Regular readers of this blog know that it often touches on several recurring topics. One of them is the need for smart young people to join the agriculture and agrochemical industries. Some people assume that these fields are shrinking, but actually, experts expect to see a surge of new jobs in the coming years. For those who recently graduated college or will be graduating soon and are unsure of what their next step should be, it’s a good idea to explore a career in agriculture. Constant OpportunityAccording to a 2015 announcement from former United States Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, close to 60,000 new jobs are expected to open up each year in the agriculture and related industries in the United States alone. A report from Purdue University and the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture indicates that more than half of those jobs are filled by college graduates with specialized skills and training. A commonly held myth about farming is that most people in the industry lack any formal training or higher education, but nothing could be further from the truth. Throughout the field of agriculture, there are literally thousands of roles available to college graduates. Perhaps even more interestingly, statistics indicate that only slightly more than half of those roles are filled by graduates who studied a subject closely related to agriculture while pursuing their degree. While a background in the field may be useful to have, it’s still entirely possible to thrive in this line of work without having learned much about it in school. If you’re able to learn fast and tackle new challenges, you can find a way to make yourself valuable. Diverse OptionsOne of the reasons people who haven’t studied agriculture still find rewarding jobs in the industry is simple: there are many different roles to fill, requiring a pool of job candidates representing a wide variety of talents and areas of expertise. For example, you may not have had much interest in the science of farming during your time as a student, but you may have been drawn to innovations in mobile technology. People with these types of interests have found recent success in the field of agriculture and agrochemicals. Farmers are always looking for ways to maximize their crop yield. This isn’t simply because doing so allows them to make more money. The fact is, the more food they can grow, the more food there is to share with the global population. When they boost their crop yield, the entire community benefits. In their efforts to grow more food, farmers have turned to a number of technological innovations to facilitate more precise methods of cultivating and protecting their crops. Many now use aerial drones to get a bird’s-eye view of their fields (and, perhaps one day, to distribute agrochemicals), unmanned tractors and similar farming equipment to complete work more efficiently, and even remote monitoring stations to keep a close eye on how healthy their crops are. Although the application of these tools has occurred only fairly recently, evidence suggests that the trend won’t be slowing down anytime soon. As such, farmers will need technologically minded people to design more effective machines and programs and come up with the best possible ways to apply them. This is just one example of the kind of role you could find in the agriculture industry, even if you didn’t study a subject directly related to it. The point is, no matter where your interests and talents lie, you’ll still have the opportunity to forge a career in agriculture. Rewarding WorkStudents are often idealistic people. They may seek a career that rewards them financially, allows them to put their skills to good use, and makes the world a better place.
While humankind has come a long way since the first hunter-gatherer tribes began to adopt a more agrarian lifestyle, we still rely on farms to supply us with our food. By working in agriculture, a young person can have the chance to contribute to the global community, using their expertise to help in the fight against hunger. The stimulating, interesting work is just an added bonus. If you’re looking for an industry that will give you a sense of purpose but requires drive and intelligence as well, look into the kind of work you could do in the agrochemical or agriculture industries. With a creative application of your education or talents, you could find a perfect fit. A common theme in this blog is the idea that people outside the agriculture and agrochemical industries don’t truly appreciate how important these fields are. There are variety of valid reasons this is the case. First, the media rarely covers the industry in detail. Second, public schools don’t teach students much about agriculture outside of a historical perspective. Finally, popular culture often depicts farming as old-fashioned work. As a result, people who don’t directly participate in these industries either don’t think much about them at all, or they don’t realize the major role agriculture plays in the lives of everyone on the planet. However, it would behoove people to consider the significance of agriculture. Farms benefit the population of a given area. Quite simply, farms provide a reliable source of food that profoundly affects society in a variety of ways. In fact, agriculture is the reason civilization was able to develop to begin with. The Significance of the Transition to an Agrarian SocietyPrior to the emergence of agrarian societies, human beings were primarily hunter-gatherers. That meant moving to an area, exhausting the supply of food, then moving on somewhere else. This way of living didn’t allow for a structured civilization to evolve. Moving from one place to another made it difficult to focus resources on arts, medicine, science, technology, etc. It also prevented civilizations from passing down the kinds of cultural traditions which allow for a society to form strong bonds. Thanks to the development of organized farming, that changed. When humans began to grow food, it was easier for them to settle down in one place. This gave them the opportunity to work