Posted on 08/28/2016 1:48:11 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
FARMING will need to shift towards indoor vertical farms and precision techniques that could make use of drones.
Just as important will be the planting of drought-resistant crops and even printing meat to secure food production globally.
This is according to Ernst Janovsky, senior agricultural economist at Absa, who emphasised that technology will need to be incorporated into farming practices in order to keep up with costs and supply.
Speaking at an Absa Agribusiness roundtable in Centurion on Tuesday, Janovsky said population growth would create more demand for food, water and land.
By 2050, the global population is expected to reach nearly 10-billion people.
But Janovsky and fellow agricultural economist Wessel Lemmer said the adoption of new technology should mitigate some of the food security risks.
The use of drones to determine crop yield, diseased plants and even the leaf area index of a tree in an orchard is already benefiting farmers.
Lemmer said further advances in agriculture would improve productivity.
Another shift in farming would be a move towards urban vertical farms within cities, to mitigate the need to transport crops from farms to where they could be sold.
While the production method was already being used to grow kale and lettuce, Lemmer said it could be expanded to other crops.
This method involves growing crops on shelves, ensuring that they have the optimal amount of water and light for ideal growth.
Lemmer said this method allowed for 23 harvests to be planted in a year compared to the average of three produced by conventional methods.
"It is expected that future developers will be focusing on multipliers — production of food by more efficient microbes," Janovsky said. "Commodities and inputs as we know them now are increasingly being produced ever more efficiently."
Janovsky said if South African farmers are to remain competitive, they should be prepared for the technological developments in the age of big data. Failure to do so would cost South African farmers dearly, he said.
Crank up the technology, people !!
Although I myself am a humble, dirt-under- the-fingernails, organic home gardener, I love (almost) every new ag technology that comes along. I think urban vertical farming, computerized inputs, tended by robots, is brilliant.
I wouldnt want it to take over completely from field-based farming —— too many vulnerabilities-— but for row veggies and small fruits (e.g. strawberries) it’s our future, that’s for sure.
Got money to invest? Go for it.
Population isn't the problem. Urbanization around the world will put a stop to population growth. What will drive these technology shifts is more of a lack of workers on farms. And vertical farming will be of limited use, only a few crops have the yield to make it competitive.
Thank God, kale to the rescue!
I do not disagree. However, in terms of nutrition, kale is one of the most complete foods out there and it is already being vertically farmed. It tastes awful, but it has great nutritional value. I could see it being condensed into a pill or powder where you mix a drink or swallow a couple of capsules with water and you have a complete meal.
There will still be meals for social occasions, but much of the time when I'm working, I'd love to just swallow a capsule, wash it down with a drink and mealtime is done.
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