Modern agriculture is an ever-changing approach to agricultural innovations and farming practices that helps farmers increase efficiency and reduce the amount of natural resources needed to meet the world’s food, fuel and fiber demands.
Modern farming practices allow farmers to increase productivity while decreasing environmental impact.
Modern agriculture is driven by continuous improvement, using technology, digital tools and data to do so.
Just like every other sector, the agricultural sector is being transformed by innovative technology and practices. These practices are fast replacing traditional methods like bush fallowing, rotational farming, grafting and agro-forestry.
1. Vertical Farming
This is the practice of using indoor farming techniques and controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) technology in vertically inclined surfaces. These facilities utilize artificial lightning and environmental control systems (humidity, temperature, gases etc.) that are similar to greenhouses where natural sunlight is augmented with metal reflectors. Vertical farming yields 10 times more than traditional agriculture. In areas where urbanization overpopulation has entrenched into farmlands, these method will be of great benefit to farmers.
2. Polyhouse/Polytunnel Farming
A polyhouse is a tunnel made from steel and covered in polythene used in modern farms. Humidity and ventilation can be natural or regulated by motorized ventilators while the interior is heated up by solar radiation. The plastic is protected from damage by Ultraviolet rays from the sun. Polyhouses can be used to grow fruits, vegetables and flowers all year round.
3. Artificial Intelligence, IoT and Automation
Many companies like Smart Ag are developing functional driver-less tractor technology software that can provide farmers with logistics assistance during demanding harvest season. Colin Hurd, the founder of Smart Ag said that the innovative technology will allow farmers to automate their existing equipment and maximize its efficiency and capacity. This AutoCart Software is a cloud-based platform, which means that these automated Ag vehicles will join the worldwide internet of things (IoT). Sensors can also be used in automated farms to enable farmers understand forest, soil or water conditions.
4. Robotics
In the world today, robots are beginning to perform human-related tasks that require intensive labor. In agribusiness too, robots can be used to harvest and plant crops. This will be very helpful in large scale farming for export business.
Modern agriculture is an evolving approach with innovations in farming practices that helps in increasing agricultural efficiency and reduce the loss of natural resources. By applying this modern technology, farmers are gaining more profits and able to increase their productivity of yield.
Technology plays an important role in developing farming industry and improving agribusiness. Scientists have managed to grow crops in deserts and other adverse conditions through genetic engineering which introduces traits into existing genes with a goal to create crops; resistant to pests, droughts and plant pathogens. This technology can improve insect or pest resistance, herbicide or drought tolerance and disease resistance; giving farmers an additional tool to increase crop yield. Farmers with the help of scientists have used plant breeding and selection techniques to improve crop yield.
Use of farming technologies like modified animal housing, motorized or automated equipment and biotechnological techniques has allowed improvement in agriculture and positively impacted the way of farming and growing food. Decreased use of fertilizer, pesticides and water in turn keeps food prices down and reduces environmental pollution and gives a positive impact on natural ecosystems. Beneficial effects of agriculture include; saving of countries foreign exchange; cutting import bill and reducing import; increase in crop productivity and enhanced agribusiness; and improvement in living standard of farmers. Positive effects of bio-fuel production from agricultural sources include decreased dependence on fossil fuels, increased farmers’ income and protection of natural ecosystem.
Although, many farmers in developing countries still make use of old techniques, these modern techniques are yielding high quality produce over an extended period of cropping. Traditional farmers could take a lesson from modern farmers by incorporating these techniques into already existing practices.
