The way we currently farm will need to continue if the research that has been discovered turns out to be accurate. For instance, PwC has reported on expert views that agricultural consumption will need to increase by close to 70% by 2050 to account for the world’s growing population — projected to hit 9 billion people in the same year. While not as high, the World Bank has predicted that those across the globe will need to produce 50% more food by 2050 should global population continue to rise at its current pace.
With technology becoming more advanced, the agricultural industry is becoming stronger. Two main areas of interest are that of drones and autonomous vehicles — this guide sets out how each could assist farmers in the future.
Usage of drones on the farm
Drones have become a very lucrative market, with global market revenue from drones becoming more popular in society, whether they’re being used for business or personal activities. Sales of such gadgets are expected to increase by 34% to reach over £4.8 million in 2017. US technology research experts Gartner has also predicted that drone production figures will jump by 39% this year compared to the numbers recorded in 2016.
Using this type of technology for agriculture will be beneficial, and here is how:
Drones and planting
Companies have created systems that can help you plant by using drones to look after produce. They can achieve an uptake rate of 75% and reduce the costs of planting by as much as 85%. The idea is that the technology sees drones shooting pods with seeds as well as plant nutrients into the soil, enabling plants to receive the nutrients they need to sustain life.
Keeping costs down
Drones that are fitted with sensors are beneficial to farmers in regard to time and money being spent on certain areas of land. The idea is that the technology will quickly and easily identify the driest sections of a field and then allow farmers to allocate their water resources more economically.
Spraying crops
Monitoring and spraying crops are two common methods. However, drones can improve both of these common practices. In regards to crop spraying, drones can effectively scan the ground of a farm and then spray the correct amount of liquid once the distance from the ground has been modulated — even coverage will be achieved, while the amount of chemicals penetrated into groundwater will be reduced.
When using a drone in this situation, an animation will show that displays the development of crops. It can also detect inefficiencies with production. These kinds of insights would have previously only been gained by satellite imagery — while very advanced, this technique could only be used once a day. Monitoring through drones can be used whenever a farmer wishes.
The importance of insuring farm equipment
It is essential that you insure the items that you need to do your job after making big investments in certain products. No matter if you choose to invest in farming drones or autonomous farm vehicles, as we are about to discuss, or continue with tried-and-tested techniques in agriculture, it is important to ensure that the equipment is insured to avoid unexpected surprises from costing landowners and farmers dearly. Farm insurance from a leading insurance broker like Lycetts will give land owners and farmers peace of mind, as options are available to provide cover for everything from buildings and produce to machinery and office contents.
Autonomous vehicles on the farm
Although drones are becoming popular, there is still a huge market for autonomous vehicles. In fact, a comprehensive report by Business Insider Intelligence has forecasted that there will be close to 10 million cars available which will have either semi-autonomous or fully autonomous capabilities. From a more general perspective, management consulting firm Bain has estimated that the global opportunity for assistive and autonomous technologies for the business-to-business market will be somewhere in the range of $22 to $26 billion per year by 2025.
With agriculture becoming more important, autonomous vehicles can assist those carrying out such work. For instance, a team of agricultural engineers from the Harper Adams University in Shropshire have set about creating an autonomous tractor which can perform tasks like the drilling, seeding and spraying of land while being steered by a farmer who is positioned not behind the vehicle’s wheel but in a control room. The same team — made up of Johnathan Gill, Kit Franklin and Martin Abell — are also looking into how an automated combine harvester can be used to then harvest the same field.
“These small autonomous machines will in turn facilitate high resolution precision farming, where different areas of the field, and possibly even individual plants can be treated separately, optimising and potentially reducing inputs being used in field agriculture.
“The tractor driver won’t be physically in the tractor driving up and down a field. Instead, they will be a fleet manager and agricultural analysts, looking after a number of farming robots and meticulously monitoring the development of their crops,” Mr Franklin told the Daily Mail.
Christophe Millot, who is a French inventor, has created a vine-pruning robot. Developed as a counter to a shortage in farm labour, the latest-generation model of the four-wheeled gadget is made up of six cameras, two arms and a tablet computer found inside the robot. These features combine in a way that the machine can learn as it goes about its task so to trim grass around each vine with a cut every five seconds.
Sources:
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/601935/six-ways-drones-are-revolutionizing-agriculture/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38089984
https://www.fginsight.com/news/surge-in-drone-sales-sparks-farmer-concern-18916
http://www.croplife.com/equipment/farming-drones-the-future-of-agriculture/
http://www.bain.com/publications/articles/an-autonomous-car-roadmap-for-suppliers.aspx
Clare Louise 
Raymond Bilger