As much as the pandemic affected the farmers, it is now accelerating growth in the agriculture industry with new technological trends.

FREMONT CA: The COVID-19 pandemic has put a strain on global agriculture and food supply systems, causing delays in food processing and agricultural production. The execution of steps to stop the virus from spreading resulted in a severe economic downturn that impacted farmers, workers, and consumers all around the world. As a result, food costs around the world have skyrocketed. The pandemic-induced disruption has refocused national attention on food safety and accelerated growth across the sector.

Major trends that are driving growth in the agriculture sector include:

Farm robotics

Robotics' viability is growing across the agricultural value chain, from planting to harvesting, thanks to advancements in technology. Blue River is a startup that develops robots that can recognize undesired plants and spray them with high-precision herbicides, lowering input costs and enhancing efficiency. Farms can be automated with sowing robots and drones watering plants in the field. Carbon Robotics, a Seattle-based firm, has developed a weed-eating robot that can drive itself through fields. A variety of companies have developed apple-picking robots and nursery devices.

Food traceability

The use of blockchain technology to track food is gradually gaining traction. Blockchain provides the capacity to instantly trace the movement of a food product and its ingredients through all supply chain steps. This decreases the risk of foodborne illness at every stage of the supply chain, as well as the time it takes to correct or contain contamination or outbreaks. It also allows customers to track the origins of their food from farm to fork.

Farm analytics

Farm analytics systems regulate irrigation and fertilizer distribution equipment based on connected sensor data and crop imaging analysis. Farmers can more effectively detect and predict deficits with smart monitoring, which integrates meteorological and soil data with nutrient and irrigation systems to increase resource usage and yields. Sensors can also send imagery from far-flung parts of fields, assisting farmers in making timely decisions and receiving early indications of potential problems such as disease or pests.

Farmer Infomation system

Rather than having a buyer-seller relationship, cooperatives and international trade businesses have sought to integrate farmers and producers into their supply chains. Two examples include increased traceability and the creation of farm-level intelligence systems to track agricultural yield at the individual partner level.