Impact of Technology on Agriculture
The impact of technology on agriculture refers to the influence of technological advancements on farming practices and productivity. This includes the use of machinery, precision farming techniques, and biotechnology to improve efficiency, yield, and sustainability in agricultural production. Technology has the potential to revolutionize the agricultural sector by addressing challenges such as food security, resource management, and environmental impact.
7 Key excerpts on "Impact of Technology on Agriculture"
eBook - ePubAgriculture 5.0
Artificial Intelligence, IoT and Machine Learning
- Latief Ahmad, Firasath Nabi(Authors)
- 2021(Publication Date)
- CRC Press(Publisher)
...With the introduction of Agriculture 4.0 or smart precision farming, a ray of hope shines to avert the above effects. The contribution of the agricultural industry to the world economy will increase. The potential of AI/ML/IoT and the benefits mankind can reap from these have already been explained in detail in the previous chapters. The societal and economic impacts of these precision tools and techniques can be summarized as: • The usage of ICT such as AI/ML/IoT/smartphones in agribusiness has helped in the betterment of daily farming operations as well as in long-term strategic decisions. • These approaches will assist in the reduction of harsh effects on the environment as inputs will be applied in the right amount, in the right quantity, at the right time, and at the right place. • Higher net value in terms of yield and profit will be promoted. • Multiple crop fields that are located apart can be managed under one roof. • There exist integrated management of livestock and farming for better management and decision-making. • Spatial and temporal assessment and management within the field has now become convenient. • Management of robots, drones, and other machinery has become easy and remotely controllable. • Keeping watch on desertification, leaching, rains, trespassing, and poaching is easy and affordable. • Accurate forecasting and prediction models benefit the farmers in scheduling activities depending on the mood of nature and climate vagaries. • Market and mandi price checks have helped in fetching the right amount for the yields. • Organic farming has flourished by imbibing these environment-friendly technologies [ 2 ]. • Labor costs, timely weather forecasts, site-specific and variable-rate application, and crop loss reduction are the most motivating contributions of these sustainable tools towards the entire...
eBook - ePub- Bryan L. McDonald(Author)
- 2013(Publication Date)
- Polity(Publisher)
...Jason Clay locates the beginnings of major changes in global agriculture to the invention of the steel plow by John Deere in 1837: “As the plows and the machines that pulled them got bigger, more and more land could be farmed by fewer people. Every increase in scale and intensity, however, had environmental impacts as well. Over time it has become apparent that agricultural practices, more than any single factor, have determined the state of the global environment” (Clay 2004: 1). Agricultural practices also play a role in reducing the ability of natural ecosystems to provide useful services such as regulating climate and filtering water as well as using renewable natural resources, such as soil, at rates that are not renewable. For example, one estimate finds that soil is being depleted at a rate of one to two orders of magnitude (between 10 and 100 times) greater than it is being replenished (Montgomery 2007). Agriculture and food production contributes to localized environmental changes, but is also a factor driving the large-scale process of global change. Agricultural practices can contribute to a considerable share of many countries’ emissions of greenhouse gases, including gases such as carbon dioxide from land clearance and deforestation and also gases that result from crop and livestock production like methane, nitrous oxide, and ammonia (FAO 2003a; Clay 2004). Although food is produced around the world in a variety of ecological, social, and political circumstances, it is possible to identify similarities in methods of production. In their 1987 report, the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) recognized the emergence of three broad types of agricultural systems: industrial agriculture, Green Revolution agriculture, and resource-poor agriculture. Industrial agriculture is capital and resource intensive, tends to be large scale, and favor large producers...
eBook - ePub- Jessica Eise, Ken Foster(Authors)
- 2018(Publication Date)
- Island Press(Publisher)
...It would prompt widespread famine and invite a return of the massive food shortages of the 1960s and 1970s. This is not something to which we can return from a humanitarian, political, and social standpoint. Rather, the upcoming challenge is to rethink how we produce our food using more sustainable innovations so we can conserve scarce natural resources. Technology provides the answers again as evidenced by the young farmer I met who chooses to use apps and data to better his decision making, reduce application of farm chemicals, and improve his farm’s profitability. For the modern farmer, such as the one described above, a plot of land is no longer just a piece of land. It is a library of information ranging from soil moisture and fertility to weeds and pests. Making the most out of this “big data” is at the center of precision agriculture. Precision agriculture emerged in the mid-1980s when experts began to understand how different growing conditions can be, even within a single field itself. By looking at specific needs with precision, farmers can take a targeted approach to applying farm inputs such as fertilizer and pesticides. This doesn’t just reduce costs and wastage, it also limits environmental emissions and reduces risks to human and environmental health. Precision agriculture runs contrary to current practices in which farm inputs are broadly applied, resulting in environmentally damaging chemical runoffs. Computers, global positioning systems, geographic information systems, as well as sensors 19 all provide the data necessary to give each tiny parcel of the field exactly what it needs. And with the cost of technology going down, most farm equipment in wealthy countries is now outfitted with sensors that can measure just about anything. Imagine that your tractor can track crop growth, weeds, diseases, and even nitrogen levels and moisture in the soil as you drive around your fields (or possibly as your tractor drives itself)...
