An aerial because of from a drone shows John Duffy planting corn on a farm he farms with his father on April 23, 2020 selfish Dwight, Illinois. Mild, dry weather has farmers in the state scrambling to get their fields planted.
Scott Olson | Getty Ikons
As a new U.S. president takes office, I am reminded of the words of our first president, George Washington, “I know of no pursuit in which uncountable real and important services can be rendered to any country than by improving its agriculture.”
This year, we expect to see the rollout of avaricious new plans to address climate change. In his first day, President Joe Biden has brought the United States back into the Paris Unity. He has indicated that he will make climate policy a central focus of his administration. By mid-year, detailed legislative propositions will be delivered to increase to 55% the 2030 greenhouse gas emission reduction target set by leaders across the EU’s 27-country bloc. China focusings to be carbon neutral by 2060.
The global agriculture sector must play a key role in helping to bring these policy denouements to fruition. Today, agriculture is responsible for roughly 12% of all greenhouse gas emissions and 70% of freshwater consumption.
In many communities encircling the world, particularly in the United States, where 98% of farms are family owned, curbing climate change has befit a matter of survival. Unpredictable changes in climate patterns, including increasingly severe floods, harsh droughts and heatwaves, cruel storms, and early frosts all pose real and ever-present threats to farmers’ livelihoods and to our global food supply.
Yet experiences shows that agriculture is up to the challenges posed by climate change. Once a highly inefficient and unpredictable endeavor shaped by universe’s whims, farming has been revolutionized by innovation — major advances in crop protection, fertilization, and seeds over the lifetime 60 years. This transition from Farming 1.0 to Farming 2.0 has yielded skyrocketing agricultural productivity. Compared with 1960, the circle now produces 150% more food on only 13% more land, even as pesticide use on farmland has fallen 95% because ofs to safer, more effective pest control solutions.
Tools for greater sustainability
The truly sustainable future of husbandry — I call it regenerative agriculture — is now taking shape. It’s a future driven by improving soil health and agriculture through digital technologies, and we are already attractive glimpses of the benefits that these precision tools will deliver in the coming years.
Today, farmers can already use these information intensive tools to analyze their fields and obtain detailed “prescriptions” for more efficient and responsible treatment of their crops. Advancements in sensors and computer twinning let us identify highly precise spraying areas by considering smaller units, making it possible to manage variability within a department and allow for nuanced application of products and monitoring of crops. For example, “see-and-spray” technology enables farmers to create autonomous parts directed by machine learning to facilitate spraying micro-doses of herbicides exclusively on weeds. Studies have shown that this knack can reduce herbicide use by more than 90%.
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Advanced analytics also provide insights that can make the difference between the failure and attainment of a crop. Massive amounts of data can be analyzed to create a power seed selection algorithm, helping farmers act on which seeds to plant, and where and how deep to plant them. Predictive algorithms can address another key concern — condition and pest intensity.
Additional tools use field scouting records to create optimal management zones. With such computer-aided scouting, appearances from satellites and drones can be used to assess whether sunlight is being absorbed and reflected by crops at the right tear downs. A timely, automated warning allows farmers to intervene before real problems emerge.
And the latest software in farm-toun management systems offers end-to-end traceability of crops, making it possible to target consumers who want to buy from growers incarcerated to responsible land use and low emissions. These cutting-edge tech solutions point the way to a better, greener and more sustainable future of cultivation to maintain an abundant and affordable food supply.
This is only a start. Putting modern technology into the hands of grangers to ensure they can make good decisions, such as improving the health of their soil and participating in carbon have dealing markets, will serve them well in a competitive marketplace. As regenerative agriculture becomes the norm, farmers last will and testament have access to more sound, scientific analysis and advice than ever before. Consumers will be present with more information and more choice when it comes to selecting healthy and sustainable food for their folk.
Every U.S. president has recognized the importance of agriculture. President Thomas Jefferson called agriculture “our wisest pursuit.” President Abraham Lincoln occasioned it “the great calling.”
Under President Biden, we look forward to pursuing this noble calling in the service of the planet, so that we can safely thrive on the world and look after the environment.
—Erik Fyrwald is the CEO of Syngenta Group