I like science and the fiction that comes from it. And while I spend plenty of time thinking about the common technologies explored in this genre–like space travel and cybernetics–I don’t always think about the more mundane technologies… like farming.
That’s right. Farming. People have to eat, so why not look at the advancements that have been made to get plants from seed to harvest?
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Farming has existed for roughly 13,000 years. And in that time, it has gone from being a sporadic practice to the means of sustaining an ever-increasing world population. While it’s not known why humans have, for the most part, transitioned from hunting and gathering to farming, it is believed that change in climate, greater population density, overhunting, and changing technology led to this behavior that–rather curiously–happened independently in several parts of the world.
Commonplace today, plows, tractors, and fertilizer are thought to be some of the first farming technologies. We’ve come a long way since then, though.
One major need for technological advancement is pest control and pollination–or, birds and bees, if you prefer. Bee vectoring technologies have been designed to combine these two important farming aspects. With this technology, commercially raised bees travel a traditional pollination route while carrying crop controls from specially designed hives. This technique uses no water, chemical pesticides, or tractors and is marketed as a natural way to improve crop yields.
This soil enhancing and pest control system isn’t the only way in which agtech is changing the way farmers interact with local wildlife. While scarecrows conjure imagery of humanoid straw figures, the new age of bird and rodent control employs lasers to startle avian invaders before they destroy crops.
Even with the pest problem out of the way, there is a need for farmers–typically commercial growers–to increase crop yield. One way to do this is indoor vertical farming. Where traditional farming is dependent on how much acreage can be acquired, indoor vertical farming stacks crops in a controlled environment. This type of farming can often be done without soil; instead, it uses hydroponics or aeroponics, and can yield 40 times that of traditional outdoor farming.
More crops means more harvest. This is the point at which efficiency in the form of farm automation becomes relevant. This technology does everything from measuring soil nutrients and water levels to harvesting and planting via robots. Additionally, technology used in constraining farm equipment to permanent traffic lanes reduces soil damage.
All this technology has not been without hiccups. Especially in the extreme early years of farming, overworking and degrading the soil as well as droughts and changing climates led to several famines and civilization decline. Even today, chemical fertilizers are known to help as much as hurt as they run into waterways.
However, many of today’s newer technologies–including the ones mentioned above–have an added benefit of increasing yield while preserving the environment. Namely, precision farming seeks to only employ mechanical, water, and chemical interventions when needed. Thus, overwatering through antiquated techniques or overtilling the nutrients out of the soil are becoming less common.
These are just some of the ways in which technology helps humans while taking protection of our home into account. These methods are not a complete solution, though; one of the biggest threats farming poses to the planet is loss of biodiversity. Needing ever-expanding lands while farming only a dozen or so crops ignores the importance that having a variety of flora and fauna has for the ecosystem–as well as our survival.
Obviously, farming will not end, but continuing to find more conscientious approaches will become increasingly important. …Not just for farming and the environment, but for the future of our ability to survive and thrive.
Until next time, stay curious.