Using innovative technology to feed our growing population.

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• Using innovative technology to feed our growing population.

About the author Martin Hodgson is the British and Irish Paessler leader. If you've watched the new Netflix series, "The Society," then you'll know that he's following a group of high school students who are faced with the sudden disappearance of all adults. With no explanation for how their parents disappeared, the teens must adapt and learn to survive independently. With the complete social and economic collapse, they do not have a constant supply of food. This means they must learn to grow their own food to ensure supplies for an uncertain future. You may be wondering what this has to do with feeding a world of 9 billion people, and what role technology can play. However, it is a striking allegory for the need to develop more sustainable agricultural practices if we are to ensure a food supply for the ever-growing human population. This is a subject that preoccupies all of our minds. The global demand for food is increasing. In fact, according to McKinsey, if current trends continue, caloric demand will increase by 70% by 2050, the demand for crops for human and animal consumption will have to increase by at least 100%. These demands are shaping our agricultural markets in ways we have never seen before. Agriculture is an industry that is no stranger to technology, especially with regard to the Internet of Things (IoT). By sidelining technologies like blockchain and artificial intelligence, IoT is revolutionizing the industry. By allowing smart objects to connect with each other and the outside world via the Internet, it is possible to be smarter in our approach to farming. The use of sensors and processors makes it much more convenient to operate in real time. The question is whether enough farmers are using IoT technologies and doing so sustainably.

(Image credit: Image Credit: RyanMcGuire/Pixabay)

agriculture of things

The IoT can be adopted in agricultural practices in many ways. Precision agriculture is an interesting example. This method pursues the objective of farmland management in a specific and differentiated way on the site. Let's take the example of a farm full of cattle. By implementing precision farming technologies (PFTs), it is possible for the farmer to monitor each farm animal. This means monitoring the animal's temperature, its level of nutrition, and managing illness or stress. This allows herders to identify all poor animals, heal them and restore them more quickly. While each farmer will look at different things depending on the offspring he raises, the idea remains the same. IoT sensors provide real-time information about each animal, ensuring the well-being of livestock, their durability and minimizing product loss. Another example of the use of IoT in agriculture is Variable Rate Technology (TRV). This approach is similar to that of precision agriculture, but instead of measuring livestock, it measures partial or site-specific tillage using differential global positioning systems.

(Image credit: Image credit: Pixabay)

smart vineyards

To show the smart technologies at play in the world of agriculture, smart vineyards are a good example. For vineyards to remain sustainable, we must be aware of the impact of global warming on viticulture. It means preparing for rapid weather changes and extreme weather conditions. That is why, nowadays, more and more producers depend on sensors distributed around the vineyard. We rely on sensors to send environmental data, drone images, and leaf composition information to cloud platforms. The result: an easier way to plan your daily work. In essence, thanks to IoT technology, winemakers have a calmer spirit.

Work smarter, not harder

Getting smarter in our approach is more important than ever. It is important that farmers understand that the IoT does not remove them from their social responsibilities. Previously unsustainable methods, such as poor irrigation practices, have contributed to the loss of about a quarter of the land used for agriculture in the last 25 years. To put this into perspective, it means that every three years, a region the size of Germany is lost to deserts. While the world population has grown by about two billion people during the same period. That's why innovative technologies are needed, and IoT isn't the only one. Hydropnoics, the art of growing plants with water, is another approach taken today. This means less water is consumed, nutrient intake can be better controlled, yield and quality can be improved, and herbicides are not used. In terms of implementing positive change, what we are doing now will be critical to a more sustainable future. Agricultural industries around the world must use modern technologies to ensure a reliable global food supply for decades to come.