Technological Advancement In Agriculture

A few months back, I saw a video clip where some robotic bees were deployed to pollinate a piece of farm land and in just about a few minutes, the job was done and I was wowed. What was normally the work of natural bees and other natural pollinators has now been replaced by technology. Who would have ever thought that an era would come when technology will find practical expression in almost every field of human endeavour? Well, that era is here and the possibilities are already with us. Here, we shall take a look at some of the ways in which technology has affected agriculture (particularly crop production) positively.

The first one we will look at is in genetic engineering and hybridoma technology. This has enabled hybrid seeds of disease resistant species to be engineered, which will require lesser time to mature, yield better fruits, be tolerant to adverse conditions, etc. While growing up, the coconut and palm trees we were familiar with were so tall and would take a very long time to mature. More so, their yields were also limited. However, in this era, by reason of genetic engineering, enhanced species have been created that can mature in quicker time, would not be as tall, and would yield better fruits. This is part of the uses of technology.

Away from genetic engineering, there is the farm mechanisation. Before now, if you are to work on a piece of land with the manual human labour for tilling, ridging, cultivating, etc, you will spend so much time and energy to the point it will look like a punishment. But in this era, we have tractors and other farm machines that can get the same work done and will not require so much energy expended. I remember when I used to help my Grandpa on his piece of farm land when I was much younger many years ago. Almost everything was done with manual labour and it would take us days just to cultivate a small piece of land.

As a matter of fact, farming looked like a profession that was meant for the low class at that time because of the reliance on manual physical labour by the farmers. But after so many years, and through the proliferation of technology, farming has now become a noble profession. More so, it is now easy to engage in farm practices through the use of farm machines and other technologies. Not just for farming, but for processing of farm products itself. This leads me to the next positive impact of technology on agriculture.

With technology, processing of farm products have become easier and better. Before the advent of technology, a lot of food wastages were experienced as a result of limitations in food processing. In fact, they only used natural means like sun-drying, etc. But in this era, there are many technologies that can process foods to make them last longer, extend the shelf life, and prevent decaying. For example, when tomatoes are harvested, their shelf life would be for a couple of days before spoiling. But they can be converted to tomato puree and canned to preserve them. Or at least, they can be refrigerated, which is still part of technology. Food processing has become easier with technology.

Another area that technology has positively impacted agriculture is in "precision farming." This simply talks about the process by which various technologies are used to optimized or improve various aspects of agriculture. Take GPS tracking for example; this can be used to map out, and monitor farmland. Which can also be used to examine the topology of the land to be used for farming, the type of soil, and other vital information about the land. With these pieces of information, you will make better decisions in relation to your farm practices. In addition to GPS tracking, there is also the Sensors and Monitoring Devices, the Drones and Satellite technologies, etc. All these can find practical usage in agriculture.

One thing to know is that technology has come to simplify a whole lot of things which includes farming. But one should also understand that there are still downsides to all of them. However, in my opinion, the positive effects far outweighs the negative consequences and that is why it is still gaining traction. Of course, technology is here to stay, and we will yet see more complexities and advancements in technology that you have never imagined.

Thanks for reading