towards other important endeavors, laying the foundation for the human civilization we enjoy today. However, it’s important to keep in mind that the food supplied by farmers doesn’t merely benefit those who live in the immediate area. In the early days of human societies, that may have been the case. However, now that we have efficient forms of transportation capable of moving large quantities of food, that food has global significance. A Reliable Food Supply Promotes Political StabilityMany of the conflicts that have taken place throughout human history stem from, among a variety of other relevant factors, competition for resources. In the distant past, this took the form of rival societies fighting with one another for food and shelter. Unfortunately, in more recent history, not much has changed. Conflicts still stem from an imbalance of resources. When people’s essential needs are taken care of, they are more secure and fulfilled. On the other hand, when nations and populations experience an insufficient or unreliable supply of food, the result can be social, economic, and political instability. It’s simply the principle of self-preservation in action. This means that the agricultural industry is in the position to help promote world peace. The more food that farms can produce, the more food can be shared with the people of the world. As resources become more widely available to everyone on the planet, there will be less need for conflict. True, farms can’t entirely rid the world of war - competition for resources plays a major role, but it isn’t the only cause of conflict. However, the agriculture industry can help to significantly decrease the amount of global violence that occurs in the long run. The Role of AgrochemicalsThat’s why it’s also necessary to understand the role agrochemicals play in ensuring political and social stability around the globe. Agrochemicals work to ensure that farmers can maximize their crop yield. They fertilize the soil for robust growth, prevent pests from destroying crops, and eliminate weeds that might otherwise deprive crops of their full nutrition.
The more effective agrochemicals are, and the more widely-used they are, the easier it is for farms to grow more food as well as ensure that the food grown is of high nutritional quality. As has been demonstrated in this blog entry, the more food farmers can grow, the more people they can feed. The more people have food security, the less global conflict there will be. Again, none of this is to suggest that farms hold the key to world peace. That said, too many people undervalue the role of farms. Remember, they served as the first building blocks of human civilization. Even today, with our advanced technologies and medicines, society would crumble if farms suddenly disappeared. No matter how far a society advances, people still need food. As has been shown in the past, when sufficient amounts of high-quality food are widely available, people are much more likely to be cooperative, devoting their energies to productive tasks instead of destructive ones. Make no mistake about it, agriculture and agrochemicals have global significance. As has been covered frequently in this blog, agriculture is one of the oldest industries known to humankind - some might even say it’s the oldest, full stop. However, that doesn’t mean that the work of farming today resembles that of thousands of years ago. In fact, it doesn’t even resemble farming from 50 years ago. Just like any other field, agriculture is constantly adapting to new technological changes and embracing new innovations. For those who work in the industry, implementing new methods of boosting crop yields have resulted in increased profits. Additionally, in many instances, precision agriculture has also allowed farmers to simplify processes that once may have proven tedious or time-consuming. By taking advantage of emerging technologies and staying on top of new farming methods, they’ve streamlined their tasks and become more efficient. That said, you don’t need to work in the industry to benefit. When farms produce more food, the global population as a whole is better off. What is precision agriculture?To better understand why precision agriculture is so important, it pays to spend a little bit of time getting familiar with the concept. Precision agriculture refers to a broad constellation of farming tools, techniques, and methods used to manage production within individual fields of crops. A single blog post can’t begin to cover every subtopic that falls under the larger heading of precision agriculture. On the other hand, having a deeper familiarity with what this approach to farming entails can allow everyone - from casual readers to industry veterans - to more fully appreciate how the industries of agriculture and agrochemicals are always developing. Quite simply, precision agriculture involves farmers’ ability to hone in more closely on the specific needs of small sections of crops. In the past, it was difficult to monitor particular plants that closely. The approach of trying to determine which crops were thriving and which were not on a case-by-case basis did not lend itself to efficiency. Unfortunately, this often meant that crop yields were not optimized. Additionally, resources like fertilizer, herbicides, and other agrochemicals were sometimes wasted. What would happen without precision agriculture?As an example, imagine that in one small section of a farm, there is an even smaller section of crops that do not appear to be receiving sufficient nutrition. Without precision farming techniques, there were generally two potential outcomes in a situation like this one. In the first scenario, a farmer might discover that some crops in this section were not receiving all the nutrients they needed. He or she would then correct the problem by applying fertilizer or any other necessary resources throughout the entire section of the field. While this may have been effective when it came to helping the unhealthy plants thrive, it was also wasteful. Many of the other plants in that section of the field didn’t need additional