Agricultural Technology to Meet the needs of 10 Billion People

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2022/06/16/five-use-cases-for-iot-and-edge-cloud-technology-in-smart-farming/?sh=687dad5189dc

https://www.agweb.com/opinion/sensible-ag-technology-good-planet-farms-and-consumers

https://blogs.bath.ac.uk/iprblog/2018/03/16/escaping-the-malthusian-trap-technology-and-regulation-to-feed-the-world/

Pixabay

Global agricultural demand is forecasted to grow with our population.

The world faces challenges for agricultural production in the coming years. Up to 25% of the arable farm land faces challenges related to yield production of food, the population is rapidly approaching 10 billion people and is on track to hit this mark by 2050 and over half of the world’s population lives in water-stressed areas where resources are strained. In addition, climate change is reducing crop yields, and in theory could cause major problems in the future. With these problems, we need to work with scientists and engineers to produce and advance technology to address these challenges.

Thomas Malthus theorized that the world faced an impending food-shortage based on population growth. Malthus published his works in 1798, and his premise was based on the belief that food production technology would not be proportional to meet population growth. A number of technological advancements including fertilizer improvements, crop rotation, genetically modified crops and more rose to the challenge to meet the rising population’s need for food. We now face new challenges as our population increases towards 10 billion in 2050 and resource depletion threatens our lands. Technology can and will rise to the challenge again, and we will meet this serious threat.

Crop and environmental monitoring systems are key to meeting our future crop production needs. The soil chemistry and quality, along with weather and pest threats all play into crop yields. Farmers must be vigilant when crops are growing and pests pose a huge threat to yields. Being able to deploy drones over the fields and monitor chemistry and fertilizer effectiveness can be accomplished by IoT devices including wheeled drones. The soil and productive capacity of the farmland can be monitored and information can be analyzed by AI and engineers to find the most optimal crop mix. Fields can be scientifically structured to provide the most calories per acre.

Internet of Things (IoT) refers to the interconnected technologies that communicate with one another to solve problems. Automated tractors and crop production machinery can allow a farmer to focus on their core competencies. A combination of drones, autonomous tractors and monitors could increase yield by reducing loss. If a problem is observed it can be quickly countered by a panel of AI and experts. Satellite feeds can enable farmers to make sure they don’t miss any threats.

Another controversial and existing technology used to help increase food production is genetic engineering of crops. Genetic engineering of crops is currently being employed and genetically modified organisms (GMO) are consumed. A well-regulated and engineered crop could be resistant to both drought and pests, and the calories inside the crop could be increased. This is a good way to ensure the calories per acre increase with the population.

The future challenges we face in farming as population increases while soil viability for crop yield decreases demands our attention. In the years to come, our technology must rise to meet the challenge we face so we can remain ahead of Malthus’ doomsday prediction.

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