The impact of technology in agriculture

The impact of technology in agriculture Cocarlea Madalin

1. The Impact of Technology in Agriculture

2. Innovation and Technology There is a lot of innovation in the mobile/IT and energy spaces that have the potential to make a huge impact on the farm. For example, smart power systems, precision agriculture tools, farm management software, and affordable sensors are all within reach of even the smallest farmers today. From Nairobi to San Francisco and from Tallin to Sydney, entrepreneurs are taking advantage of new technology that makes these products possible. We see potential in radio frequency technologies (RFID, NFC, Bluetooth), the Internet of Things and the big data that comes along with it, as well as in clean technology advances from ambient energy, to waste-to-energy, to renewable sources .

3. Agriculture  moved from family-owned, small farms to large, corporate-owned farms. Agricultural productivity improved during this period due to internal combustion powered tractors and combine harvesters, chemical fertilizers, and the green revolution. The  Cold War  spurred technological innovation in the aerospace, communications, and medical industries. The Soviet launch of  Sputnik  I led to a huge spike in American technological and industrial productivity, including the creation of  NASA , as they sought to catch up. Major technological advances of the 1950s included satellites, the hydrogen bomb, passenger jets, the discovery of DNA, the polio vaccine, nuclear power plant, and transcontinental television service.

4. Before and After

5. The promise of organic agriculture Organic agriculture is a set of practices in which the use of external inputs is minimized. Synthetic pesticides, chemical fertilizers, synthetic preservatives, pharmaceuticals, GM organisms, sewage sludge and irradiation are all excluded. Interest in organic agriculture has been boosted by public concerns over pollution, food safety and human and animal health, as well as by the value set on nature and the country-side. Consumers in developed countries have shown themselves willing to pay price premiums of 10 to 40 percent for organic produce, while government subsidies have helped to make organic agriculture economically viable. As a result, organic agriculture has expanded rapidly in Western countries. Between 1995 and 2000, the total area of organic land in Europe and the United States tripled, albeit from a very low base.

6. Organic agriculture offers many environmental benefits. Agrochemicals can pollute groundwater, disrupt key ecological processes such as pollination, harm beneficial micro-organisms and cause health hazards to farm workers. Modern monoculture using synthetic inputs often harms biodiversity at the genetic, species and ecosystem levels. The external costs of conventional agriculture can be substantial .

7. Efficient farm management and resource efficiency – A declining percentage of farmers in the world have to produce more for a growing population. Fortunately, advances in technology can have significant impact, as did irrigation systems, tractors, and other mechanical innovations in the 19th and 20th Centuries. Further, a “whole farm approach” optimizes the farmer’s efficiency, including use of water, waste, soil, energy, and most importantly, time. Precision agriculture technologies, for example, can optimize fertilizer applications, saving time and money by creating a more productive field

8. BIBLIOGRAPHY www.investeddevelopment.com www.useoftechnology.com www.http://animalsmart.org The project was written by Cocarlea Madalin