nutrients, so fertilizer and other resources are wasted on crops that already have all the nutrients they require. The other potential outcome wasn’t any better. If those unhealthy crops were a small part of a larger section, surrounded primarily by healthier crops, the farmer might overlook them. This would deny those crops the additional resources they required to grow as fully as possible. Such a practice may have prevented waste, but it also meant that those crops wouldn’t grow. Additionally, the amount of food the farm produced wasn’t as substantial as it could have been. How does precision agriculture address these issues? Precision agriculture represents an attempt to solve this problem. A large component of precision agriculture involves using technologies like aerial drones to create detailed maps of a field. These maps divide crops into much smaller sections than they previously would have been. This allows a farmer to account for a greater number of potential variables that could impact the health of a given set of crops.
Suppose a farmer recognizes that the crops in one area seem to be less healthy than those that surround them. By using precision agriculture, he or she can more effectively provide those crops with the resources they need. Furthermore, farmers can do so without wasting resources on crops that don’t need them. Precision agriculture also allows a farmer to identify small areas where crops seem healthier than normal. By taking stock of the numerous variables and factors that might account for this, farmers can more easily determine what steps they should take to ensure all their crops are just as healthy. This doesn’t just help farms make more money. First and foremost, it helps them to grow more food for the people of the world. That’s why precision agriculture is important, whether you work in the industry or not. As this approach to farming continues to develop, the fight against hunger could get much easier. Although the agricultural and agrochemical industries are essential to human civilization, they don’t get a lot of press. Those interested in the topic may read trade journals, relevant news stories, and blogs like this one. Unfortunately, however, the general public doesn’t seem consistently concerned with agricultural news and innovation. That’s worth changing. When more people understand the significance of an industry, they’re more likely to see ways in which their talents can be useful. To attract the best minds, it’s necessary to appeal to as wide a range of people as possible. One of the best ways to accomplish this is to be in the news. When people are reminded of the existence of an industry - and the work being done in that industry - they perceive it as worthy of their attention. Additionally, covering newsworthy topics through an original lens can increase a news outlet’s engaged readership or viewership. With that in mind, the following are some simple recommendations for angles the news media might consider when covering agriculture and agrochemicals. Doing so could not only help generate greater interest in related careers, but also increase readership or improve ratings. TechnologyAlthough many people still think of farming as “old-fashioned” work, nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, farmers tend to stay on top of the latest technological developments, applying them to their work in order to boost their overall crop yield. For example, aerial drones have been a popular topic in tech publications in recent years. Primarily, reporters have focused on covering the military and consumer applications of these devices. However, drones are also sure to play a key role in the future of agriculture. Farmers have demonstrated an interest in using drones to monitor crops, distribute agrochemicals, and save time. There’s also increased demand now for unmanned, Internet-capable farming equipment, like tractors. Essentially, there is a robotic revolution set to begin in the agricultural and agrochemical industries. People who are interested in the newest advances in technology would be interested in learning more. GeopoliticsAgriculture serves as the foundation for societies. By providing a reliable supply of food, agriculture led to the end of the hunter-gatherer period in human history. It ushered in a time when people had greater opportunities to focus on science, art, mathematics, and the various other pursuits that allow civilizations to flourish. To this day, agriculture still plays that role. Unfortunately, however, hunger has not been completely eradicated. Food is a key resource, and major geopolitical conflicts often stem from competition for resources. As such, agriculture has a significant effect on just about all major global issues. To provide audiences with a full perspective on geopolitical issues, reporters should spend more time covering how food supplies impact events. Additionally, news outlets could also address how agriculture can affect their resolution. HealthAs the popularity of health magazines, talk shows, and websites indicates, the general public is very interested in health-related topics. This seems like a perfect fit for reporters aiming to cover agriculture more frequently. A key component of health is nutrition. Without an adequate food supply, getting proper nutrition is difficult - arguably impossible. Audiences want to know where their food is coming from, what types of farming techniques allow for production of the healthiest food, and more. This information ties directly into one of their key interests. BusinessAgriculture is still an industry, but it’s unique compared to many others. Today’s digital age means a rapidly-changing business landscape. A company that seems poised for global success one month can be rendered obsolete the next. Another company may come along at any time with an offering that makes previous iterations of a product or service redundant. It can be difficult to predict which niche industries will stick around, and which will fizzle out over time. That’s not the case with agriculture and agrochemicals. People will always need food, so they