Page 24 - FoodFocusThailand No.197 August 2022

SPECIAL FOCUS

Drones Increasing farm productivity while saving costs is Controlled Environment Agriculture In controlled
4challenging. But drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles 8environment agriculture (CEA), there are different growing
(UAVs), help farmers overcome this hassle in an effective way. Drones environments, namely, indoor farming, vertical farming, and greenhouses,
collect raw data which translates into useful information for farm among others. There is an increased deployment of techniques like
monitoring. Drones equipped with cameras facilitate aerial imaging hydroponics and aeroponics which involve growing soilless plants in a
and surveying of near and far-stretched fields. This data optimizes liquid nutrient medium or steam. Another such technique is aquaponics,
the application of fertilizers, water, seeds, and pesticides, driving where plants and fish are cultivated simultaneously. Fish provides nutrients
precision agriculture. Moreover, drones facilitate livestock tracking, to plants while plants purify the water for the fish. CEA methods reduce
geofencing, and grazing monitoring. Startups are also working on pests and diseases, increase yield, and establish sustainable farming
drones capable of measuring the chlorophyll level, weed pressure, practices.
as well as soil mineral and chemical composition. Examples of Startups to Watch
Examples of Startups to Watch • An US-based startup builds a vertical plane aeroponics farming
• An Omani startup is working on innovative drone solutions for space. They deploy vertical farming techniques to come up with
aerial pollination of date palm trees. space-saving, water-saving, and labor-saving solutions.
• An Indian startup’s drones leverages drone technology to offer • A Lithuanian startup identifies existing problems in the field of
numerous services like crop surveillance, aerial inspection, data hydroponics and aeroponics to give rise to a new and improved fogponics
processing, and data analysis. technique.
Precision Agriculture It is a method in which farmers use Regenerative Agriculture Regenerative agriculture causes
5exact amounts of input, such as water, pesticides, and fertilizers, 9minimal soil disturbance while focusing on improving soil biodiversity
to enhance the quality and productivity of yield. Different tracts of land and topsoil revival. It involves different practices like no-till farming, reduced
across the field have different soil properties, receive different sunlight, tillage, crop rotation, and more. For example, cover crops are planted to
and have different slopes. The same treatment for the whole farm, cover the soil between cropping seasons to restore soil fertility. Further,
thus, is inefficient and leads to a wastage of time and resources. To regenerative farming facilitates fields to act as a carbon sink through
tackle this, many startups are developing solutions in precision sequestration. This leads to fewer carbon emissions into the atmosphere
agriculture to improve profitability while addressing sustainability and a lesser impact on climate change.
challenges. Examples of Startups to Watch
Examples of Startups to Watch • A Dutch startup develops high-quality plant-based compost extract
• An Australian startup delivers digital solutions in precision for the soil. Once the compost extract is applied to the soil, it is naturally
agriculture with the help of pay-per-use cloud services. Their cloud- selected by the plants, and this ensures its applicability to multiple crops.
based platform includes tools such as satellite images, soil mapping, They also add microorganisms to the soil on a regular basis, leading to
auto-zone, and much more, empowering farmers with actionable nutrient-rich soil.
insights into the field. • A Canadian startup specializing in fermentation technology for
• An Italian startup develops numerous tools for precision farming composting, seed, soil, and residue treatments develops a compost
to improve farm management. They deploy satellites and drones for additive that accelerates matter breakdown, reduces the need for chemical
calculating parameters relating to vigor, water stress, and the quantity fertilizers, and enriches the existing manure with nutrients.
of chlorophyll.
Connectivity Technologies Smart farming is not possible
Agricultural Biotechnology The application of 10without connectivity technologies like 5G, LPWAN, rural
6biotechnology in agriculture improves the quality of crops and broadband, or satellite-enabled communication. 5G facilitates the adoption
livestock. Scientific techniques like plant breeding, hybridization, of IoT devices, robots, and sensors and enables them to communicate at
genetic engineering, and tissue culture facilitate the identification of high speeds. This enables farmers to monitor the data more accurately in
better traits in plants. CRISPR-Cas9 is a genome editing technology real-time and take the required actions. High-speed internet using fiber
that allows high target specificity with improved speed and precision. optic cables aid the exchange of field data in real-time, which is crucial
It produces transgenic plants with desired qualities like disease when it comes to improving accuracy.
tolerance, drought tolerance, pest resistance, and high yield capacity. Examples of Startups to Watch
Examples of Startups to Watch • An Australian startup offers a wide range of agricultural sensor
• A Canadian agri-biotech startup exploits plant breeding products that are powered by connectivity technologies such as LoRaWAN,
techniques to develop seeds and tissues with increased protein low-power satellite, Sigfox, and low-power WiFi, among others.
content. • An US-based startup develops its FLEX network, a LoRaWAN
• An Australian startup is working on breeding techniques for network that provides up to 5 miles of low-bandwidth data coverage. It
sheep, cattle, and aquaculture. helps farmers access farm data on their mobile devices and track irrigation,
farm equipment, and more.
Big Data & Analytics Statistics of deep agricultural Nowadays, applications of technology and innovation, especially digital
7information, lay the foundation for the next farming season. For and computer-based tools, are being used in real farms. That is why many
example, analytical data fosters an understanding of the soil nutrient startups are working to solve the delay, inaccuracy, discrepancy, and
levels, acidity, and alkalinity as well as fertilizer requirements, enabling credibility of data. When using technology in agriculture, it is necessary
data-driven decision-making. to focus on fixing the right problems and responding to customers’ needs.
Examples of Startups to Watch Knowledge and information are important, but the ability to adapt
• An Indian startup leverages cloud services for the analysis of technologies, new methods, and innovations to best suit your farm is
farm data. Their devices are installed across the farm for data sensing crucial. Farmers need to identify the problems and consider the pros and
and reporting. cons of each technology in order to source the best technologies and
• A Dutch startup facilitates the collection, analysis, and solutions for their farms.
visualization of farm data, especially of greenhouses. They develops
embedded data transfer and control software.
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