Report predicts growth in tech such as ‘smart crops’ by 2030
4th October 2022
The agricultural sector has seen rapid innovation in recent years due to the need to produce more food on less land, with technologies such as smart crops, agricultural drones, and smart greenhouses on the rise, according to GlobalData’s latest report.
The data and analytics company predicts climate change and population growth will lead to greater automation in farming by 2030, driven by the need to collect large amounts of data to maximise crop and livestock efficiency.
In its recent report ‘Tech in 2030 – Thematic Research’, GlobalData outlines how technologies such as smart crops will help the industry meet food demands. These automated, self-regulating crops will collect data such as soil quality, growth rate, nutritional content, and fluid intake via numerous sensors.
The data will then be uploaded onto agriculture technology platforms to be analysed by artificial intelligence in order to optimise farm operations. According to Global Data, 2030’s farms will be connected via Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, allowing crops to self-regulate and helping farmers make smarter decisions.
Rachel Foster Jones from GlobalData said technological advances are urgently needed in the farming industry to secure a sustainable future.
“Multiple issues are currently putting pressure on agriculture: climate change is threatening capacity, population growth is accelerating, the amount of available land is reducing, and labour shortages are worsening. Agriculture technology will promise a much-needed solution,” she commented.
Advances in plant breeding and machinery have already made major improvements to farm productivity in recent years. However, the key to the future lies in precision agriculture and genomic research that will boost sustainability and crop resilience to climate change.
As part of what GlobalData bills as the ‘fourth agricultural revolution’, smart greenhouses are becoming more widespread across the globe. Smart greenhouse-related jobs have more than tripled since the start of 2021 as shown on the graph below:
Graph showing an increase in smart greenhouse-related jobs since 2020 (Source: GlobalData Tech in 2030 – Thematic Research report).
In light of these developments, Ms Jones urged young farmers to start working on their technical skills to prepare for the future job market.
“Investment in smart greenhouses is only going to increase as the challenges facing the agricultural sector call for more automation. As automation increases, farmers will be hired more and more for their technical expertise and data processing skills, as well as their knowledge of the agricultural process.”
According to Global Data’s report, the agricultural drone industry has also experienced rapid expansion with a 14-fold increase in patents between 2015 and 2021, making it one of the fastest growing non-military drone sectors. Agricultural drones are unmanned aerial vehicles currently used in agriculture for yield optimisation and monitoring.
Ms Jones added: “Modular-based innovation will mean that drones will be able to undertake advanced crop spraying and terrain monitoring by 2030. The labour crisis and skills shortage will bolster agriculture drone demand, as they will be able to undertake time-consuming tasks.”
To learn more about GlobalData’s Thematic Intelligence report, visit: https://www.globaldata.com/store/report/tech-in-2030-theme-analysis/