will always need farms. This makes agriculture an interesting topic for a business reporter to cover. So much business news these days focuses on niche offerings that might not be relevant six months down the line. Farming, on the other hand, will always be relevant. This means reporters have a chance to explore how businesses operate - and innovate - when offering a service that they know will remain necessary in perpetuity. There are many interesting angles to consider, which would make it easy to attract readers. One of the simplest ways to attract greater talent to an industry is to ensure that people understand their talents are applicable. If people get a chance to read more news stories about agriculture and agrochemicals, they’ll see how they can contribute, when they might not have before. The agriculture and agrochemical industries are always looking for bright young minds interested in making a difference. Although some people think of farming as old-fashioned or a technologically unsophisticated industry, the truth is that farmers have always embraced the latest innovations and technologies. When science, engineering, botany, and a host of other disciplines are applied to agriculture, crop yields improve and food production increases. One example of this is the growing interest in precision agriculture, which harnesses the power of technology and data to help farmers respond more effectively to the varying conditions that exist within and across their fields of crops. With precision agriculture, farmers have a better understanding of the health and productiveness of their crops—even down to the last square foot—and can tend to them more efficiently. Related to this is the growing demand for aerial drones and unmanned tractors that can assist farmers in their work. The latest advances in science continue to shape the agricultural industry. That’s good for everyone. The more food farmers can grow, the more food there is for the global population. Because of this critical need, it’s important that those working in the fields of agriculture and agrochemicals strive to make them appealing to students who are eager to use their skills and carry these industries into the future. Encouraging the Next Generation of the Agriculture Industry It isn’t always easy to convince someone that a potential career or industry is worth their attention if they haven’t considered it before. Many people form their initial ideas about what types of work they will pursue when they are children. While few actually grow up to become exactly what they dreamed of in childhood, they usually follow a path that they learned about in their youth. Getting kids interested in a career in the agriculture industry may be particularly difficult for this reason. Most people have never visited a farm and many may not even consider where their food comes from at all—as long as it’s available in their local supermarket, they don’t think about it. For most people, farming is an abstract idea, not an everyday reality. That’s why it’s a good idea for teachers to consider assigning their young students a project which involves running a “mock” farm. Ideally, this would happen in a science class, though it could also overlap with one on economics. There are likely many smart kids out there who falsely assume that the work of a farmer isn’t one that requires much intelligence. They don’t know that there are many ways they could actually thrive in this field. By giving them a broader perspective on agriculture and agrochemicals, schools can help drive more talented individuals to this type of work. Designing a Mock Farm Project The project itself can take on a variety of potential forms, depending on the resources available and the age of the students. If there is space on school property, a teacher could petition administrators to let them create a small crop field. Obviously, this type of project will require not only space, but also fertile land that can facilitate plant growth. Regardless, it would give students an opportunity to explore the field of agriculture in a fun, interactive manner. By actually being tasked with growing crops and taking steps to optimize their crop yield, students will come away with a better understanding of the many factors that must be addressed in modern farming. Again, a teacher might also consider approaching the project from the angle of economics. This is especially smart if there isn’t any place on school grounds where students can grow crops. The project would involve providing students with a fake budget, which they would use to “buy” tracks of land, as well as all the resources necessary to optimize their farm, such as drones, unmanned tractors, and agrochemical supplies. They would also make decisions about what to grow, to whom they would sell their products, or how many people they would hire. Essentially, the project would require students to make the kinds of decisions they would have to make if they ran a business. The business itself would simply happen to be a farm. Because the students wouldn’t actually be managing any real farms, the teacher wouldn’t be able to evaluate them on the outcomes of their decisions. Instead, the teacher could require students to create a report—perhaps in the form of an essay or an oral presentation—explaining how and why they made some of their key decisions. This enables teachers to assess whether their students had a thorough grasp of the economic principles they were attempting to teach. A mock farm project can be modified to fit the needs of any class, so it isn’t important to get too hung up on the details at first. What’s most important is ensuring that the students get the chance to see that there is more than enough room for smart, committed people in the agriculture and agrochemical industries. Ideally, it will inspire them to pursue careers in these fields later on in life. One common theme in this blog is that the ways in which farmers optimize their crop yields are always evolving. Although agriculture may seem like an old-fashioned line of work to people outside of the industry, farms have come a