The rise of agritech

Traditional agriculture has been adversely majorly affected by climate change. These natural disasters, coupled with worrying global food security concerns, have prompted the search for more sustainable and efficient farming methods.

Fortunately, technological innovations and entrepreneurship in the agricultural sector have found unique ways to address global food security and the need to reduce our environmental impact.

Agricultural technology, commonly abbreviated as “agritech”, aims to improve the food production process. New farming technologies can help produce higher quality products at lower costs. Applications of agritech are wide-ranging and encompass different types of agricultural processes and technological innovations. However, the overarching aim is to grow more food in less space with minimal environmental impact.

Presently, agritech deploys a slew of technologies, including drones, automated systems and data analytics. Drones and satellite trackers are used for field surveillance and environmental scanning. Automated systems such as auto-feeders, automated pump systems and shed-cleaning bots, reduce the need for manual labour. Data analytics from the Internet of Things (IoT) allow farms to control environmental conditions such as light and irrigation to track temperature, humidity, and the growth of crops.

In summary, the rapid advancements in technology and the decreasing global acreage of arable land have created the perfect storm for the technological disruption of the agriculture industry. Today, technology has helped to optimise the farming process and agricultural yield.