Water, food, trees, animals, plants, and Agriculture plays a crucial role in various aspects of human society, economy, and the environment.
As of September 2021, the global population was around 7.9 billion. The United Nations projected that the world’s population could reach 9.7 billion by 2050. 2050 is less than 30 years away.
Does this elicit a sense of elation, or should we appropriately direct our concerns?
More so, The percentage of the global workforce engaged in agriculture has been steadily declining over the years due to various factors such as urbanisation, technological advancements, and shifts in economic activities. The United Nations and other international organisations have projected that the proportion of people employed in agriculture will continue to decrease in the coming decades.
What course of action should we consider in this scenario?
Agri-tech
Agritech, short for “agricultural technology,” refers to the application of modern technology, including hardware, software, and data analysis, to improve various aspects of agriculture. The goal of agri-tech is to enhance efficiency, productivity, sustainability, and overall outcomes within the agricultural sector. Agritech solutions often leverage innovations from fields like information technology, biotechnology, robotics, and data science to address challenges faced by farmers and the agriculture industry as a whole.
It includes digital platforms and applications that help farmers manage their operations more efficiently such as crop planning, inventory management, financial tracking, weather forecasting to make informed decisions or Robots that can perform tasks like planting, harvesting, and weeding with precision. This reduces labour demands and increases efficiency. Agritech also expands to technology that can assist in monitoring and applying agrochemicals, such as fertilisers and pesticides, at the right time and in the right quantities. Israel for instance uses Vertical and Indoor Farming which Utilises controlled environments and indoor farming to optimise resources and minimises the impact of weather conditions.
In Africa, We must embrace agri-tech to enhance agricultural efficiency, increase food production, and ensure sustainable practices that meet the needs of a growing global population while minimising environmental impact.
We need it and the world needs it too.
