperature, light, humidity, and nutrients to facilitate crop growth under the right circumstances. Some examples of CEA are Vertical farming, Indoor farming, and greenhouses.
Techniques such as aeroponics and hydroponics involve growing plants in air and liquid nutrient media. Besides offering the right growth conditions to plants, pests and illnesses are reduced, and sustainable agricultural practices are established with these methods.
Wrap Up
The uncertainty quotient in the agriculture sector has increased considerably post-covid. These agritech trends will help farmers scale their production while remaining sustainable and cost-efficient. They will also shape the investments into the industry and emerging entrepreneurial business models.
