Modern agricultural technology uses innovative tools and scientific techniques to increase efficiency, productivity, and sustainability in farming and food production. These technologies are helping to address pressing global challenges such as population

Modern agricultural technology

1. Plant production Under supervision by: Dr. Faisal Shraim Prepared by: Zaid Daraghmeh . (12326244)

2. INTRODUCTION Digital agriculture is the use of digital technology and computing in farming operations, including the use of remote sensing, artificial intelligence, big data analysis, agricultural robotics, and vertical farming. Digital agriculture aims to improve the efficiency of using resources such as water and fertilizers increase productivity, improve crop quality, and reduce the environmental impact of agriculture.

3. Ancient Agriculture: Agriculture has been the backbone of human civilization since the dawn of history. The development of farming techniques allowed humans to transition from nomadic hunter-gatherer societies to settled communities, giving rise to complex societies and the development of cultures.

4. Early Beginnings: The origins of agriculture can be traced back to the Fertile Crescent, a region in the Middle East that includes parts of modern-day Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan. Around 10,000 BCE, humans began domesticating plants and animals. The earliest crops included wheat, barley, lentils, and peas, while early domesticated animals included sheep, goats, pigs, and cattle.

5. Techniques and Tools: Ancient farmers relied on simple tools and methods. They used wooden plows to till the soil, sickles made of stone or bone to harvest crops, and primitive irrigation systems to water their fields. In regions like Egypt, the annual flooding of the Nile River provided a natural irrigation system that deposited rich silt on the land, making it highly fertile.

6. China: Ancient Chinese agriculture was based around the Yellow and Yangtze rivers. They cultivated rice, millet, and later soybeans, using advanced techniques like paddy fields for rice farming. Ancient Civilizations:Mesopotamia : Known as the “Cradle of Civilization,” Mesopotamia developed intricate irrigation systems to manage the waters of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. They cultivated wheat, barley, flax, and dates. Egypt: The Egyptians capitalized on the Nile’s predictable flooding to grow crops such as wheat, barley, flax, and papyrus. They stored surplus grain in granaries to safeguard against famines. Indus Valley: This civilization, located in present-day Pakistan and northwest India, practiced sophisticated agricultural techniques, including crop rotation and the use of plows. They grew wheat, barley, peas, and cotton.

7. Impact on Society: The advent of agriculture had profound impacts on human society. It led to population growth, the establishment of permanent settlements, and the rise of social hierarchies. Surplus food allowed for the specialization of labor, leading to advancements in arts, crafts, and technology. It also spurred trade as communities exchanged surplus produce and goods.

8. Advantages of agricultural technology: Increased productivity: Agricultural technology contributes to increasing production efficiency and improving agricultural operations, which leads to increased productivity Improving the quality of products: Agricultural technology helps in monitoring and improving the quality of agricultural products, which increases their commercial value.

9. Environmental sustainability: Thanks to agricultural technology, the use of natural resources such as water and land can be optimized, reducing the environmental impact of agriculture . Saving time and effort: Agricultural technology facilitates many agricultural operations and reduces the need for human labor, saving time and effort.

10. Disadvantages of agricultural technology: Cost: Advanced agricultural technologies may be expensive for farmers, which may limit their ability to adopt them. Reliability: Agricultural technology may face challenges with regard to reliability, which affects its performance and effectiveness.

11. Technology and Society: Agricultural technology may impact some traditional agricultural employment, requiring retraining of agricultural labor to use new technologies . Dependence on technology: High dependence on agricultural technology may make farmers more dependent on technology, making them vulnerable to risks of technical outages or malfunctions .

12. Modern agricultural techniques: Agricultural Robots: Robots help in operations such as vertical farming, harvesting crops with high precision, and irrigating crops efficiently.

