Technological advancement is one of the main reasons for increasing farm productivity. It will also help fight against hunger and climate change occurring worldwide. People usually implemented technology to increase productivity and farm yields in the past. However, over the past decades, trade, policies for farming, development and research, education, and many other factors have been the driving force behind the use of technology in agriculture.
Agriculture and Sustainability
The destruction and exploitation of ecosystems on our planet due to global warming and soil erosion are already impacting the world today. Every year, we lose about 12 million hectares of farmland and about one-third of the food produced. That is why sustainable food production will be the key to solving these environmental problems and unlocking the market.
The impact of global warming has left us with resource and food shortages, soil degradation, and a decrease in crop yields. To tackle these challenges, the food and agriculture industry should push for innovation, which will lead to sustainability and economic growth.
The plant science industry is a large market that cuts across lots of technologies and practices. New and upgraded geospatial solutions will provide better solutions for farmers and push the agenda for sustainability and digitization. For example, smart farming implementation has helped increase connectivity among different farms, thereby increasing value. Also, the uses of technologies like drones and satellites have increased farm yield through monitoring.
Del Monte Case
For food conglomerates to satisfy the needs of the modern consumer, they are rethinking their operations, making sustainable and healthy foods. One of such companies is Del Monte Philippines, a leading producer and exporter of beverages and health food worldwide. The company aims to ensure sustainability through the implementation of precision agricultural practices with the help of digital solutions like Crop Monitoring.
EOS Crop Monitoring is a precision farming tool designed by EOS Data Analytics (EOSDA). Using advanced satellite imagery analytics, this platform helps farmers monitor their fields remotely. It acts as a central hub where farmers can get information such as crop health, weather, soil moisture, and much more.
Even though Del Monte was already using drones to monitor their plants, it was a bit challenging to integrate satellite technology and the Crop Monitoring tool into their business process. Because this technology is still new to the industry, it took a lot of time and effort connecting scouts to the tool. Their primary challenge came when monitoring crops after planting.
Prior to implementing Crop Monitoring, their workers made use of drones and manually downloaded Sentinel and Landsat images. This process was very time-consuming. However, with the implementation of the Crop Monitoring platform, everything became automatic. It gave the employees ability to perform geospatial data analytics in one central hub.
Since then, Crop Monitoring has been their go-to tool for qualifying new plants and new lands. It is also helpful in measuring indices like NDVI and NDRE (for plant health and vigor), MSAVI and NMDI (for fields with lots of exposed bare soil), and many others. Crop Monitoring also helps them with yield prediction using machine learning. More so, the company’s reports have become much easier to understand thanks to added visualization that now backs up different words and numbers.
The Del Monte case is a perfect example of how trying to practice sustainable agriculture can lead to innovations. And satellite data is proving to be invaluable in unlocking the earning and production potential of farms.
Using GIS software like Crop Monitoring, farmers can also implement variable rate methods in their fields. It ensures the rational spread of nutrients on the farm using accurate and precise data. The use of optimum amounts of water, fertilizer, and other inputs ensures sustainability and reduces pollution of the environment.
As more people become cautious of how their food is produced and where it comes from, big companies will adjust their business processes to suit consumer preferences. Lots of people associate food with wellness and health, so they will not buy food from unverified sources. That is why sustainable farming has become popular, and technology is making it more efficient.
