Government Initiatives, Collaboration, and New Systems to Promote Smart Agriculture Practices Worldwide

Digital transformation is taking place across the world in almost every field and the agriculture sector is no exception. Smart agriculture practices are making their way as farmers look for ways to optimize yield, utilize less resources, and improve profitability. In addition, environmental concerns are on the rise and they impact the agriculture sector considerably. So, the adoption of smart agriculture practices becomes essential. As climate change poses a huge risk for lives of people across the world, different measures need to be taken in terms of agriculture practices. Adoption of climate-smart agriculture practices is ongoing across the world as they help in surging agricultural yields sustainably, ensure food security, and build resilience against climate change. Governments of many countries have realized the need to adopt such practices and taking necessary steps toward it. They have been making long-term commitments for ensuring food security and helping people in raising their farming incomes as well. 

Market players in the private sector have adopted various strategies to make their mark and raise their market share. Collaboration is one of the major strategies adopted by market players for developing next-generation of farmers who utilize technologies during agricultural activities. Moreover, innovative products have been launched to improve overall efficiency and yield. These products are equipped with technologies such as internet of things (IoT) and others. The launch of innovative solutions will continue in the next few years as smart practices are adopted and the market is expected to rise significantly. According to the research published by Allied Market Research, the global smart agriculture market is expected to reach $29.23 billion by 2027. The following are some of the trends and activities taking place across the world.

Governments have realized the importance for smart agriculture practices and taking necessary steps toward promoting these practices. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the investment of $1 billion for supporting growers, farmers, and landowners in adopting climate-smart agriculture practices. This investment is part of the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program and USDA aims to invest in climate-smart practices to provide competitive edge to American producers. The pilot projects will be conducted to determine, measure, and monitor how climate-smart agricultural practices will be helpful for lowering down greenhouse gases and carbon sequestration. Moreover, it aims to develop new opportunities for promotion of climate-smart commodities.

The launch of such climate-smart agriculture initiatives continues in other countries. Uganda, one of the countries from the African continent, witnessed the launch of a new initiative. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) launched the initiative in collaboration. This initiative is aimed at increasing farming yields and lowering down food insecurity due to climate changes. The Ugandan government has been conducting workshops for climate resilient practices. These initiatives are helpful for increasing farmland yields while saving water and conserving soil. In this manner, they aim to reduce the greenhouse impact as well.

Along with governments, market players have been joining hands to carry out smart agriculture programs. Idea Company SdnBhd signed a memorandum of understanding with the Multimedia University (MMU) for conducting smart agriculture programs and creating next generation of farms and farmers. MMU will utilize its experience in modern farming techniques and Idea Company will implement its farm-to-fork ecosystem with the help of its group of firms. Both companies aim to train and hire new generation of growers to change the way agricultural practices are carried out and utilize technology in an optimum way. 

The training modules and areas will include development of key capabilities as digital transformation takes place and utilization of analytics tools in the agricultural sector. Moreover, these growers will be exposed to technology and engineering modules. They will have an opportunity to learn to integrate efficient and accurate processes through an approach of innovation. This MoU marks an important step toward the implementation of smart agriculture practices in the future.

Market players have been trying to revolutionize the agriculture industry through implementation of different practices. SM4RT TANI, the agritech platform in Malaysia, developed cloud-based and internet of things (IoT) solutions for providing digital tools to increase efficiency, productivity, and yield. A considerable amount of food wastage can be prevented if IoT sensors are utilized in the farming practices. So, these solutions are aimed at providing accurate data and readings regarding crops in real time. Farmers will gain insights about pH and weather monitoring, crop monitoring, pest control, and others. Moreover, IoT sensors can be connected to the central mainframe and insights can be viewed on a dashboard. This dashboard provides reports, access alerts, and corrections in real-time. Moreover, it is customizable and caters to insights about unique needs of users. Smart management of farms will enable farmers in efficient management of farms, optimally utilize resources, and raise their profitability.

Author Bio

Pratik Kirve

Email: pratik.kirve@alliedmarketresearch.net

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pratik-kirve-8213b284/

Pratik Kirve is a writer, blogger, and sport enthusiast. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering, and is currently working as a Team Lead - Content Writing at Allied Market Research. He has an avid interest in writing news articles across different verticals. When he is not following updates and trends, he spends his time reading, writing poetry, and playing football.