How can technology help solve challenges in agriculture?

When agriculture first took root around 12,000 years ago, it sparked a change in the way humans lived. Dubbed the “Neolithic Revolution,” the promise of a reliable food supply helped humans abandon their nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyle. From these early settlements grew the cities and complex civilizations that have shaped our world today.

Illustration photo.

Agriculture has also fueled explosive growth in human population, and its industrialization over the past two centuries has pushed the population from 1 billion to nearly 7.7 billion. As a result, modern agriculture has tested the limits of our environmental resources.

Global agriculture accounts for about 23% of greenhouse gas emissions and uses 92% of the world’s freshwater. About 40% of food grown is wasted, according to a report by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and British food retailer Tesco. Of that, China loses about 35 million tons of grain each year before it reaches the market, equivalent to about 5% of the 685 million tons of grain produced in 2021.

With an expected 2 billion more mouths to feed worldwide by 2050, global agriculture needs to adopt new technologies to become more productive and sustainable. That requires increased investment in agriculture as well as the involvement of young people and smallholders.

Technology can transform agriculture

Human ingenuity, scientific breakthroughs and technological advances have given the world an unprecedented range of tools to transform the food system and reduce its impact on nature and climate.

In precision agriculture, real-time weather forecasts help farmers make daily decisions about when and how much to irrigate, fertilize, and use pesticides on their crops.

Applying digital technology to automate production processes. Illustration photo

Controlled-environment farming promises to further reduce environmental impacts. The aim is to use scientific and technical data to optimize crop growth, reduce pests and diseases, and achieve maximum yields with minimal energy inputs. For example, some smart greenhouses are fully automated, powered by algorithms that ensure optimal conditions for crop growth by adjusting inputs such as roof ventilation, artificial lighting, and heating.

Ultra-high-resolution imagery can detect early signs of disease, water shortages and soil degradation, while drones spray fertilizers, pesticides and water with precision. By taking the guesswork out of farming, smart farming allows crops to reach their full genetic potential without the need for excessive chemical inputs.

Biotechnology is another area that continues to make breakthroughs. Advances in seed science are making crops more resistant to drought, pests and diseases, increasing agricultural productivity and making food producers more resilient to environmental shocks.

The world must also address food waste.

Increasing the ability to produce more food using fewer resources will have limited impact if the world does not address food waste and loss.

Food is lost and wasted at every stage of the food supply chain, from harvesting, storage to transportation, and then at the retailer and consumer. Here again, technology can play a key role.

Increasing the digitalization of agriculture will improve the overall efficiency of the entire agri-food system. Online marketplaces connect farmers directly with consumers, reducing the number of intermediaries and transit nodes through which food must pass. This not only increases farmers’ income by cutting out middlemen, but also reduces transportation time, loss, and waste.

Reducing food waste requires restructuring the logistics system that moves food from farm to table. China is also taking steps to curb food waste at the national level. Last year, Chinese lawmakers also voted to pass a law against food waste, which would allow caterers to levy a tax on customers who leave too much food uneaten.

Farmers need to apply agricultural technology

The success of any agricultural technology ultimately depends on the adoption rate by farmers, especially small-scale growers.

Statistics show that five-sixths of the world’s farms are smaller than two hectares (about the size of three football fields) and together they produce one-third of the world’s food. In the case of China, smallholder farmers account for 80 percent of food production.

Meanwhile, the majority of these smallholder farmers are older and less educated, making it more difficult for them to adopt technology without support. The availability and accessibility of internet infrastructure is also a potential barrier in some countries.

Another important factor is young talent. Encouraging more young people to get involved in agriculture, whether it is young scientists studying agriculture or Gen Z entrepreneurs (also known as Gen Z, this is the generation born between 1997 and 2012) doing business in agricultural products online, this leads to more innovation, more ideas and more vitality.

Need to promote digital transformation in the agricultural sector

Agriculture is an important sector that employs millions of workers directly and throughout the supply chain, and agriculture has lagged behind many other sectors in terms of digitalization and digital technology application. Up to now, the concept of digital transformation in agriculture has not been consistent, but it can be understood that digital transformation in agriculture is the process of integrating and applying digital technology (big data, cloud computing, Internet of Things, etc.) into all activities of the sector, changing the way of managing, producing and consuming products from traditional to modern and smart.

In the context of international integration, climate change, epidemics and especially the Fourth Industrial Revolution, digital transformation in agriculture is an inevitable trend, the "key" to sustainable development of the world's agricultural sector in general and Vietnam in particular.

Digital transformation helps the agricultural sector minimize risks and damage caused by climate change, improve productivity, quality, production efficiency and consumption of agricultural products. The application of Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data, and biotechnology has helped analyze data on the environment, soil types, crops, and growth stages of plants. Based on the data provided, producers will make appropriate decisions (fertilizing, watering, spraying pesticides, harvesting, etc.), thereby reducing costs, reducing water and land pollution, and protecting biodiversity.

In Vietnam, the agricultural sector has been identified by the Prime Minister as one of the eight priority sectors for digital transformation, along with other sectors such as healthcare; education; finance - banking; transportation and logistics; energy; resources and environment; and industrial production.

Accordingly, in Decision No. 749/QD-TTg dated June 3, 2020 of the Prime Minister approving the "National Digital Transformation Program to 2025, with a vision to 2030" specifically identified the following: (1) Developing high-tech agriculture with a focus on smart agriculture, precision agriculture, increasing the proportion of digital agriculture in the economy; (2) Implementing digital transformation in agriculture must be based on a data platform (land, crops, livestock, aquaculture). Building an integrated aerial and ground observation and monitoring network to serve agricultural activities. Promoting the provision of information on the environment, weather, and soil quality for farmers to improve crop productivity and quality, supporting the sharing of agricultural equipment via digital platforms; (3) Applying digital technology to automate production and business processes; Manage and monitor the origin and supply chain of products, ensuring speed, transparency, accuracy, safety and food hygiene; ... train in the application of digital technology in the production, supply, distribution, forecasting (price, season, ...) of agricultural products, promote the development of e-commerce in agriculture; (4) Implement strong digital transformation in management to have timely policies and operations for agricultural development such as market forecasting, warning, and harvest management.