“Agriculture 4.0, grows by 19% in 2023 compared to the previous year and is worth more than 2.5 billion euros. In this context, Research can make a decisive contribution, together with stakeholders, providing solutions and tools that can truly change the lives of our farmers. CREA is already working in this direction and is ready for alliances such as the one with the University of Tuscia to be even more incisive in the territories, starting from the Lazio Region” states the president of CREA, Prof. Andrea Rocchi, on the occasion of the workshop “The impact of technological innovation in agriculture: UniTUS research and CREA” organized by CREA, with its center for Engineering and Agri-food Transformations, and by the University of Tuscia.
When we talk about agriculture 4.0, we are referring to systems of satellite monitoring drones for land mapping through GIS systems, sensors capable of recording weather data and water requirements, forecasting tools for estimates (fertilizer or plant protection product requirements, phenological models and development of plant diseases), decision support tools (DSS) and predictive models.
But also, variable rate technology, assisted and automatic driving systems for agricultural machinery (with GPS), remote management and diagnostic tools for machinery or systems for the traceability of the product life cycle (blockchain, telemetry). Just to name a few of the most widespread examples. They are all cutting-edge technologies, developed for improve production and environmental performance of companies, minimizing negative impacts and raising the quality standards of agricultural products.
What are the benefits?
The economic implications are undeniable, with an increase in performance (productivity and profits), made possible by the adoption of more effective decisions in relation to the contexts. The benefits in terms of environmental sustainability are also significant, with the optimization of the use of resources, the reduction of waste and the reuse of scraps in a circular perspective. In this period of the year characterized by Drought the solutions offered by smart agriculture allow for a more rational use of water thanks to systems such as the Global Positioning System, applied by Engineering – a leading company in the IT sector, capable of mapping fields with precision systems. A technology compatible with
many cell phones equipped with GPS. GPS also allows growers to work well in field conditions low visibility such as dust, fog, rain and darkness. The generated maps can be used for precise application of water, fertilizers pesticides and herbicides, limiting the dispersion of these chemical products, optimising environmental sustainability, reducing costs or production costs while maximizing returns.
Thanks to automation and efficiency systems that reduce the physical and mental workload for farmers, working conditions and, more generally, safety also improve. Last but not least, it is possible to guarantee consumers greater traceability of agricultural products, through more widespread transparency along the supply chain.
Still limited diffusion
Despite the many solutions available to modernise agriculture, only 9% of agricultural land is managed with digital technologies and over 70% of farms use at least one and around 40% at least two.
The main investments concern machinery and monitoring systems (over 50%), management software (11%), data integration platforms (8%), crop mapping systems (8%) and decision support systems (5%) (source: Osservatori.Net’s Smart Agrifood Observatory). A phenomenon that is also recognized at policy level, to the point that rural development plans make available over 1.7 billion euros for digital innovation in business investments (PSP 2023-2027 data).