In an enormous indoor vegetable farm run by robots, 30,000 heads of lettuce are produced every day. This isn’t a scene from a sci-fi novel but a work in progress. By the summer of 2017, Japanese company Spread hopes to open the world’s first fully automated farm.
More than half of British farmland already uses precision farming techniques including sensor systems, cameras, drones, microphones, virtual field maps, analytics and GPS-guided tractors. These methods improve the efficiency of farm operations, allowing for better targeted fertiliser and agrochemical applications. Farmers using these technologies say they can save them time, energy and money.
Some believe technology offers scalable, global solutions to today’s food challenges. In Scotland for example, satellite technology helps monitor harmful algal blooms (pdf) that could affect the salmon industry. And as climate change brings about weather extremes, technology offering early warnings of problems can help farmers around the world make timely decisions.
The field of “ag-tech” is growing. Data from the Cleantech Group found that investment in agriculture and food technology increased from $157m in 2009 to $277m in 2013.
But are hi-tech headlines distracting us from simpler low-tech solutions? Are we caught up in ideas dreamed up in glass towers, worlds away from the realities of farming?
Join the discussion
Join a panel of experts on this page in the comments section below on Thursday 29 October between 1-2pm GMT to discuss the role of technology in food security. Questions we’ll explore:
- In what ways is technology addressing challenges in the food system?
- What are the exciting ag-tech innovations to look out for?
- What are the main challenges to scaling up the use of technology on farms? For example, the lack of internet in rural farming communities.
- How can farmers and technologists collaborate for success?
- Are we too focused on hi-tech and overlooking low-tech solutions?
- Is the job of a farmer changing?
The panel
Jayne Brookman, leads the food team, Knowledge Transfer Network
Chris Arsenault, food security correspondent, Thomson Reuters Foundation
Tom MacMillan, director of innovation, Soil Association
Hilary Sutcliff, director Matter, an NGO/think tank exploring responsible innovation
Andrew Mullins, technical manager, Origin Green
How to join
Make sure you’re a registered user of the Guardian, and join us in the comments section below. You can submit questions for the panel in advance using the form below or tweeting them to @GuardianSustBiz using #askGSB.
