Agriculture is essential—it’s one of the most significant industries in the world. Without it, people would not have the food that they know today. Instead, it would look, feel, and taste completely different. With that said, agriculture has changed a lot over its history and will only continue to transform as time goes on. Read on to learn more about what the future of agriculture will look like.
Embracing New Technology
Agriculture is transforming rapidly, thanks in part to new technologies. In addition, these new technologies are digital and reimagine how people farm, whereas technological improvements of the past were primarily mechanical—bigger and better machinery. One new type of technology that farmers are embracing is drones, as they can use them for almost anything, ranging from looking for pests to the precision deployment of fertilizers. As agriculture has grown more refined, farmers understand they can’t uniformly disperse fertilizers and pesticides to every crop—their approach needs to be more targeted and precise. Drones and other automated robots can bring this precision to farming and ensure that obstacles are taken care of and that the crops are cared for.
Climate Change
One of the most significant factors that will transform agriculture is climate change. Climate change is affecting agriculture in many ways, as the factors farmers have grown to rely on, like standard soil quality, sunlight, and rainwater, are all being disrupted. In addition, seasonal temperatures vary widely, and there are more floods and pests than ever before. Unfortunately, these factors also worsen yearly, leading to harvest loss and poor crop yields year over year. Thankfully, farmers know how to adjust their processes to accommodate these factors, but they’ll need to continue adjusting as long as climate change keeps getting worse.
Alternative Meats
Livestock is also a considerable portion of the agriculture industry, but it may change in the future. Over one-third of crops are used to feed livestock instead of people, and this model is not the most sustainable, especially considering animal agriculture’s impact on climate change. To counteract this, many industries have ventured into developing lab-grown and plant-based meats, and in the last decade, they’ve grown exponentially with no signs of slowing down. Soon, as more of the world embraces these alternative meats, there may be no animal livestock or fields meant only to grow soy and hay for them.
The future of agriculture looks incredibly different from what the industry looks like today. In some ways, it is much more efficient and streamlined. But in other ways, it is a shell of what it once was, greatly hampered by the challenges associated with climate change. However, people in the agriculture industry understand these changes and know what they need to do to be ready and stand strong in the face of these changes.
