There is a wild shift in technology and this has been a great addition to agriculture and how farmers have been trying to revolutionize. As climate change and the global population is gaining waves, the role technology is going to play in the success of agriculture for generations can’t be underemphasized. Taking a look at statistics, the importance of smart technology in agriculture will not be far-fetched. The United Nations estimated that the world’s population is expected to hit 9.7 billion by 2050 and it will skyrocket to nearly by the turn of the century.

By the available number, it means that the future generation needs to produce more, especially now and it can’t be done successfully without technology. As much as $22.3 billion was invested into the agriculture space in 2020. This brings opportunities that new tech can offer and how they are essential to the future of the industry. There are ways that technology is revolutionizing modern agriculture and the five ways are:

SPraying seeds from above

Around April 2020, drones created by Chinese manufacturer XAG were able to organize a rice seeding demonstration in the Guangdong province. At first, the demonstration was about workers who were planting 5kg of rice seeds traditionally. It took twenty-five minutes across a 1,200 square meter paddy field for them. Then, in turn, the demonstration saw the XAG XPlanet drone do that same task in just about 1,200 seconds. It was able to save time and energy. The impact of drones on speed and efficiency can never be understated because it matters. 

These devices are also environmentally friendly compared to the traditional way of planting rice. XAG reported that their army of drones could use up to 90% less water. Also, 30% fewer chemicals compared to manual methods.

Technology keeps resources fresh and anew

Since farms can be on an expanse of land, keeping the information on the quality and life cycle of resources can be a hectic task. But with the help of technology, this can be a solution. Farmers can get absolute information on the state of their resources and products, which can prevent any wastage that might arise.

Grainsafe is a technology developed by Telesense. It’s a ball-like device. When it’s dropped into a pile of grain, farmers can receive real-time information on the accurate temperature and humidity of the grain. Farmers can tweak conditions to make sure their resources are stored in a good condition that’s optimal every time. And this ensures the lifespan of these goods. That they are fresh and new.

Technology is applied by the use of robots in caring for animals

For most farmers, livestock is very important for their farming and caring for livestock requires keen attention from farmers. In commercial agriculture, this means caring for a lot of animals and requires a lot of labor to execute the tasks successfully. Having this in mind, it’s ideal that farmers think about alternatives to assist them when caring for livestock. Many farmers are incorporating robots as they manage their livestock. 

A Spanish startup in Barcelona, Faromatrics created a robot. The robots were created to assist farmers in monitoring their chickens remotely and help them save time and energy. The robot is called “The chicken boy.” It first glides along fitted rails. This helps to measure the temperature, air quality, light and sound which housed the chicken. The chicken boy is structured in a way that it can send mobile alerts to farmers using cloud platforms. It helps farmers to keep up to date on how their poultry is faring on the farm.

Technology keeps farms connected

There has been a keen challenge for farmers especially with getting connected with their farms. A lot of farms are located in rural areas and this poses a greater problem. Hence, technology comes to play. Most farmers have their farms in the rural area and live in the urban area and need to be connected. 

To stay connected, the invention of 5G provides a better connection compared to 4G. This helps farmers to stay connected. 5G enabled devices have been extended to a lot of places, including rural areas. Employing a 5G technology internet connection, farmers can combine its flexibility and with high-resolution cameras, farmers are fully connected to what is happening on their farms.

Technology helps in promoting better soil health

Pest and diseases have been a major problem for farmers. And as the world is advancing and technology is rearing its head, farmers are looking for viable technology in the place of smart technology to promote a better soil that will become viable to grow crops. A soil biology company, Pattern AG, uses machine learning tech to analyze soil samples. This helps to detect signs of diseases and pests. Employing machine learning and automation in farming helps in more environmentally friendly and efficient farming.

Written by

Efosa Obasuyi
Cofounder/CEO of Adancly (Adancly is a Lending Tech Start-up for SME’s in Africa)
Senior Product Manager GRICD integrated Services Limited