Precision Agriculture

The agriculture of our century is facing rapidly changing economic, social and environmental scenarios. A forecast of the world population’s increase estimated at about 9 billion by 2050 (Nikos and Bruinsma 2012) leads the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2014) to underline the growth of primary needs and food needs by about 60%, if compared to the annual average calculated between 2005 and 2007; the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Parliament confirms these figures (McIntyre 2015). In this regard, the FAO focuses on how the global agricultural and food systems can support the subsistence needs of the world population, taking into account the fact that both developing and emerging countries need to satisfy food quantities in an optimal way and at the same time the populations of the industrialized countries have specific nutritional needs (food safety). Compared to the agricultural policies of the past, today some trends are better taken into account such as technological evolution, socio-political changes, water shortages, as well as the increase in energy needs and the emergence of new pests and diseases that affect agricultural production (Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali 2015). These are just some examples of the elements that are at the base of the political choices of the most modern agricultural activities. The technological innovation is therefore necessary for the development of companies that grow in size and for structures, with a path of integration oriented towards the automation and adoption of the most advanced technologies within the cultivation processes. From these premises we can highlight the two major challenges to which modern agriculture must be ready to respond: the need for increased production and the reduction of environmental impacts. Precision Agriculture can be an instrument to address these problems.




Precision Agriculture | Angela Tarabella | Request PDF