Technology And The Future Of Agriculture -By Abachi Ungbo

Agriculture is the basis of human existence. So, meeting basic food needs assume an utmost priority primarily as population burgeons. Over time, we have seen how human ingenuity through the agency of science and technology have come to the rescue in enhancing agricultural productivity. As man continue to expand the frontiers in the field of science it inexorably become a boon to agriculture in a bid to solve the manifold food challenges.

Agriculture has undergone interesting metamorphosis which is at best a revolution in improving its productivity. From the Neolithic era dubbed the first agricultural revolution man basically transitioned from being a gatherer and hunter to a farmer. The second revolution marked the introduction of farm machineries, new farming and animal selection systems/techniques and the third was the green revolution which was an interesting epoch. It changed the complexion of agriculture.

It was a period of high yielding varieties of cereal grains accompanied by synthetic fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides usage and extensive irrigation activities. The intensification of agriculture saw to the generous application of a lot of the inputs in order to reap the benefits of the new varieties.

However, there has been a lot of finger pointing to the direction of green revolution as a contributory factor for changes in the seasonal characteristics of the global carbon cycle. It became demonstrable that as the use of fertilizers proliferated they became pollutants of the soil and sources of water as they are washed off from farms; resistant strains of pests also grew further engendering the use of more pesticides which apparently contributed to more chemical been deposited to the environment. The use of groundwater for irrigation reduced the water table further below and soil was also salinized.

Apparently, the legacy is the severe compromise of the soil health, water holding capacity and the environment in general. Though, pundits believed that the period was a springboard for the economic miracle, significant poverty reduction and lower food prices that was recorded in Asia and Latin America.

There’s growing sensitivity to the environment and the need to shield it from the impact of the tyranny of human action. Essentially, the world is going through torrid times actuated by the climate change and other environmental issues. The green revolution cannot survive under the prevailing environmental challenges of extreme temperatures and irregular rainfall pattern. And, of course, it is a race against time. Agriculture remains a convenient culprit to the issue. It said that it generates 19-29% of the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

By 2050, it is projected that by 2050 global population will hit 9.6 billion. As a result, food production will have to grow almost concurrently to satisfy the demand of the mass of people. Already, it is estimated it will have to ramp up by about 70% to keep pace with the speed of demand. Also, global water demands will be short by 40% by 2030. It means the traditional system of practicing agriculture will have to give way to a more productive and sustainable pattern.

Intriguingly, agriculture is undergoing a fourth revolution brought about by a panoply of disruptive digital technologies that have far reaching impact. It’s effectively the dawn of digital agriculture! It’s somewhat a ‘countermeasure’ against the outcome of the green revolution that was a product of efficient machineries, synthetic fertilizers and pesticides and high yielding seeds.

The Internet of Things (IoT) alongside host of other powerful technologies are behind the transition of agriculture to a digital plane. The IoT powered sensors, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are already providing the force behind precision or smart farming a new green approach in farm management that ensures the utilization of inputs in exact quantity to get increase yield and productivity. It’s simply the collection of data from sensors and other devices in enhancing decision making.

The approach helps to practically chop off the unconscionable use of fertilizer, pesticides and water thus reducing the environmental impact of farming. Also, it facilitates the close monitoring of crop yield, soil moisture and general wellbeing of the soil, identifying insect pests; in addition to monitoring of humidity, temperature and ideal harvest time.

The revolutionary technology is applied to greenhouses which powers it to smartly adjust to climatic conditions which completely obviates human intervention and livestock GPS tools for gathering data on the wellbeing and whereabout of animals ( Livestock tracking and Geo-fencing). Basically, the entire value chain in agriculture is not untouched by technology.

Technology is providing answers to the many questions on the future of agriculture in relation to the shrinking farming population, impact of climate change and feeding the exponentially growing population and the means to meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of a ‘world with zero hunger’ by 2030.

Nigeria needs to lock steps with the rest of world. The country is expected to add about 263 humans in 2030 to the global population making it imperative for the country to be in the forefront of leveraging digital agriculture for food security. Though, it takes humongous investment on requisite infrastructure, education and skills. The next generation of farmers will have to be armed with sufficient skills in dealing with the new reality.

So far, a glimmer of hope exists in digitizing agriculture in Nigeria through the Nigeria Digital Agriculture Strategy (NDAS) which is armed with the vision of making Nigeria one of the top three most food secure country in Africa and top 20 largest exporter of standard agricultural produce by 2030 through the use and application of digital technologies and innovations. The multiplier effect is in the massive jobs that will be created and huge available farmlands that will be brought under cultivation.

Abachi Ungbo

abachi007@yahoo.com