THREE STEPS TO FUTURE AGRICULTURE

“Agriculture exists first to feed people and has done so for thousands of years, and it will have to continue doing the same for hopefully many more.” FAO Each second, the world’s population grows by nearly three more people, that is 240 000 people a day. By 2025, the global population will reach 8 billion people and 9.6 billion by 2050, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). That is an extra billion mouths to feed within the next decade. And in just one generation, there will be more people additional on the planet than there were at the beginning of the 20^th century. That is a BIG WAKE UP CALL FOR BOOSTING AGRICULTURE PLANNING FOR FUTURE. The first step then is to spread awareness and to educate our Farmers whom I shall refer in this blog as Agrarian Industrialists. Oh yes, make no mistake agriculture is an industry and one which employs perhaps the largest workforce.

There are THREE STEPS to this awareness and education program.

1. Awareness to Diminishing returns on classical farming methods still being followed by a large majority of Agrarian Industrialists.
2. Adopt existing newer technologies fully towards sustainable and incremental returns.
3. Inform Agrarian Industrialists about future farming practices to really explode production and income (and reverse diminishing returns).

STEP ONE:

Be aware to Diminishing Returns on classical farming methods still being followed. Diminishing Returns – WHY? Several Reasons, but the TOP ONES ….

• Shrinking Farm sizes due to division of land over generations, progress of urbanization, factories, hospitals, educational centers, etc. and other reasons.
• Drying and dying water sources due to increased water consumption needs of an ever growing human race. Even the river origins are getting inhabited!
• Fertilizer to output yields decreasing due to increase in saltiness in earth.
• Chemical resistant pests and virus require ever increasing dosages. The high dosages retained in produce are then dangerous for human consumption.
• Government policy directives banning use of several pesticides and insecticides which the environmental scientists and researchers found dangerous for humans and bees.
• A Growing Go-Back-To-Organic movement; there is preference for a produce which carries “organically grown” tag.

STEP TWO:

Adopt existing new technologies fully towards sustainable and incremental returns. SWITCH immediately to NOW READY technologies – HOW? (May be useful to go over this list even for those Agrarian Industrialists who are into it already)

• Use more capital intensive practices than hitherto being followed.
• Switch to Protected Cultivation. Vegetables are the best candidate.
• Agrarian Industrialists could make a grouping amongst themselves to get benefit of Larger Scale of operations;
• Implant Soil and Water Sensors distributed in fields. With ready moisture and nitrogen data of their fields, decisions result in more efficient use of precious resources of water and fertilizer. This also aids in water and fertilizer conservation. Wastage and leakages to ponds, wells and rivers is avoided.
• Use drip and sprinklers for irrigation and fertigation.
• Use government and community broadcasts on weather predictions for planning activities. Agrarian Industrialists would also not be caught unaware of adverse weather.
• Group farming aids in Integrated Farming as well. Opens up more income generating streams. Big benefit ‘Produce your own fertilizers at your time’.

STEP THREE:

INFORM Agrarian Industrialists about future farming practices to really explode production and income (and reverse diminishing returns). Plan for Future Ready Technologies:

• Time to move to more capital intensive and KNOWLEDGE BASED practices. So while keeping up with what was suggested above, more is required;
• Use Internet of Things (IoT). IoT is the art of connecting and integrating objects, people, information and systems for intelligent production and services.
• Use data analysis which would be available through aerial satellite imagery, greenness sensors, soil maps and millions of weather data points.
• Use of intelligent sensors for moisture, fertilizer, soil and weather so that AIs keep an eye on their crops and field (with the help of satellite and mobile technologies) without going to every corner of their fields (and even from their home).
• Use automation. Too much farm labor reduces performance. Tractors in auto mode for all types of work. Irrigation and fertigation ON DEMAND.
• Use the internet and sites of their government and other agencies to track the crops, yields, price movements, shortfall and excess production stats, weather, etc. Plan accordingly to produce what crop, with what aim, and when for optimizing returns. AIs need to be ahead of inflation index and decide on percentage increase year-on-year. This keeps up with real income parity.
• Diversify to organic, GMO or non-GMO (his choice depending on his country’s policy), corn, soy, vegetable oils, high worth and exotic vegetables, etc.
• Wean away from water guzzling comfort crops like wheat, rice and sugarcane to conserve on precious water in areas prone to water scarcity.
• It is the practice of producing food in vertically stacked layers. Most of present Vertical Farming production is in urban areas itself and so transport is minimal. Fresh food is available faster and at lower cost. However, vertical farming is well adaptable to AIs as well. Farmers in all areas can use it to make better use of available land and to grow crops that wouldn’t normally be viable in those locations. Capital Intensive, why yes but returns are said to be great.
• The beauty of what has been suggested lies in the ease and simplicity of its execution. By a device owned almost by everybody – the SMART MOBILE PHONE.

It is a struggle in which our Farmers, the Agrarian Industrialists, have been engaged from time immortal since farming began. And the struggle shall go on. But there are many new technologies to the aid of Agrarian Industrialists now and more developing faster. Adoption of technology and keeping an eye on the commodity churning on a routine manner is the need of the hour. Agrarian Industrialist also needs big help by the governments (and it is available already in different form in different countries). Like the human race does, adapting to changes in farming methods too is the mantra for success. Adapt to computer aided agriculture.