Technology and Agriculture

Technology and Agriculture

Technology has played a big role in developing the agricultural industry. Today it is possible to grow crops in a desert by use of agricultural biotechnology. With this technology, plants have been engineered to survive in drought conditions. 

Karehka Ramey mentioned in his research the use of mobile apps by a farmer to calculate the amount of grass available in the field. This saves the farmer time and money, they will know how much is left and what to feed their animals. Technology has turned farming into a real business, now farmers have electrified every process, a consumer can place an order directly online, and the product will be transported from the farm to the consumer in time when it’s still fresh. This saves the farmer money and it cuts out mediators who tend to buy low from farmers and sell high to end consumers. Every farmer uses this technology in their own way. Some use it to create fertilizers, others use it to market their products, and others use it in production. So as a farmer, you have to specify what you need.

 Below is a summary on the use of Technology in agriculture:

·         Use of machines on farms. Now a farmer can cultivate on more than 2 acres of land with less labor, and can cut costs. In agriculture, time and production are so important; you have to plant in time, harvest in time and deliver to stores in time. Modern agricultural technology allows a small number of people to grow vast quantities of food and fiber in a shortest period of time.

·    Modern transportation and cooling facilities: This helps in making products available on markets in time from the farm. These are used by farmers to deliver tomatoes and other perishable crops to keep them fresh as they transport them to the market. These cooling facilities are installed in food transportation trucks, so crops like tomatoes will stay fresh upon delivery. This is a win-win situation for both the consumers of these agricultural products and the farmers. The consumers’ gets these products while still fresh and the farmer will sell all their products because the demand will be high.

·    Genetically produced plants like potatoes, can resist diseases and pests, which rewards the farmer with good yields. These crops grow very fast.

·     Irrigation of plants. In dry areas like deserts, farmers have embraced technology to irrigate their crops. A good example is in Egypt, where farmers use water pumps to collect water from river Nile to their crops. Most of these farmers grow rice which needs a lot of water, so they manage to grow this rice using irrigation methods enhanced by advanced technology. Advanced water sprinklers are being used to irrigate big farms and this helps the crops get enough water which is essential in their growth. Some farmers mix nutrients in this water, so also improves on the growth of these crops.