The agricultural industry has existed since the creation of human societies. And as societies have grown, so has our agriculture. From single-family farms to large agricultural enterprises, agriculture has evolved as our needs as human beings have changed. Climate change has drastically altered the state of the world, and industries like agriculture must revolutionize to combat its negative effects. The amount of usable land for agriculture has also diminished as human populations have grown. And governments across the world have begun to turn to smart technology to solve their agricultural crises. The European Union has created many programs to help farmers to modernize their agricultural ventures.
Like many countries across the world, EU member states are grappling with the threat of climate change on their increasing population. Climate change has hurt the weather and land, decreasing the amount of land available to grow the crops needed to feed Europe’s population. The EU has prioritized the modernization of European farms to help farms to produce more food while using fewer resources, all while reducing their overall impact on the environment. The European smart farming market is expected to grow rapidly in a short amount of time, with experts predicting it to reach €6.6 billion by 2023. By improving the technology already in use on farms and introducing smart technology to the field, the EU hopes to transform farming in Europe into an industry that is less wasteful and more productive. The EU’s goal in investing in smart agriculture is to make Europe the leader in tech-savvy and environmentally friendly farming, creating a model that the rest of the world can follow.
The Life GAIA Sense project is one of several EU funding programs designed to invest in ‘smart farming’ across Europe. Smart farming refers to the application of information and data technologies to the practice of farming. By utilizing data-driven insights generated by smart technology, farmers can optimize their agricultural ventures to save money and resources. The LIFE GAIA Sense program gives farmers funding to install sensors into their fields. These sensors can be used to monitor a variety of conditions in the field. These conditions can include soil moisture, plant health, pest monitoring, and other factors that affect the health of the crops. The data these sensors collect can be used by farmers to enhance the condition of their crops to prevent crop death and maximize the number of crops they can successfully harvest.
Other smart technology initiatives in Europe include investments in smart irrigation technology to reduce water consumption on farms. Some programs help to apply IoT technology to agricultural machinery to conduct preventative maintenance and avoid machine malfunction. With an ever-growing human population, it is more important than ever that we invest in smart technology to bring our farming practices into the 21st century. Smart technology has the power to increase productivity, decrease hard manual labor, and reduce our overall carbon footprint.