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We often wonder what the future will bring. So we asked ourselves: what will agriculture look like in the future? What challenges will we face and how should we prepare?
In this series of articles, we will try to understand what agriculture might look like in the future, based on the available scientific evidence and global trends.
And it is only natural that we dedicate the first article in the series to the impact of climate change on agriculture. What is the impact of climate change on agriculture? Is it possible to change the way we grow to increase the resilience of agri-food systems?
The increase in the global average temperature, which is expected to reach or exceed 1.5°C by 2050, will cause significant problems for the agricultural sector, which is highly dependent on climate trends. Droughts and heat waves are expected to increase, as are floods, with erratic rainfall concentrated in extreme, tropical-like climate events even in temperate regions (Arora, 2019).
The growth of microbial pathogens, such as fungi and oomycetes, will accelerate, while insect and mite populations will become more prolific and increase the number of annual generations they can produce. There will also be changes in the distribution of pathogens, which will expand into areas that were previously unsuitable due to low temperatures. (Cannon, 1998)
These conditions will make the work of farmers increasingly difficult. Although they have always been accustomed to coping with weather and adversity, they have never been faced such extraordinary situations. So, should we give up in the face of the inevitable?
Of course, the answer is no: new challenges require new tools, and it is up to us to find them. If humanity has proven anything in its 300,000 years of history, it is undoubtedly the ability to adapt and find ways to overcome even the most difficult challenges. Through research and the continued development of cutting-edge technologies, we will be able to develop new approaches to better manage crops in a changing climate. Let's look at some of them.
The first step in managing drought is to adopt dryland agriculture-specific practices that increase the amount of water naturally available to crops by reducing losses and using crops and techniques that make the best use of available water resources. Some examples include using drought-tolerant species or varieties, deep plowing to reduce water runoff and increase water infiltration, controlling weeds that deprive crops of water, and implementing managed water stress practices. It is also important to increase the efficiency of water use with decision support systems (DSS) that recommend how much and how often to irrigate crops for optimal results while conserving water, based on data collected from weather stations and soil moisture sensors. This is what our DSS Irrigation Module does: combined with our xSense Pro weather station and xNode soil moisture sensors, it provides specific irrigation advice for many crops and for each specific climate situation.
Protecting crops from increasingly aggressive and unpredictable insect pests and microbial pathogens requires an integrated approach. This means taking preventive measures to stop the development of these pathogens and implementing systematic monitoring, for example, using sensors. In the case of fungal diseases, sensors capable of monitoring weather conditions, such as weather stations and leaf wetness sensors, are needed. With the data collected, predictive models and decision support systems (DSS) can be used to understand when crops are most at risk, and therefore when treatment is most appropriate. Pest control requires the use of specialized traps. Our xTraps, for example, capture, identify and automatically count these insects through image recognition algorithms. Using predictive models, it is possible to estimate the evolution of their populations and decide on treatment.
Finally, increasing the resilience of agricultural systems also requires improving soil health, for example by increasing its organic carbon content through regenerative farming practices, which help to sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, improve water quality and enhance biodiversity.
Techniques such as green manuring, crop rotation, and the use of cover crops, which are typical of the regenerative approach, help to the sequester carbon from the atmosphere and improve soil structure, helping to reduce erosion and increase long-term soil fertility. It is important to remember that sustainability in agriculture is achieved by balancing productivity with conservation of natural resources. New technologies and innovative agricultural practices, when integrated with traditional approaches, can provide a pathway to more resilient and sustainable agricultural production.
There is no doubt that agriculture will face complex challenges in the future, but we already have the tools to meet them. Technological innovation and increased awareness will enable farmers to continue to produce food efficiently, without compromising the environmental balance. Only an integrated and collaborative approach will ensure food security and a sustainable future for agriculture.
Arora, N.K. 2019. Impact of climate change on agriculture production and its sustainable solutions. Environmental Sustainability 2019 2:2 2(2): 95-96. doi: 10.1007/S42398-019-00078-W.
Cannon, R.J.C. 1998. The implications of predicted climate change for insect pests in the UK, with emphasis on non-indigenous species. Glob Chang Biol 4(7): 785-796. doi: 10.1046/J.1365-2486.1998.00190.X.
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