The digital agriculture of the future
By 2050 there will be more than nine billion people on Earth. They will all need to be fed. The arable land available today is already suffering from climate change, erosion or depletion. Researchers agree that digitization and new technologies could revolutionize the agricultural sector. Together they have developed a vision that combines environmental and climate protection with food security: the digital agriculture of the future.
Agriculture in chaotic weather
Extreme weather conditions continue to occur more often. Hot, almost precipitation-free summers alternate with unusually heavy rainfall. Hail, storm, new pests and diseases destroy entire harvests. Throughout the world, agriculture is trying to adapt to changing climatic conditions. A survey spanning Europe now shows: More diversity in the fields can protect – and even increase yields.
Coal for the fields
Based on plant waste a substrate is produced that increases soil fertility and crop yields. Biochar was already used as a fertilizer in South America thousands of years ago. The black substrate not only improves plant growth, but also acts as a carbon sink. This “miracle coal” could become a sought-after resource in the coming years, especially in the cultivation of legumes or wherever fertilizer is too expensive.
Less rain, less income
Climate change causes not only sea levels and temperatures to rise. In some regions of the world, climate models predict declining yields in agriculture. This will affect the world‘s poorer countries the most. One of these is Pakistan. The researcher Muhammad Arshad has investigated how the climate of the South Asian country has changed in recent decades and how this affects farms.
Interview with Marc Wehrhan
Drones used in research - How unmanned aerial vehicles support landscape exploration.
