Everything is becoming more technologically advanced, thus it was inevitable that this trend would also affect agriculture. The emergence of agritech, the fusion of modern technology with agriculture, has resulted in significant advancement as well as innovation to feed millions of people worldwide.
Technological advances in agriculture meet the rising demand for sustainability, digitization, and agricultural automation. A shift toward intelligent farming and the efficient use of time and resources while avoiding crop losses is indicated by emerging trends in agriculture.
What is Agritech?
Agricultural technology also referred to as “agritech,” is the application of technical advancements to agriculture to boost output, effectiveness, and profitability. These technological advancements include crop modification to thrive in various conditions, harvesting, and speedier planting. To solve the issues the agriculture industry is currently having, the usage of robotics, big data, artificial intelligence, or other techniques may also be required.
With the use of cutting-edge technology, this burgeoning industry sector hopes to transform agriculture from a labor-intensive business. Agriculture may become far more effective, precise, and tolerant to environmental difficulties and extreme weather by merging big data management technology, smart sensors, artificial intelligence systems, and predictive analytics. And this isn’t the only advantage that this developing industry could offer.
Agritech Trends Redefining the Way Farming Activities Take Place
IoT-based Sensor Station by Agrila – Internet of Things
In order to make it simpler to feel significant variables including soil moisture and temperature, wind speed and direction, rain, humidity, sun irradiation, and more, a Bulgarian firm called Agrila has developed a modular Internet of Things-based sensor station. The solar-powered station offers real-time notifications via web or mobile applications. In-depth graphs, summaries, and analyses of sensor data are also provided by the system, which enables farmers to quickly and affordably gather information.
Robotic Harvesting by Advanced.Farm – Robotics
US-based firm Advanced uses robotics technology. Farm to develop harvesting and field navigational systems. Robots equipped with stereo cameras are used to recognize and choose fresh food depending on size and maturity. In order to extract the fruit from the plants, they also create grippers that are suitable for usage with food. They also manufacture autonomous tractors and hybrid-electric drive systems, which enable farmers to automate labor-intensive tasks quickly and easily.
AI-powered Crop Planning by Arva Intelligence – Artificial Intelligence
A US-based company called Arwa Intelligence creates specific crop planning recommendations using artificial intelligence. The company creates a software interface that gathers all farm data in order to perform detailed analyses on genetics, soil fertility, climate, harvest, and yield. They offer careful classifications of soil and climate based on the kind of crops that are cultivated there. By offering farm-level report cards that enable farmers to evaluate the impact of field inputs on the crops and pinpoint limiting variables, they also enhance harvest analytics.
Aerial Pollination by Wakan Tech – Drones
Modern drone techniques are being developed by the Omani company Wakan Tech for aerial pollination of date palm trees. They develop drones to monitor crop health and accurately apply pesticides and pollen where they are required. These drones use liquid or dry pollen to fertilize the trees far more swiftly than conventional methods do. These drones are equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) and computer vision technology to detect pests and diseased date palm trees. This makes spraying and targeting faster and more accurate, especially for large farm operations.
Precision Agriculture Tools Development by Agricolus – Precision Agriculture
Agricolus, an Italian start-up, makes a range of precise agricultural tools to improve farm management. They compute metrics for vitality, water stress, and chlorophyll content using satellites and drones. They also provide maps that facilitate applying fertilizer and other inputs at various rates. Via its technology, AgriPlug, the company also offers performance evaluation and traceability of farm activities. Overall, the methods reduce management expenses while improving production through efficient input management.
Plant Breeding by AgGene – Biotechnology
Biotech for agriculture Plant breeding techniques is used by the Canadian business AgGene to create seeds and tissues that are higher in protein. They are experts in changing genes to improve protein synthesis. The company was founded in response to the expanding need for plant proteins across the globe. Also, they alter commercial crops with desirable features using genome editing techniques like CRISPR and MAD7.
Market Scope in the Future in Terms of Investment
In terms of long-term investing, this market may be the most reliable and dependable. As the world’s population grows, so will the demand for food. Yet, by emphasizing its principles and environmental benefits, the industry will need to make an effort to attract Gen Z and millennial members to pursue professions in the AgTech sector.
To do this, fundamental change in how the industry is viewed and what it means to be a farmer is required. But doing so is essential to tackling one of agriculture’s current largest issues: the vital skills gap.
This industry revolution is focused on something considerably more significant than earlier technical disruptions in the past: our collective existence. The World Economic Forum emphasizes this as distinguishing this technological disruption from others in the past. The next time you decide which industry to invest in or which industry sector to promote, please take agriculture technology into account. Our future will be decided by it.