What is the future of precision farming?

You may have heard soft rumblings of the next best thing in agriculture, of the future of agriculture, the new face, the new way of doing things … Pressure on farmers is high. A growing world population, estimated to reach nearly 10 billion by 2050, means a growing demand to produce more food.

But more people will also require more housing and industrialisation, and that will mean less land for farming. Precision agriculture is a farming approach that uses technology to optimise crop management and improve productivity. The term precision farming is used
more and more amongst farmers and agricultural companies globally. We recently attended the Kverneland Group Exclusive Journalist Event in Bad Sassendorf, Germany, where it was evident that farming in Europe is distinguished by the fact that it achieves high
productivity on less land, and precision farming has become rapidly diffused thanks to its compatibility with the country’s pursuit of efficiency.

Behind the rapid diffusion of precision farming is the fact that it is necessary for sustainable agriculture. Precision farming is extremely effective for gaining a high yield from scarce resources, and developing agriculture that is resilient against rapid climate changes, as well as reducing environmental load.

Precision farming is a knowledge intensive farming system. We already have an abundance of tools and technology necessary for putting precision farming into practice, but the problem is that the situation is not yet well understood by all farmers. They wonder how they can use the system, or how they can go about putting to use the data gathered by sensors. It is necessary to provide training and guidance through precision farming promotion programmes and other means.

Agriculture is changing dramatically, and we should keep up, or fall behind. To turn your agribusiness into a sustainable business, you need a partner with the best and leading agricultural solutions to be with you every step of the way. The ProAgri team remains true to our commitment to deliver free and informative content, to help farmers make more informative decisions, helping you to farm smarter, not harder!

Enjoy this edition!

ProAgri greetings
Bianca Henning – bianca@proagri.co.za