The primary issues facing the agricultural sector today go beyond feeding a growing world population. Reduced farming's negative environmental effects and the preservation of natural resources for future generations are both crucial.
What causes the agriculture sector to be harmful to the environment? The environment is significantly impacted by agriculture. Deforestation, which entails the destruction of trees that purify the air, is the first step in the process.
The widespread use of agrochemicals including synthetic fertilizers, insecticides, and herbicides as well as livestock grazing maintain this trend. All of these activities lead to the degradation of land and water, which releases greenhouse gases and causes the current climate problem.
What are the top 3 ways that agriculture harms the environment?
The sustainability crisis is partially caused by modern agriculture. Several methods and improvements used after agricultural revolutions to increase productivity are environmentally harmful. The balance of natural ecosystems is at danger from intensive agriculture in a number of ways.
Irrigation: By various irrigation techniques, the majority of the freshwater used by humans—roughly 70% of it—is diverted into farmland. The economic reliance on such methods and the ensuing exploitation of waterways, however, has resulted in the depletion of aquifers, river systems, and groundwater downstream.
Chemical pesticides and fertilizers are now a major part of modern agriculture, which has increased food output by two times. Nevertheless, overuse of these compounds has turned the formerly advantageous nutrients into contaminants. Synthetic fertilizers, particularly those with nitrogen and phosphorus, accumulate and affect both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
Emissions of greenhouse gases: After the energy sector, the agriculture sector is the second-largest producer of greenhouse gases globally. The main cause of agricultural emissions worldwide is the soil amendment using synthetic fertilizers and trash. These emissions are also caused by enteric fermentation, manure management, burning crop leftovers in the field, and fuel consumption on farms.
Agriculture is increasingly contributing significantly to anthropogenic global warming and climate change as a result of these effects. Food production and modern agriculture are closely linked to climate pollutants including nitrous oxide, methane, and carbon dioxide.
Climate change can also be exacerbated by current land-use changes, particularly those resulting from clearing land for grain production. Deforestation, soil erosion, and large-scale changes like machine-intensive farming all contribute to a rise in atmospheric carbon concentration.
Farm Management Software: A Supporter of Sustainable Agriculture
Today's farming industry is demonstrating that it is ripe for digital data. A complete picture of crop health in small to large farms throughout the world is now possible because to advancements in satellite imaging and the development of smart machinery outfitted with IoT sensors.
How does farm management software lessen agriculture's harmful effects on the environment? Agriculture is undergoing a digital change that is booming, and farm management software combines a variety of functions and promotes agricultural sustainability. Task scheduling, performance assessment, and control of inventory and machinery are some of the fundamental features of farm management software.
The negative environmental impact is diminished by the inclusion of more recent features like precision agriculture, food traceability, and quality assurance in farm management software. Managing and analyzing the data that is gathered by sensors and precision agritech also significantly improves the sustainability of agriculture.
Knowledge-based strategies and data-driven systems for planning
Conventional farming practices utilize a lot of resources and produce a variety of greenhouse emissions. Farmers frequently struggle to transition their food production system from conventional techniques to more eco-friendly ones, which are more difficult and have less visible advantages.
Farm management software now has access to historical data on numerous meteorological and agricultural-related parameters thanks to the power of big data. These revelations give farmers the means to lessen their adverse environmental effects and give them assurance in the choices they make to increase sustainability.
Additionally, farm management software like FarmERP offers sophisticated ERP features that let farmers schedule everything from task allocation to crop timetables on their farms. Agriculture's detrimental effects on the environment are minimized by such management, which guarantees the effective use of resources.
Production: Field Observation and 3D Vision of Farming
Remote farms with poor management and visibility use resources inefficiently, which not only leads to an imbalance in food production but also has a harmful effect on the environment. Farm management software monitors resource utilization on the ground as well as farm and greenhouse activity.
The personnel, equipment, and farm supplies are also described in terms of specific tasks and places. Farmers can identify regions that need resource application by viewing images and videos taken in real time on field equipment and cameras deployed in the field. Moreover, farm management software provides a wide range of efficient technological solutions, including computer vision tools, artificial intelligence, and clever algorithms that support sustainable agriculture.
Blockchain Will Track the Whole Farm-to-Table Process After Production
The US food supply as a whole is thought to be wasted by 30% to 40% annually, with 31% of the loss occurring at the store or consumer level and 40% occurring in the supply chain, according to the USDA Economic Research Service. The main cause of this is careless handling and storage during shipping. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic's supply chain disruptions exacerbated food waste.
FarmERP tracks the course of agriproducts using blockchain technology to assist farmers in reducing their detrimental environmental impact. Farmers can follow a product from its inception through all processes, including manufacturing, processing, distribution, transportation, and retail. This lessens food loss or waste brought on by poor management in the supply chain.
For farmers that are dedicated to minimizing their environmental effect and practicing sustainability, farm management software now offers insights and analytics about resource efficiency and risk management. FarmERP in particular helps farmers gain crucial insights into their fields and make wise decisions by focusing on boosting agricultural output and sustainability. To find out how we can support you in achieving your sustainability goals, get in touch.