Precision agriculture for a sustainable regional future
I have just returned from Dubai, where I had the honor of speaking at the AgrIsrael conference at the invitation of the Israeli Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Like most of us at Netafim, I know deserts well. I have visited many Netafim projects in the deserts of the Middle East and have been to our projects in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Siwa and elsewhere.
But this time it was different.
This time I was an ambassador not only for Netafim and Israel (which are accolades in themselves), but also for sustainability and good neighborly relations. In the shadow of the Abraham Accords, at a time when our region is rapidly changing for the better, I had the privilege of sharing a vision of sustainable agriculture with some of the leading minds of our Middle Eastern neighbors.
Here's what I told them:
We are facing unprecedented regional challenges
More than 450 million people live in the Middle East and North Africa today, and our population growth is almost twice that of East Asia and four times that of Western countries.
A large and rapidly growing population in an arid climate is a recipe for agricultural – not to mention societal – challenges. And everyone who lives here knows that it really is.
Our regional fresh water scarcity is already fueling migration and fueling poverty and hunger. And by 2050 it will cost us up to 14% of our combined GDP – the highest estimated GDP loss due to water scarcity in the world. Climate change is also hitting us hard - the Middle East is warming twice as much as the global average.
All this, of course, has a profound effect on agriculture. And the simple fact is that the Middle East is not currently producing enough food. More than 35% of the region's population is employed in agriculture, and agriculture contributes 13% to our combined GDP. However, Middle Eastern countries still collectively need to import about 50% of their food – in some places more than 90%.
Current mainstream agriculture is part of the problem
How did we get here and (more importantly) how can we change course?
The single biggest problem facing traditional farming practices in the Middle East is that they are simply unsustainable.
For example, the use of water and land is not efficient. Globally, 70% of water goes to agriculture, yet only 24% of arable land is irrigated. And of the land that is irrigated, 75% is irrigated wastefully using traditional flood methods. This translates into less water for domestic and industrial use, while some of the water used in agriculture is wasted.
Of course, there are a number of other factors that contribute to the unsustainability of agriculture in the Middle East. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that currently accepted industrial-agricultural practices must move towards sustainability
How did we get here and (more importantly) how can we change course?
The single biggest problem facing traditional farming practices in the Middle East is that they are simply unsustainable.
For example, the use of water and land is not efficient. Globally, 70% of water goes to agriculture, yet only 24% of arable land is irrigated. And of the land that is irrigated, 75% is irrigated wastefully using traditional flood methods. This translates into less water for domestic and industrial use, while some of the water used in agriculture is wasted.
Of course, there are a number of other factors that contribute to the unsustainability of agriculture in the Middle East. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that currently accepted industrial-agricultural practices must move towards sustainability
https://youtu.be/8kAWHzkj7eM
However, there is hope in precision agriculture
Despite the enormous challenges facing the Middle East, there are many positive trends pushing agriculture towards sustainability. One of the most important of these is precision agriculture.
Precision agriculture has one primary goal: to grow more with less. This means not only fewer resources, but also less impact on the environment.
It's a very broad term that means many things to many people:
For agricultural technology companies, this means GPS-guided machines that use GIS data to grow and harvest more efficiently.
For data-driven farming providers, this means combining mobile technology, remote sensing data, distributed computing and even AI to optimize returns on inputs while conserving resources.
For greenhouse providers, it's about using automation and other technologies to create a controlled environment that protects plants, increases yields and reduces labor costs.
And for irrigation innovators like Netafim, that means using precision irrigation systems driven by data and artificial intelligence to give each plant the exact amount of water and fertilizer it needs, at scale.
Just as renewable energy technology is slowly turning the fossil fuel ship towards more sustainable alternatives, precision agriculture is changing the way we grow and harvest.
For example, in our project in Siwa, western Egypt, we applied the principles of precision agriculture to create a 100-hectare olive plantation in an extremely dry and harsh desert environment. Despite the fact that the soil was almost entirely sandy with no structure and the field's low water holding capacity, we managed to achieve impressive tree development with impressive yield potential.
Despite the enormous challenges facing the Middle East, there are many positive trends pushing agriculture towards sustainability. One of the most important of these is precision agriculture.
Precision agriculture has one primary goal: to grow more with less. This means not only fewer resources, but also less impact on the environment.
It's a very broad term that means many things to many people:
For agricultural technology companies, this means GPS-guided machines that use GIS data to grow and harvest more efficiently.
For data-driven farming providers, this means combining mobile technology, remote sensing data, distributed computing and even AI to optimize returns on inputs while conserving resources.
For greenhouse providers, it's about using automation and other technologies to create a controlled environment that protects plants, increases yields and reduces labor costs.
And for irrigation innovators like Netafim, that means using precision irrigation systems driven by data and artificial intelligence to give each plant the exact amount of water and fertilizer it needs, at scale.
Just as renewable energy technology is slowly turning the fossil fuel ship towards more sustainable alternatives, precision agriculture is changing the way we grow and harvest.
For example, in our project in Siwa, western Egypt, we applied the principles of precision agriculture to create a 100-hectare olive plantation in an extremely dry and harsh desert environment. Despite the fact that the soil was almost entirely sandy with no structure and the field's low water holding capacity, we managed to achieve impressive tree development with impressive yield potential.
Bottom Line
Overall, my message to the conference participants was that the Middle East stands at a unique geopolitical and scientific crossroads. It's a perfect storm of needs and capabilities – and it's time to apply our collective will and technology to transition the region's agriculture to sustainability and self-sufficiency.
The Abrahamic Accords provided the Middle East with a unique opportunity at this pivotal time in our region's history. Just as we at Netafim played a key role in greening Israel's deserts, we can play a major role in realizing the vision of sustainable agriculture throughout the Middle East.
Together with private and public sector leadership, countries in the Middle East are coming together to address pressing agricultural challenges with budget, science and business to create a community of sustainability.
A powerful combination of human will, technology and knowledge has the potential to solve our world's most pressing challenges. It remains for all of us – in the public and private sectors – to work together to make theory and promise a reality, to deliver higher yields with fewer resources, optimize food growth and reduce the environmental impact of agriculture.
To meet the demand for food with a warming climate, this must be the way forward for the rest of the world as well. Never before has global attention been focused on caring for our environment as it is now, and it presents an opportunity to address these agricultural challenges.
Together, we can not only solve today's agricultural and environmental challenges, but we should lead society towards a more sustainable and food secure future.
Reernce :
https://www.netafim.com/en/blog/Precision-agriculture-for-a-sustainable-regional-future/
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