eBook - ePubAgribusiness
An International Perspective
- Julian Roche(Author)
- 2019(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...CHAPTER 4 The role of technology Introduction: a difference in approach I imagine that most readers of this book are interested in the business of agriculture, in one or more capacities of regulator, lender, investor, supplier or adviser. It is always necessary to decide, even for scientists and certainly for business people, what research is needed, and for what purpose, and then to select only the latest and/or most relevant research. Agricultural scientists are often, it must be recognised, not especially well versed or even interested in economics or finance. Even basic concepts such as cost-benefit analysis are often alien, whilst on the other hand scientific jargon is rife. The best way to approach the dichotomy between their vast experience, dedication, research and achievements, and their oft-evidenced disinterest in finance, is to regard agricultural research as a data resource for financial decision-making. Certainly, the application of agricultural science has major financial impacts. This chapter has been written as an introduction to agtech and agricultural science with that aim in mind. Principles of agricultural science and technology What is agricultural science? Agricultural research – the Australian government tells us – is not an actual scientific discipline in its own right. Rather, it is a broad term to describe the application to agriculture of many different scientific disciplines and endeavours, combined with the objective of achieving improvements in agricultural output, sustainability and, sometimes, profitability. Primarily, but perhaps regrettably, agricultural science integrates scientific disciplines in which research may have been carried out without an explicit end-point application. Traditionally this has involved all of botany, zoology and soil science including, inter alia, genetics, chemistry, biochemistry, plant physiology, microbiology, soil nutrition and statistics...
eBook - ePubPopulation, Agriculture, and Biodiversity
Problems and Prospects
- J. Perry Gustafson, Peter H. Raven, Paul R. Ehrlich(Authors)
- 2020(Publication Date)
- University of Missouri(Publisher)
...It is therefore exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, to select one response that will perform best in all cases. This does contaminate the scientific search for the best option. And, perhaps, it is not a single response that will suit and serve society and the environment best under all circumstances. In this regard, please consider Figure 2. Figure 2 provides a basic and elementary framework of the various aspects that have an impact on the output and the consequences of farming a particular land parcel in a particular way. First, there is the farming practice, including the selection of seed varieties, management techniques, and the degree and type of mechanization discussed above. The agricultural activity takes place within a specific geo-climatic and bio-physical context. The geographic locality of a land parcel plays a major role in determining the soil type and the site productivity. The exact location will also influence the quality of the groundwater, and the vulnerability and susceptibility of the aquifer. It will also have a major impact on the erodibility of the soils, whether of water, sun, or wind or a combination of these factors. In addition, the farming activity takes place within specific social and economic contexts. Those are derived from the values and perceptions of people, their objectives, their type and level of training, their financial status, and their ability to raise finance and access to capital. Not only are these factors interrelated, but they have a meaningful impact on the soil properties and capability over time. The soil and its capability can either improve or deteriorate substantially. All the factors mentioned above combine to determine the outcomes and consequences of the farming activity, be it the yield, the costs to achieve such yield, return on investment, or environmental externalities such as impacts on soil, water, habitat, species, etc...
eBook - ePubCurrent Developments in Biotechnology and Bioengineering
Crop Modification, Nutrition, and Food Production
- Suresh Kumar Dubey, Ashok Pandey, Rajender Singh Sangwan(Authors)
- 2016(Publication Date)
- Elsevier(Publisher)
...Worldwide agricultural production is governed by the combination of climate, soil tilth, technology, genetic resources, and farm management decisions such as tillage, manure and fertilizer applications, and crop variety selection [ 8, 13, 35 – 40 ]. Uncertainties related to the representation of CO 2, nitrogen, and high-temperature effects demonstrated that further research is urgently needed to better understand effects of climate change on agricultural production and to devise targeted adaptation strategies [41]. The question thus arises, how can productivity be increased while ensuring the sustainability of agriculture and the environment for future generations? Decision makers need information supplied by research to make informed choices about new agricultural technologies and to devise and implement policies to enhance food production and sustainability. There is now great concern about the decline in soil fertility, the change in the water table, rising salinity, resistance to many pesticides, and the degradation of irrigation water quality in some parts of the world [ 42 – 45 ]. It is clear that over time more nutrients have been removed than added through fertilizers, and farmers have to apply more fertilizers to achieve the same yield they were getting with less fertilizer 20–30 years ago. Climate change will further affect soil conditions. Changes in temperature and precipitation patterns and amount will influence soil water content, runoff and erosion, salinization, biodiversity, and organic carbon and nitrogen content. The increase in temperature would also lead to increased evapotranspiration. The specific regional soil-related problems are closely linked to the global environmental change. Therefore, there is a need to quantify the effect of this change on the soil-fertility and function that governs the crop growth and production. Global warming may also threaten food security if there is a negative effect on agriculture...
eBook - ePub- Rattan Lal(Author)
- 2017(Publication Date)
- CRC Press(Publisher)
...Precision Agriculture: Engineering Aspects Joel T. Walker Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, U.S.A. Reza Ehsani Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, U.S.A. Matthew O. Sullivan Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, U.S.A. Abstract It seems possible that all agricultural operations could be monitored and recorded, linked by digital transmissions to databases containing weather, remote sensing, and historical data, and controlled through a general model of the crop’s predicted response to specific inputs. Such a system may not only control specific agricultural operations but also be involved in scheduling, ordering seed, fertilizer, and supplies, providing records to regulating agencies, and feeding valuable information back into the research system for further refinement of the control model. INTRODUCTION Information technology is playing an increasingly important role in agricultural production systems of all sizes, commodities, and management philosophies. Precision agriculture [ 1, 2, 3 ] or site-specific management is an information-based management technique that has the potential to improve profitability [ 4 ] and reduce the environmental impact [ 5 ] of crop production. It also has the potential to improve the quality and nutrient content of the product. Precision agriculture, rather than the “one-size-fits-all” management strategy, provides for differential treatment of selected areas of a production field, called management zones, based upon the expectation of increased yield, profit, or some other agronomic goal. [ 6, 7, 8, 9 ] Management zones may be selected for differential treatment based upon various documented differences such as soil type, soil fertility or pH, yield history, presence of weeds, insects, or diseases, or other measures for which a differential treatment helps the producer achieve a selected goal...
