Agricultural Technology Examples

The agricultural industry is on the upswing because of its vital importance for humanity. Besides, it opens tons of opportunities for investors. Due to it, the industry constantly gets money for the development of new technologies and advanced farming methods.

For example, AgFunder informs that in 2018 AgriFood Tech startups managed to raise almost $17 billion. That’s why it’s no wonder that specialists constantly come up with ideas that can revolutionize the farming industry and right now there are so many impressive agricultural technology examples.

Top 7 Advanced Technology in Agriculture

Although there are so many inventions in the farming industry, only some of them are beneficial. And right now you have a chance to get acquainted with the list of newest technologies in agriculture. They can literally change the farming industry and provide us with new possibilities.

1. Indoor Vertical Farming

This technology provides farmers with a wonderful possibility to increase crop yields while overcoming the problems related to a limited land area. Furthermore, it can reduce the environmental impact due to the shortening of distance traveled in the supply chains.

It’s possible to define this latest farming technology as the practice of growing plants stacked one above another in a controlled and closed environment. The usage of vertical shelves provides farmers with extra space allowing growing more crops and plants. Due to this feature, people can grow food even if they live in urban areas and don’t have enough land space necessary for traditional farming methods.

And the interesting fact is that vertical farms usually don’t require soil. The majority of them are either aeroponic or hydroponic. Also, instead of sunlight, vertical farms use grow lights provided with AI.

2. Weather Tracking

The development of modern technologies caused significant improvements in computerized weather modeling. What is more, there is a lot of special online weather services developed exclusively for farmers. People use them to get the information necessary to protect the plants from such weather activity as hail or frost.

The chance to decrease crop losses is the main advantage of this modern technology used in agriculture. Additionally, due to weather tracking, farmers can optimize watering. They use the technology to prevent the plants from overwatering that has an impact not only on the health of the crops but also on the environment. 

Besides, modern weather tracking services offer their clients mobile apps and wonderful online platforms. They provide a great chance to keep an eye on live information using just a smartphone or laptop, so farmers are always aware of the possible bad weather conditions.

3. Agricultural Robots

Modern companies constantly come up with wonderful robotics innovations and manufacture drones, robotic harvesters, seeding robots or autonomous tractors. There are also devices provided with smart systems for automated watering. All these technologies become more and more popular with farmers and right now they are widely used in the modern agriculture industry.

Agricultural robots or so-called agbots have already become an integral part of farming. These robots simplify such processes as harvesting, fruit picking, or soil maintenance. No doubts, this is the latest technology in agriculture that proves the importance and shows the advantages of robotics developments.

Companies, such as Harvest Croo Robotics and Harvest Automation INC., are working on the development of devices that will replace human labor. And, probably, in the nearest future, all farmers will be using fruit-picking robots and driverless tractors. Plus, consider that according to Verified Market Research, the agricultural robot market will reach near $12 billion up to 2025.

4. Advanced AI

Artificial intelligence is also important for the improvement of the agriculture industry. There are special algorithms developed to help farmers get a better harvest by making the right decisions related to the growth of the crops.

AI can discover problems that people can’t see with the naked eye. That’s why modern farmers use remote sensors and UAVs. These devices can gather important data 24 hours per day over the entire area where crops are planted. Using this new technology in farming, people get information about humidity, soil condition, temperature, and even plant health. And, of course, due to advanced AI, the process of monitoring is absolutely automated.

The main aim of farm automation is to simplify mundane tasks. This is one of the new techniques in agriculture that can solve such issues as farm labor shortages and environmental problems. With the help of advanced AI and technologies, people will be able to decrease the number of pesticides used as well as reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

5. Precision Agriculture

Precision agriculture is a new trend in the farming industry. It provides farmers with more accurate techniques necessary for planting and growing crops. People can increase efficiency and even save money by using these new methods of agriculture.

Moreover, some PA companies develop technologies that help farmers control moisture levels and soil conditions. At the same time, precision agriculture is necessary not only for the optimization of the farming process but also for the protection of the environment. It’s possible to use PA to avoid such ecological problems as human intervention and environmental degradation.

According to Grand View Research, the precision agriculture market will reach more than $43 billion by 2025. That’s why PA stands a good chance to revolutionize the farming industry as well as reduce the environmental impact in the nearest future.

6. Satellite Imaging

Sophisticated technologies have changed the remote satellite imaging and now it can be of benefit to the farmers all over the world. It’s possible to use the crop imagery to control the plant growth without the necessity to visit a certain location.

With the help of this technology, farmers can detect various anomalies and solve possible issues. Plus, satellite imaging is necessary for growers who want to make smart decisions about crop management and land use. 

Sometimes farmers combine satellite imaging with other new agricultural technologies such as soil or water sensors. Thanks to such combination, it’s possible to receive appropriate satellite images along with tons of useful information about the crop conditions.

7. Mini-chromosome Technology

According to some predictions, in 2050 there will be near 9.7 billion people living on the Earth. And we will need at least 23% more agricultural products to maintain the current living standards. Fortunately, it’s possible to achieve this goal without causing a serious environmental impact. Everything we need is an advanced mini-chromosome technology that may become a key to human survival.

Mini-chromosome is tiny structures within a cell that may be used to provide a plant with dozens or even hundreds of new traits. At the same time, the crop’s original chromosomes won’t be altered.

According to the words of Roger Kemble, a specialist from Syngenta Biotechnology, agricultural geneticists can add such traits as drought tolerance or nitrogen-use efficiency. Although mini-chromosome technology is still in its early stages, at the moment it’s one of the most important new developments in agriculture.

Conclusion

Farming is extremely important for humanity because the world population is growing and there must be enough food to avoid starvation. And emerging technologies in agriculture don’t just open up fresh opportunities but also help to save our planet from environmental hazards. Of course, some of the technologies listed above aren’t flawless but still, they may play a big role in the development of the agriculture industry.