Environmental sustainability is becoming a significant part of the agriculture and food industry at all levels. It’s not just a matter of getting fruits and vegetables to the markets, now they also have to be the fruits and vegetables grown under the right conditions. The consumer demand for sustainable solutions and healthier food sources are rising, increasing the demand for zero residue production and natural products. This, in turn, has already led to an increase in the consumption of BioSolutions, contributing to the need for utilizing technology for smarter farm management with precision agriculture.
Empowering Agricultural BioSolutions with Data
Farming has evolved constantly but there has always been limited access to data until recently. Precision agriculture is no longer just a vision for the future. With the progress in farming technology, we now have the ability to capture data at micro and macro levels that we didn’t previously have access to. For a grower, this means access to data from their machines, sensors that can monitor data from the soil in their fields, and even imagery from satellites that can help them make their use of biological inputs more accurate.
Instead of simply relying on historical trends, growers can get information in real-time that is relevant to their crops. They can make decisions for optimising their farming production in all phases to increase their yield. This is vital to the use of BioSolutions as they have to be applied at particular stages of growth to have the best results.
Sustainability with Precision Agriculture
One of the main hurdles faced by the advocates of sustainable agriculture practices is showing the beneficial results over the short-term benefits of some unsustainable practices. Both the positive and negative impacts of the agricultural processes are visible through the data of Precision Ag tools. Additionally, as the global demand grows, it is leading to a need for higher yields while keeping environmental sustainability in mind. Smart farming practices are valuable here too, as they can guide growers to make efficient use of their current resources.
Sustainability is also becoming crucial as the effects of climate change impact growers who face weather conditions never seen before in their regions. The increased risk of the unpredictability of such environmental conditions can be managed to some extent with the help of Precision Ag.
In Europe, Precision Ag is increasingly becoming available as growers use a suite of inter-connected technology - monitoring sensors, information systems, and analysis teams - to optimize their production. As the technology for smart farming advances and becomes more accessible, the ability to use BioSolutions and other sustainable practices will become even easier and its benefits more noticeable.
We’re leading the way in precision farming with Precision Ag by providing growers with access to technology. Precision Ag is a part of UPL’s Open Innovation which provides open access to the newest thinking, IT, R&D, agrichem, BioSolutions, and more.