A large worldwide web of farmers, traders, food producers, retailers, and a plethora of other people involved in the process of bringing food from farm to fork connect us every day through the food we eat. Despite the fact that most of us don’t stop to consider it while we’re biting into a piece of fruit or a slice of bread, the global food system is at the heart of some of the most pressing issues confronting humanity today. Before moving towards the challenges, you must know what sustainable agriculture is:
What is Sustainable Agriculture?
Sustainable agriculture is farming in ways that are environmentally friendly and meet the current food and textile needs of society without endangering the ability of current or future generations to meet their own food and textile needs.
A recent study has shown that there are many benefits to practicing sustainable methods in the field, such as increased crop yield and lower emissions from pesticides, which can lead us down a more environmentally friendly path towards food security for all.
How Agriculture Businesses Benefit From Sustainable Agriculture
Environmental Protection
The environment is necessary for fulfilling our most essential needs. We have a responsibility to take care of it so that future generations will also be able to enjoy these benefits. Sustainable agriculture helps to replenish the land and other natural resources, such as water and air.
Energy Conservation
Modern agriculture heavily relies on nonrenewable energy sources, especially petroleum. Sustainable agricultural systems have reduced the need for fossil fuels or nonrenewable energy sources and allowed the substitution of renewable sources or labor to the extent that is economically feasible.
Pollution Prevention
Sustainable agriculture is a way of farming that does not produce waste that can pollute the environment.
Soil Erosion Prevention
Selecting the right types of crops and varieties for your farm can improve crop yield and help you to diversify your crops. Additionally, following cultural practices that support the health of your farm can further increase yields and maintain economic stability.
Cost Cutting
Sustainable agriculture reduces farming costs. Smarter farming and more efficient food distribution have benefited everyone involved in agriculture. Sensors in seed drills, sprayers, spreaders, drones, satellite photos, and soil provide IoT data that makes surprises rare.
However, it’s not that simple to attain sustainable agriculture!
Emerging Challenges for Sustainable Agriculture & Agriculture Business
Nowadays, we have the resources to end hunger and achieve food security. However, the main challenge remains in providing access to food for all. Approximately 30% of food produced is lost or wasted.
The truth is that the way we produce most of our food is not sustainable. This is coupled with a number of challenges that food and agriculture are currently facing. There is still a need to increase food production by an estimated 50 percent by 2050, in order to feed the population of over nine billion people.
The growing middle class in low- and middle-income countries is leading to increased demand for meat, fruits, and vegetables, while demand for cereal products is decreasing.
There are a number of other challenges the agriculture world has to face nowadays.
The Role of Technology: How Can a Farm Be Stable?
You must be wondering how a farm can be sustainable. No doubt; the increasing complexity and data challenges make it difficult to use agricultural data in the traditional way. This is the age of AgriTech! Today’s world is a very different place than it was in the past. The population is growing rapidly, and traditional agriculture methods are no longer enough to sustain us all. Thankfully, modern technologies like satellite imagery, artificial intelligence, and information technology can help us predict and manage agricultural processes more effectively. There are a lot of benefits from AgriTech for the agriculture business. Some are listed below:
- You can easily connect with vendors across the globe.
- Each field’s data can be gathered quickly.
- Using cutting-edge technologies, businesses can reduce field oversight costs and respond faster to risks like pests, severe rain, and dust storms.
- This not only allows growers to do more with less but also ensures quality.
- This can assist in soil characterization of the soil underneath the surface of a specific place.
- Real-time forecasts can be made utilizing high-quality photos from drones and copters.
- Large-scale resource optimization has never been easier than this.
- It has become possible to automate labor-intensive tasks such as irrigation.
There are hundreds of other benefits of agritech to the agriculture business. Despite the many challenges facing the agriculture industry today and in the future, it’s never too late to innovate your business and watch it grow to full fruition.
Folio3 has a team of experts who can develop a solution for your agricultural business that is tailored to your specific goals. We have solutions that are industry-specific and can be easily integrated with your systems. Our solutions are available in the cloud or on premise. We also offer integration, implementation, strategy, and support so you can continue to run your agriculture business without any interruptions.
