Agriculture 4.0 or how technology is changed the agricultural sector

The world is changing. Much is said about the digital revolution but few relate it to agriculture. This activity has suffered many revolutions in recent years and the current one is being brutal, especially in some regions. The problems are very different depending on the country but today we would like to explain how technology is revolutionizing agriculture.

Few or many tractors, a different problem depending on the country

To say much or little depends, above all, on the country where we say it. If we go to Nigeria (7 tractors per 10,000 hectares of worked land) we will see that many farmers do not have or can not buy a new tractor, but if we talk about Switzerland (2611 tractors per 10,000 hectares) we will find a lot of tractors stopped they have nothing to do

The technology is allowing Nigerian farmers to enjoy tractors for hours, thanks to services like Hello Tractor (the Uber of tractors). Hello Tractor knows where their vehicles are at all times thanks to GPS and farmers can pay directly from their mobile phones.

Cattle, herd through a smartphone

In countries like Australia, farmers can now move their livestock with individual collars located with a GPS signal. The farmer can activate the different grazing areas and monitor them with an application. This causes the cost of labor and materials to be reduced in a bestial manner. Technology makes farmers gain in quality of life and can optimize their time, directly impacting the sector.

Decentralized control systems, the blockchain fashion

It is difficult to understand this concept, here we find an article where the blockchain is explained. This system allows the security of distribution to be improved in countries such as China. The consumer does not trust national producers because of the many scandals and some sellers use this technology to control their business. The consumer knows where that food comes from, avoiding fraud.

Knowledge for all, something hitherto unthinkable

In addition to that, thanks to Big Data and Artificial Intelligence, the farmer now has access to information on phytosanitary products, agricultural machinery, seeds and everything they need to know. Not only do they know how to proceed, but they are learning what products to grow, how to optimize their plantations, how to use plant protection products correctly, etc. There are even platforms that are able to answer questions with a simple chatbot.

Drones, perfect for controlling large plantations

Another tool that has gained more popularity are drones. These not only allow to control in a visual way the state of the plantations but now they can take samples, differentiate the use of seeds and fertilizers in a simple way. Some aid plans like the agricultural Erasmus are perfect to discover the latest advances and understand how technology can help us to be more competitive and live better.

We can not forget that 24% of carbon emissions come from agriculture and it is our mission to help reduce emissions to build a better planet. That is the reason why a new tractor is not only more efficient, but more respectful with the environment. That does not mean that in some cases it is not interesting to get a used tractor, because we must adapt our tools to the demand or the magnitude of our operation. What is clear is that technology is changing agriculture. Did you know all this?

Source | Brookings