What Is Ag-Tech?

Any innovation used throughout the value chain to improve efficiency, profitability, or sustainability is part of ag-tech. Hardware, software, business models, new technologies, and new applications are all part of ag-tech. 

From driverless tractors to robotic strawberry harvesters, technology is transforming farming in many sectors. From technological innovations to new challenges posed by extreme weather, climate change, and an expanding population, the ag-tech industry is growing in demand. What is certain, however, is that as the planet faces new burdens due to extreme weather, climate change, and a booming population, ag-tech will become more appealing to farmers.The best course of action for farmers, then, is to invest in it.

Modern technology is applied to agriculture in the new ag-tech industry. It also encompasses numerous food production processes. There are three subcategories of ag-tech: tech-assisted farming, new farming, and revolutionary farming. 

The most prominent feature of ag-tech is tech-assisted farming. This refers to the application of technology to enhance farming methods. These technologies involve water management, soil analysis, robotic intervention, and predictive analytics such as weather forecasting. Farmers can use advanced machinery and techniques to produce more precise, dependable, and economically viable crops. In addition, they can minimze the use of fertilizers and pesticides– which in turn protect the native ecosystems– all while keeping food prices low. 

Vertical farming, hydroponics, or aerofarms are just a few of the technologies that can be used to develop new and improved farming techniques. These systems allow farmers to produce the same crops using less resources. Aquaponics is a method of farming where fish live in indoor ponds and produce minerals and vitamins for nearby plants. The plants in turn utilise their waste to feed the fish. Farmers can conserve their resources and money while still producing a plentiful, nutritious crop with these new techniques. The third category involves the creation of new agricultural products using technology.

Scientists are now using CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing to improve agriculture, for example, by engineering crops that require less water and pigs that resist viruses and produce leaner meat. You might see more genetically modified agricultural products on the market in the future as revolutionary farming continues to change how farmers breed animals and cultivate plants.

What is considered ag-tech? 

Today’s farms and agricultural operations function significantly differently than those a few decades ago, due in part to technological advancement; including sensors, machines, and sensors. Precision agriculture and robotic systems, for example, are utilised by ag businesses to be more profitable, efficient, safer, and more environmentally friendly.

Technologies used in ag-tech

Software

• Pest and disease prediction & analysis
• Intelligence tools for soil management 
• Instructional software 
• Precision weather forecasting
• Growth phase tracking

Hardware

• Robotic systems, e.g. precision harvesting
• Drones
• IoT-based sensor networks
• Automated irrigation
• Light and heat control
• Biotech

Why should farmers invest in ag-tech? 

The efficiency and yield of modern farms are being enhanced through the use of new technologies. Many investors now recognise the long-term benefits of ag-tech investment are substantial. ag-tech investment spending has increased six-fold over the last six years, from venture capitalists to individuals. Innovations in agriculture, which have increased U.S. agricultural output by 170 over the past fifty years, have been a big factor. Input costs, on the other hand, have remained nearly constant, and labor costs have dropped by 24 percentage points. Corporations have historically invested the most in ag-tech, which has driven its research and development.

However, this has resulted in expensive technologies and systems that farmers cannot afford. To change that, farmers must create their own fundraising community and slowly gain ownership over ag-tech innovations. By developing the new technologies themselves, farmers can shape the future of agriculture and food production processes. One way to begin is by crowdfunding capital. 

Through crowdfunded small investments from several investors, they can fund community-based innovations that begin on the farm. For example, Indiegogo, an equity crowdfunding site, allows individuals to invest as little as $100 in ag-tech. Community-based innovations that begin on the farm are now much more feasible thanks to sites like these. 

Will the machines steal our farming jobs? 

Despite the fact that technological innovations have previously led to the loss of jobs, modern farmers often be concerned that innovations will displace human labour and hurt employment. Their concerns are not unfounded. Technological advancements have cost jobs before. At the end of the 19th century, more than half of Americans were farmers, whereas the number has steadily dropped since then. Tractors, for example, reduced the demand for horse-drawn plows and manual labour, which resulted in farmers hiring fewer workers. While innovations such as these helped reduce food and production costs, they also resulted in fewer workers being employed.

In the past, this has not resulted in widespread joblessness or impoverished societies. Approximately 48% of the workers who were replaced by electric machinery in America were employed in other industries like food distribution and preservation. As farmers become more powerful in ag-tech, more workers will shift into research and development. If farmers believe that ag-tech will take their jobs, they may find it more straightforward to relax knowing that technology can only replace 60% of workers. Even though robots can perform some simple, repetitive tasks, they are only capable of doing simple, non-repetitive labour. Humans still need to harvest crops like vanilla and cacao, where they are capable of performing complicated duties.

Back to the roots

Many people think of technological advancements as futuristic and unattainable, but in some ways, ag-tech advances are supporting more traditional farming techniques. Big industrial farms produce greenhouse gas emissions, poisonous runoff and consume far more land. Regenerative farming techniques, like conservation tillage and crop rotation, are gaining ground as a result of ag-tech collaboration. Solar panels, for instance, can save farmers money on irrigation and act as an extra source of revenue. Pastures that are converted into solar farms and then turned back into crop production will replenish and rejuvenate soil nutrients. Farmers who produce a larger, more sustainable crop by converting these fields back to crop production would naturally produce a more sustainable crop.

 Increasing numbers of Americans are purchasing land and moving to a more self-sufficient lifestyle, growing their own food and raising their own livestock. Agricultural innovation has made this simple. People across the country are buying land and moving to a more self-sufficient lifestyle, growing their own food and raising their own livestock. Security cameras monitor vegetable gardens, motion sensor flood lights keep away unwanted visitors, and off-grid energy like micro hydropower generators, wind turbines and solar panels also allow homesteaders to live sufficiently and remotely. There are more positive implications of ag-tech than farmers originally thought from engineering vegetables better to lucrative crop rotation techniques.

To reap the benefits of these technologies, farmers must start investing in them now. The ag-tech sector is leading the charge in crafting a better future for farmers and the planet as a whole, so by investing in these technologies, they can shape a future that best suits their needs.

‍

‍