long way since the first hunter-gatherer tribes slowly began making the switch to a more agrarian society thousands of years ago. This trend of growth and evolution continues to this day. With this in mind, there are some very practical reasons why people should pay attention to the latest technologies and methods employed by the agricultural industry. For example, by identifying areas where farmers need additional resources or tools in order to facilitate the deployment of innovative farming methods, individuals and organizations could find themselves in a position to benefit professionally and financially. And of course, everyone benefits when farms are able to grow more food while having less of an impact on the environment. As this blog has previously discussed, farmers looking to save time while also improving their crops are turning to new technologies like aerial drones, unmanned farm equipment, and remote monitoring stations to perform their work with greater ease and precision. They can fly drones great distances to survey their land and even distribute necessary agrochemicals, and they can scale back their operations by using unmanned equipment, like tractors. This strategy not only saves money, but it also lets farmers redirect their workers’ energies to other necessary tasks. Another useful innovation is the remote monitoring station, which farmers can place throughout their fields to constantly check the health of their crops and instantly obtain important information that could help farmers reduce their water use or better manage pests. These recent tools represent only a few of the numerous new technologies available, and it’s very likely that the industry will implement even more innovations in the near future. However, these inventions all share a common trait: they use mobile technology to send data to farmers remotely. Unfortunately, this attribute is one of the reasons why these technologies have yet to become widespread. These new technological tools won’t work without significant infrastructure in place to facilitate mobile communications. However, mobile carriers have primarily focused on erecting towers and installing antennas in high-population areas, like major cities and roadways, where the majority of their customers are located. This means that rural and underdeveloped areas remain without the mobile technology infrastructure necessary to take advantage of the many farming innovations. Unfortunately, many farms are based in low-population areas. This is especially the case if the farm itself is particularly large. From the point of view of a mobile carrier, this chunk of land isn’t a sensible place to build a new antenna tower. There are no houses, no major highways, no businesses—just farmland, with a very low surrounding population density. There simply aren’t enough customers in the area to justify the investment. However, with the wide variety of new technological tools hitting the agricultural market recently, farmers are set to become big consumers of mobile technology services. It would, therefore, greatly benefit mobile carriers to pay attention to the evolving needs and demands of the agricultural industry.
There are currently significant gaps in coverage near many farms. Therefore, farmers looking to implement a tool like aerial drones or remote monitoring stations won’t be able to shop around for the best mobile carrier. Instead, they’ll simply give their business to whichever company happens to bring reliable coverage and service to the area first. Thus, the carrier who puts in place the needed infrastructure early on will be the one to reap the greatest benefits of this new business opportunity. Even when other mobile carriers follow suit, the company that got there first will still be in a position to profit. Typically, municipalities do not allow carriers to erect additional towers if there are already existing ones on which the companies can place their antennas. This means that carriers who are late to the market must pay rent to the carrier who owns the tower in order to put up their antennas. This will provide an additional stream of revenue to the carrier who first built the infrastructure around these farms. At first glance, agriculture (and, of course, agrochemicals) and politics may not seem to have a tremendous amount to do with one another. When people think about global affairs and political issues, they tend to focus on subjects like war, the economy, and the justice system, to name a few. However, agriculture has a direct connection to all of these concerns, and this has been true for the entirety of human civilization. It’s important to understand and appreciate this relationship. Whenever someone discusses the agrochemical industry, whether this person is an entrepreneur, investor, educator, or everyday citizen, he or she shouldn’t do so through a limited perspective. Farming is a major political issue, and by treating it as such, societies and countries can make better decisions about how to use agriculture to further their goals and provide for their citizens. Keeping the People HappyAt the most basic level, the function of a society is to provide for the survival and, ideally, overall health and contentment of its citizens. In humankind’s early days, communities often formed tribes to achieve these ends. Today, we’re more accustomed to national governments being the organizing force behind a society. While these two incarnations of the same idea may not greatly resemble one another, they still share the common purpose of keeping their members as satisfied as possible with their lifestyles. It’s fairly obvious that ensuring people remain fed is essential to running a successful society. Without enough food, a population can’t survive. Because of this, farms have played a major role in human civilization for thousands of years. For most of human history, agriculture has been the means by which a group produces its food. While countries have come a long way from the primitive tribes of the distant past, they still need to ensure that their agricultural foundation is robust and healthy. Farms enable