Welcome back to another post in the civic issues series. Keeping with the environmental/agriculture theme today we’ll be discussing precision agriculture.
Many of you have probably seen images like this floating around on the internet. Pictures of drones flying over fields of lush green crops or robotic arms harvesting lettuce and other herbs. The technology in these pictures is usually referred to as precision agriculture, and it is often said to be the way of the future. Precision agriculture (PA) is a “farming management concept based on observing, measuring and responding to inter- and intra-field variability in crops” Source. Articles discussing these topics often promise huge savings in time, energy, money, as well as great benefits to the environment. Often however, these articles simply make these claims without ever explaining how this might actually work. So in todays post we’re going to look into the practical applications of this technology with a little more detail.
Drones
Many depictions of precision agriculture use drones in their thumbnails. This usually consists of a drone hovering over a field of crops with some sort of substance being sprayed out of the drone into the field. This implies that drones can and will be used for applying pesticides or some other chemical to the crops as an alternative to crop duster planes.
While this is technically a possibility, many drones are limited by their weight capacity and cannot move a large tank full of chemicals. Additionally, we already have several different types of technology that can be used for this process. Despite this, drones can definitely still play a large roll in the implementation of precision ag systems. More realistically, drones can be fitted with various camera/sensor systems such as hyperspectral, multispectral and thermal sensors that can help to analyze differences in crop health, nutrition and performance across a large area. With this information, it is possible for the farmer to see that a portion of his field is growing slower than the rest of the field, or is suffering from some disease. The farmer could then calculate an increased amount of fertilizer to apply to that specific portion of the field, which would improve the overall yield, but reduce the amount of resources wasted on portions of the field with naturally greater fertility. This benefits the farmer because they can easily save money on fertilizer or pesticides while also increasing their overall yield. This can also benefit the environment, because it helps to mitigate a large environmental issue associated with agriculture that is fertilizer runoff due to overapplication. Reducing runoff helps to preserve water quality while also reducing salt buildups in the soil.
In ground sensor systems
The other main precision ag technique we’ll be discussing is the use of in ground sensor systems. This technique is exactly what it sounds like: a network of sensors that can collect specific real time data from various points in the field to help monitor crops and predict fertilizer and water needs. Sensors can detect soil moisture which can let the farmer know exactly when/where the field needs irrigation. In places such as California, there are high level of agricultural production, but very little natural rainfall. Because of this, farmers need to irrigate their fields, but knowing exactly when to irrigate is difficult because water leaves the soil at different rates depending on a number of factors like sun exposure, air temperature, wind, humidity, etc. The use of sensors can give the farmer real time data that will let them know exactly where, when, and how much to irrigate. This ensures the farmer doesn’t suffer any crop loss to drought, but also makes sure they conserve the limited water resources as efficiently as possible. Similar systems can be used for fertilizer needs, as well as monitoring changes in soil temperature that can prompt developmental changes (like flowering) in certain crops. This gives the farmer a sort of heads up that the flowers are going to form soon, and allows them time to prepare whatever treatments they may be applying come bloom time.
Again, the more efficient use of resources, the lower the environmental impact and the higher the profitability. Because of this, precision ag could have significant implications on improving our cropping systems moving forward. However, at this time the main barrier is cost. All of these high-tech sensors, drones, cameras, etc. all cost money, and right now its a lot of money. Additionally, testing is still needed to calibrate the equipment and find the best ways to implement it. That being said, I’m still confident that we’ll be seeing more of this in the future. In fact, this summer I am participating in an internship program at the University of Florida, working with a professor who specializes in using both soil sensors and drone technology to improve crop productivity while optimizing water and fertilizer use.
I’m interested to hear your thoughts however, do you think this is the future of agriculture, or more of just a fad that will never become a widespread staple?
I cannot imagine this isn’t the future of agriculture. I feel like in the next decade or so more research will come out that will allow for the costs to come down. Think about any high-tech devices (for example televisions). They used to only be for the wealthy, but now almost everyone can afford them. I think precision agriculture is fascinating and a great way to help the environment. About how much does a farmer have to use the precision agriculture to benefit from it financially (pay off the initial cost by reaping more crops)? Will they end up paying off their initial debts, or is it simply still to expensive?
I think precision agriculture is an incredible innovation in farming. In my opinion, the use of drones is efficient, especially for larger plantations. However, as you mentioned, the weight limit of drones is a serious concern for me. Realistically, how many drones does it take to spray an entire field? How much would it cost for 4, 5, or 6 drones to spray an entire field? I think that precision agriculture with drones is incredibly efficient for places like California, but with inflation as high as it is, I am unsure as to how financially feasible it is right now. By the way, good luck with your internship this summer! That sounds like an enriching experience! Great post! It was very informative and fun to read!