13. Recently, robots have started making their way into the field of agriculture. In the U.S. state of California, where lettuce is a major crop, representing over 70 percent of all lettuce grown in America, Earthbound Farm, one of the largest organic farms in the U.S., is currently using robotic systems from Adept Technology, based in Pleasanton, California. These robots accurately and skillfully package and send bundles of lettuce to conveyors. Each of these robots can replace five workers . The "Lettuce Bot" is just one among many other robots being manufactured and developed to automate all aspects of agriculture and horticulture. For example, the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre in Ontario, Canada, under its "Robotics and Automation" program, is currently working on three agricultural robotics projects. These projects aim to reduce production costs and repetitive tasks. They include developing a robot for planting and replanting tulip bulbs, another for harvesting, trimming, and packaging mushrooms, and a third for packaging container-grown plants. Additionally, the agricultural harvesting robot (Vehicle HV-100), known as "Harvey," designed by Harvest Automation, based in Massachusetts, is intended for moving container-grown shrubs and trees around nurseries. Furthermore, the startup Blue River Technology, based in Mountain View, California, and founded in May 2011, is currently working on developing an agricultural robot set to launch next year (2013). This new robot can identify weeds in lettuce fields and then kill them using a dose of fertilizer. Future versions of this robot will be able to pull weeds from their roots, just like a human, without using herbicides.

14. Vertical farming: This technology allows crops to be grown in multiple layers vertically instead of the traditional horizontal method, allowing for more efficient use of land, water, and energy.

15. How Does Vertical Farming Technology Work ? More food is produced within a closed environment in a vertical system. At Evest , we grow crops in uniquely designed vertical columns within a controlled environment, maximizing growth space to produce over 400 plants per square meter. Artificial lights are used to maintain the optimal lighting level in the room, consuming 40% less electricity compared to other systems . In vertical farming, soil is replaced and not used, making it independent of geographical location. Plants can grow hydroponically or aeroponically . At Evest , plants grow hydroponically, where they are placed in water enriched with a carefully calculated mix of plant-specific nutrients, which is circulated through the plant growth system . The concept of Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) supports vertical farming, using the latest technologies to provide the optimal conditions for any crop. Additionally, new technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and the internet are employed, preparing vertical farming to reach new heights.

16. Remote sensing: involves the use of satellites and drones to collect agricultural data such as ground moisture, plants affected by pests, and crops in need of water or fertilizer.

17. Remote sensing allows for the creation of accurate maps (in terms of time and location) of the Earth's surface, including areas that are typically difficult to access. This technology is also capable of identifying and mapping plants and trees, and detecting signs of stress in plants before they become visible to the naked eye . applications of remote sensing in agriculture: 1) Land uses : Land uses are defined as the processes applied by man to the land and the ecosystem to obtain life benefits, regardless of what these processes cause a change or violation in the balance of this system. This concept is not limited to agricultural uses, but exceeds them to include all means, methods and methods that put the land under private and public use . The need to obtain land use information and data to analyze and study agricultural and urban processes and environmental problems in order to improve human living conditions is necessary for planners, legislators and decision makers to develop better use policies and investment plans that serve the economy and development. It should also be noted that land uses can change and change over time as a result of many factors such as the transfer of ownership, social development, special desires, general need and population expansion . Therefore, updating land use studies and maps and establishing a land use information bank helps to display, compare, monitor and identify various changes and changes in land use, choose optimal solutions to land problems and develop maps and studies of proposed land uses that secure human need and preserve the environment.

18. 3. Monitoring desertification and land degradation : Land degradation is defined according to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and Mitigation of the effects of drought as the decrease or loss of productivity and biodiversity of ped and irrige crop lands, pasture lands and forests as a result of land use, or a set of processes, including processes resulting from human activities. The drought factor contributes to the acceleration of land degradation processes . Remote sensing techniques are used to monitor the movement of sand dunes and desert encroachment, monitor and evaluate desertification and land degradation, prepare their maps in order to determine their causes and extent of spread, measure their severity, and highlight the risks that can result from the inappropriate management of land resources in order to reach correct foundations to combat desertification and land degradation. Specialists and decision makers can develop special work programs for the rehabilitation of degraded and desertified land. 2) Classification of soil : Remote sensing techniques help in the study of the soil and its mapping, as the sensors carried on the board of the artificial satellites include the electromagnetic radiation reflected on the soil surface within multiple spectral bands. The quantity and quality of these rays depends on the physical and chemical properties of the soil. It should be noted of the economic feasibility of using remote sensing in soil classification. These technologies help to save effort, time and money in order to prepare soil maps.

19. Thank you!