At the start of the 19th century, just over 200 years ago, the global population sat at a comfortable (if cramped) 1 billion humans. By the end of this century, experts predict a tenfold increase over that figure – roughly 11.2 billion people vying for space and resources on the planet earth.
Not only has the global population grown exponentially since the industrial revolution, but there has also been a much greater concentration in urban living. The World Bank estimates that by 2050, 70% of the world will live in cities.
Basically, in a couple of decades, a dwindling minority of the human population will assume the outsized responsibility of feeding the vast majority of nearly 10 billion people. And that, more than anything, is why the future of agriculture matters.
In this article, let’s track two emerging trends in agriculture that may indicate the industry’s future – and the future of food as we know it.
Technology, Innovation and the Farms of the Future
So, what are farms and agribusinesses doing about the widening disparity between providers and consumers? Moreover, how are they reconciling the task with a precarious labour force and looming supply chain disruptions?
They’re turning to technology. The burgeoning agro technology sector is experiencing a renaissance right now, as innovators from various tech arenas convene to develop smart – sometimes outlandish – solutions. Here are a few current and emerging agricultural tech innovations:
- Bee vectoring: essentially fitting bees with a crop-protecting fungus that they spread across fields as they pollinate!
- Automated equipment: self-driving, AI-fitted seeders and tractors that harvest food regardless of labour availability
- Laser scarecrows: scarecrows that emit green laser darts to scare off crop-destroying birds (yes, this is real).
- Aerial drones to monitor crop health
- IoT-enabled soil and moisture sensors that ping real-time insights about soil health
- And the full suite of emerging technologies: machine learning, big data, wearables, biohacking, etc.
The emerging nexus between technology and agriculture is a sizeable topic to cover. To learn more, we recommend checking out keynote Futurist speaker Nikolas Badminton. On his personal website and on futurist.com, Badminton shares revelatory insights about how technology may shape the future(s) of agriculture. It’s exciting stuff!
A Shift Toward Regenerative and Precision Agricultures
Alongside technological advancements, some agribusinesses have taken a wholly different approach to developing the future: Learn from the past.
To be clear, regenerative and precision agricultures were not in the lexicon of historical farmers. Still, that hasn’t stopped modern farmers from borrowing philosophies and cues from prior eras, like the concepts of holistic agriculture management, adoptive permaculture and crop rotation.
These ideas are all about conserving and rehabilitating farming systems so they can function healthily for centuries to come. Done thoughtfully, they can minimize greenhouse gas emissions and ensure longevity for farmland. You can contrast it with the single-minded industrial ag practices of the 20th century, which prioritized stakeholder profits and output through controlled animal confinement, chemical fertilizers, irrigating annual row crops, etc.
The Future of Agriculture
The exact future of agriculture remains a mystery. It’s challenging to say how macro-trends and population changes will exert pressures on the industry. And it’s nearly impossible to track the overt and secondary impacts of climate change on food production.
Nevertheless, we can extrapolate some positive insights from the points above. As long as innovators keep pushing the boundaries of tech in agriculture, and as long as forward-thinking farmers aim to treat land holistically, the future of agriculture can be sunny.
