Green Technology Can Foster a New Era in the Agricultural Sector
June 3, 2022Due to climate change and growing food demand, modern agriculture inevitably moves towards sustainability via green technologies implementation. Sustainable development implies, among other things, the efficient use of natural resources and energy. The conditions of food production are increasingly attracting the attention of consumers. And we are talking not only about the introduction of new technologies in the production process, improving the quality of raw materials and products, but also about reducing the negative impact on nature. In particular, selection in crop production, improvement of mineral fertilizers, development of new green technologies to improve soil fertility, biologization of intensive agriculture, switching to alternative energy sources, the use of geospatial data, and more can become key tools for the sustainable development of the agricultural sector and help producers compete in the international arena. In this article, we will focus specifically on two of the biggest pillars of green tech implementation in agriculture — satellite imagery analytics and alternative energy use.
Satellites Improving Agricultural Sustainability
The use of geospatial technology, satellite imagery analytics in particular, for monitoring agricultural land was considered a promising direction decades ago. Back then, to get one image of the Landsat satellite, it was necessary to analyze the data contained on four magnetic tapes. Three months could have gone only for pre-processing, after which one could finally see a satellite photograph.
Today, thanks to geospatial solutions development, you can get an image ready for analysis within 24 hours after shooting. More so, the market is overflowing with digital solutions for fast, effective and all-in-one farm management tools like one by https://eos.com/. With the help of such instruments, farmers can benefit from the following environmental and operational advantages:
- Smart, data-driven decision-making to detect problem areas timely and prevent yield losses
- Timely reaction to weather related threats thanks to forecast, historical and current weather data
- Smart crop rotation planning based on reliable field productivity data
- Selection of the most productive seed varieties
- Resources preservation and costs saving thanks to the ability of implementing VRA approach based on each field zone’s needs
Geospatial data is imperative to the enhancement of farm management. Accurate crop mapping, crop health tracking, moisture level change detection, and smart field activities planning are only some of the opportunities satellite imagery analysis provides to agriculture. Combined with weather information and field equipment data, growers get to manage their farm in the most efficient way while increasing yields, preserving resources, and being sustainable.
Farm Equipment Running on Alternative Energy
Innovative alternative energy sources are no longer projects for the long term, they are already actively entering the life of various sectors of the economy and compete with diesel and gasoline. This is especially true for agriculture, where diesel fuel is the base for almost all self-propelled models of tractors, combines, sprayers and trucks. Farmers and agrarians understand the value of saving resources and optimizing costs. That is why more and more world-famous brands have recently announced their new products based on new types of fuel that can significantly reduce the costs of agricultural producers, while reducing the environmental impact.
Compressed or liquefied natural gas, methane, has become the most popular alternative fuel, which has received the greatest distribution and practical application in agriculture. The main advantage of this type of fuel is a high level of efficiency, since the price of gas is almost three times lower than that of oil fuel. The technology also minimizes environmental damage and atmospheric pollution with harmful toxic elements.
The second most popular, not even a type of fuel, but an innovative source of energy in the market of agricultural machinery and machinery is electricity. For example, technologies for the use of solar energy for the agro-industrial complex solve a wide range of tasks in the field of farm activity. Can be implemented in any of its branches. The presence of free territories and a significant area of roofs and walls of houses and outbuildings makes it possible to receive and accumulate large amounts of free electricity.
Installation of photovoltaic systems is carried out for the production of electricity, which can be used to operate pumps, electric knives and other equipment, as well as to provide electricity to residential buildings. Air collectors are used for heating and ventilation of premises, creating a comfortable living environment for people, farm animals and maintaining temperature and humidity at a necessary level. Hotbeds and greenhouses equipped with solar panels not only retain heat and accumulate it, but also provide the necessary microclimate for plants.
The use of green technology enables making any process faster, more convenient and of higher quality. Thanks to the use of various innovative platforms in agriculture, there is not only an increase in the quantity of products, but also an improvement in its quality.