a country to fulfill its main purpose of caring for its citizens. When the people of a country are unhappy with their government’s inability to provide for their basic needs, crime, civil unrest, and economic struggle are all potential consequences. With this in mind, voters should consider a politician’s stance on issues like agricultural and agrochemical use before lending their support to a candidate. While this topic may not be popular on political talk shows or in newspaper editorials, it is, in fact, highly significant. Improving International RelationsWhether it involves two rival tribes fighting over territory or several nations engaged in lengthy combat, conflict between societies has plagued civilization for all of recorded history. Though wars are fought for a variety of reasons, from conflicting ideological beliefs to territorial disputes, one of the most common reasons two societies engage in combat is simple: the need for key resources. Many of the earliest wars stemmed from a limited amount of food available in a given region. Seeing no way to share the food evenly between them, tribes fought over this essential resource. Thousands of years later, a lack of resources is still a primary factor in whether countries declare war on one another. The more effectively farms can grow food, the more food there will be to share. If all societies can provide for their citizens’ basic needs, then they will be free to improve their relations with one another. True, there will always be other factors that result in disagreement—claiming that efficient farms will eliminate war entirely is naïve—but with decreased competition for resources, there will be one fewer reason for nations to resort to armed combat. The farms of today are immensely more productive than those of the early human tribes. Thanks to innovations like fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides, we can protect our crops from illness and substantially boost the amount of food an individual farm can yield. Moreover, the agricultural industry hasn’t stopped innovating. Developments ranging from precision agriculture (an approach to farming that involves using data, tools, and special techniques to maximize a farm’s efficiency) to unmanned drones that can monitor crops and distribute agrochemicals are all worth paying attention to. Political leaders, especially, should take note. Whether they serve on the board of a small town or negotiate treaties with other nations, elected officials should keep in mind that the more productive farms are, the easier it is to reduce conflict. Again, not many people immediately link agriculture and politics, and this is something that needs to change. Educators should focus more on this topic in schools, and journalists should approach political coverage from this perspective more often. Society will no doubt benefit as a result. Agriculture and agrochemicals often get overlooked when people discuss the industries and fields that contribute the most to society. This is understandable. Farms have been around for literally thousands of years. As a result, it’s become easy to take them for granted. Doing so involves ignoring one key fact, though: agriculture may very well be the “backbone” of all civilization. True, this might sound like an audacious statement to make, but upon closer inspection, it holds up. Pre-agricultural nomadic tribesExperts agree that, prior to the development of agriculture, humans were generally hunter-gatherers. They lived in tribes, moving from one area to another to find and consume food. This type of living left little room for art, science, medicine, or any of the countless advances and innovations that are necessary for the growth and success of a society. It wasn’t that those pursuits served no practical purpose for pre-agricultural tribes—it was simply that the people living in those tribes didn’t have any opportunities to focus on them. It’s widely accepted that the primary reason humans formed communities to begin with was to provide for their own survival. They found that it was easier to survive if they cooperated with others who could support them. In turn, they would offer their own skills and resources to the tribe. Everyone had a role to play, essentially. Unfortunately, in hunter-gatherer societies, those roles were limited—everyone focused on procuring food and shelter. The demand for self-preservation drove the tribe from one location to another, following the seasons. After they had exhausted the immediately available resources, they moved on. They could not put down roots, and so they could not invest any attention toward endeavors that did not support the hunter-gatherer lifestyle. Agriculture changes everythingWhen humans learned that, instead of pursuing food, they could cultivate it, they had found a completely new way of life that allowed them to abandon the hunter-gatherer approach and adopt one that allowed them to remain in one place. Although early farming was most likely not easy, it was almost certainly not as physically, mentally, and emotionally taxing as hunter-gatherer living. In addition, agriculture had another benefit: it enabled the human population to grow faster than ever before. Farmers were able to coax more food out of the land than a hunter-gatherer could ever collect, and they could ensure a more consistent, year-round supply that wasn’t so totally dependent on the whims of nature. Agriculture also allowed for surpluses of food—and because people were sedentary, they could store their surpluses and access them during lean times, as protection against starvation. All these developments made possible a larger, healthier population. What’s more, in an early agricultural civilization, there was now room (and more people available) to devote energy toward other pursuits, instead of simply those that allowed a tribe to most effectively travel, hunt, and forage. Those who identified the healing properties of certain foods and herbs, for example, could communicate their findings to the rest of the community, allowing them to treat others who were sick or injured; this served