Advancements in Agricultural Technology

Agriculture is a salient cultivation practice, enriching the quality of life for generations upon generations of people since the first civilizations formed on Earth. Today, agriculture is essential for stimulating the global economy and can lead to higher job creation, especially when considering national poverty reduction efforts. 

More agricultural productivity means greater income for farmers, lower food prices, increased food supplies, and more job opportunities in rural and urban areas. Consumer demand for goods produced by non-agricultural sectors also increases as income increases; this connection between growth in the agricultural sector and the other constituents are what have allowed developing countries to diversify their products and services available within their own economies and the global economy. 

Food Insecurity and Agriculture

Today, over 820 million people globally are undernourished and approximately 700 million people are severely food insecure, though there is a falling trend in malnourishment as time passes. This is demanding for all, but especially on children, who are the most vulnerable, as they are still developing both physically and mentally. Poor nutrition, even for a short time, can stunt development in the long run and harm a child’s future. 

Despite these harsh realities, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has been a key player in reducing global hunger, assisting countries in assessing various constraints on land use with the goal of achieving an optimally sustainable usage and allocation of resources, and empowering people to make informed agricultural decisions for their communities. In the last 20 years, the FAO reports that undernourishment fell from 18.7 to 11.3 percent globally, and from 23.4 to 13.5 percent within developing countries.

Innovations in Agricultural Technology

To further mitigate the adverse effects of food insufficiency and insecurity, countries must rely on technological innovations in agriculture and keep up with increasing food demands. 

For example, in Myanmar, solar mini-grids have played an important role in bringing electricity to hundreds of villages around the country, especially in rural and remote communities, where working mini-grids offer an opportunity to build resilience and farm sustainably. With partial funding from the World Bank and Parami Energy, and the rest of funding covered by villagers, 1,442 households were connected to the mini-grid, changing the way many families live by increasing the productivity on their farms, thus allowing them to farm beyond subsistence. Over the course of the 2020, Parami Energy plans to connect 4,097 more homes to the mini-grid system, and by 2030, the government hopes to achieve national electrification for Myanmar. 

In Paraguay, GPS-enabled cell phones are being used to monitor agricultural extension agents (AEAs). In order to manage how agricultural services are delivered, central governments often assign local supervisors some authority over processes. Even though the supervisors are knowledgeable on local affairs, they still may be unable to monitor the performance of workers. These GPS-enabled cell phones allow supervisors to see where AEAs are at all times, how much time they spend in each place and their reported activities with farmers. In a research study, it was found that the phones positively influenced the performance of AEAs, increasing the number of farmers visited by six percent, 22 percent greater than the AEAs who were not monitored.

Broadening the scope, The NextGen Cassava Breeding project (NextGen Cassava) aims to streamline cassava breeding facilities in Africa and efficiently deliver improved varieties of cassava with advanced technology. The beneficiaries of this project are cassava farmers of Africa, who receive improved cassava varieties and root yields that are more resilient to pests and diseases, and exhibit other desirable traits that are preferred by farmers. Disease-resistant varieties of cassava take a substantial length of time to grow. However, with NextGen’s use of accurate computer modeling techniques, this time has been cut in half and new information on the plant has been recorded for future use on the Cassavabase open source database. 

Next Steps?

As the world shifts further into a time where innovation is the prevalent driver of change, humanity’s oldest sustainable cultivation practices are also shifting to meet the dynamic array of global needs. Advances in agricultural technology are necessary to meet the increasing demands of food and sustainability for future generations. 

While finances are difficult to procure for any investment in innovation, there is a culture of empowerment which instills a socioeconomic structure regarding the social context of innovation, necessary to inform and encourage the younger generations to further improve the world. 

Edited By: Michael Provvisionato

Works Cited

Agriculture and Food Security. (2019, April 15). Retrieved November 28, 2020, from https://www.usaid.gov/what-we-do/agriculture-and-food-security

Agriculture and its Contribution to Poverty Reduction. (n.d.). SOAS University of London, London.

Liu, J. (2019, December 30). Solar mini-grid brings power to Yesagyo's community. Myanmar Times. Retrieved November 28, 2020, from https://www.mmtimes.com/news/solar-mini-grid-brings-power-yesagyos-community.html

Liu, J. (2020, January 21). Solar mini-grids to take off in Myanmar, support electrification ambitions. Myanmar Times. Retrieved November 28, 2020, from https://www.mmtimes.com/news/solar-mini-grids-take-myanmar-support-electrification-ambitions.html

NextGen Cassava. (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2020, from https://www.nextgencassava.org/

Schechter, L., Finan, F., & Dal Bo, E. (n.d.). Using GPS-enabled Cellphones to Monitor Agricultural Extension Agents in Paraguay [Scholarly project]. In Innovations for Poverty Action. Retrieved November 28, 2020, from https://www.poverty-action.org/study/using-gps-enabled-cellphones-monitor-agricultural-extension-agents-paraguay

The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2014. (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2020, from http://www.fao.org/publications/sofi/2014/2014faqs/en/