as the foundation for the development of medicine. To make the most of a farm, it was important to have a strong understanding of the role the seasons played in food production, and the best conditions for plants to grow. This resulted in humans acquiring an understanding of subjects like astronomy and botany. With more free time available, members of these early societies began to look for ways in which they could keep themselves occupied. Because of this, we now have sports, theatre, literature, and all the other arts and fields that enrich our lives. While hunter-gatherer living was focused mainly on keeping people alive, agriculture was the first major development in human history that made it possible for the full scope of human activity to flourish. It also allowed for greater cooperation among different communities. In the past, groups were competing for the few resources available in a particular area. By learning that they could grow their own food, instead of hunting it, there may have been less need to compete with others. They could instead form alliances. Over the centuries, these alliances grew into the geopolitical entities—such as cities and nations—that are familiar today. Later on, beginning with the Industrial Revolution, agrochemicals played a major role, of course. They greatly increased the amount and quality of food a farm could produce. The advances mentioned above benefited greatly from the use of chemicals that could protect crops from disease, pests, and competing plants. That’s why it is by no means an exaggeration to claim that agriculture and agrochemicals serve as the backbone of human civilization. Had they never been developed, humans would still be hunting for food, gathering as much of it as they could, and abandoning a region when it no longer served useful to their needs. By giving tribes the ability to grow their food instead of seeking it out, agriculture gave them the chance to truly build their societies. Mobile technology has had a tremendous (and positive) impact on the lives of people all over the world. These devices allow users to connect with friends, navigate roads, and research any topic with the click of a button. Consumers aren’t the only ones who have improved their lives through the use of smartphones and tablets, however. Business owners have also found that “smart” devices and products that are part of the Internet of Things allow them to boost productivity, more efficiently manage tasks, and address problems quickly. Farmers, too, can benefit from these innovations. While some may still see the agriculture and agrochemical industries as “old-fashioned” arenas that rarely employ new technology, this is a misperception. Agriculture - A High-Tech IndustryAs the rise of precision agriculture indicates, farmers are constantly implementing the latest tools to increase their crop yields and supply more high-quality food to people around the world. Whether they are using aerial drones to monitor their crops or relying on unmanned vehicles to perform daily tasks, agricultural professionals are often on the forefront of emerging technologies. That’s why farmers should pay attention to the kinds of benefits they can enjoy if they make use of mobile devices and IoT applications. Developers tend to respond to market demand. There are many applications for this type of technology in the work of farming. However, if the people who create the technology aren’t motivated to by consumer demand, they’ll be much slower in tailoring their products to the agricultural industries. It’s up to farmers, agrochemical suppliers, and other professionals to make it clear how these products can and ought to be used on a farm. Monitoring Crops with TechnologyFor example, farmers looking to get the most out of their crops know that it’s important to monitor them. Monitoring helps identify instances in which a particular set of crops may need additional nutrients, herbicides, pesticides, or other treatment. In the past, this typically required sending out actual workers to visually inspect crops on a regular basis. This is an inefficient way of performing this task, but until recently, there was not any other option. Technology has changed that. Farmers can, theoretically, install monitoring stations throughout their land. These stations will remotely supply them with data about the health of the crops in that particular area. By simply checking their mobile devices, farmers will see whether or not a crop needs any additional work or attention in order to properly thrive. Managing Resources with Technology Technology won’t merely allow farmers to boost crop yield (although this is an important benefit, as it results in more food for people to consume). It will also give agricultural professionals the opportunity to make more efficient use of their resources. For example, this means that workers who would have previously been sent into the field to assess the state of a crop can instead focus on other necessary tasks. Rather than applying agrochemicals randomly, farmers will know precisely which crops need additional pesticides and which don’t, making it easier to conserve their supply. Instead of converting nearby areas to farmland, the increase in crop yield means farmers will be able to rely on their current land, preserving natural habitats as a result. This is merely one application for mobile technology in the agricultural industries. The unmanned vehicles mentioned earlier can also be equipped with devices that provide information on their condition, so farmers can make any necessary repairs before the machinery breaks down entirely. The potential uses for IoT devices are seemingly limitless. Additionally, if history is any indication, innovative thinkers will certainly introduce new ideas - and in the near future. Challenges with the Implementation of Agricultural Technology Of course, there are roadblocks standing in the way of these developments. Many farms are still located in rural areas with low population density. As such, the infrastructure necessary to support this type of intense mobile tech use may not be in place.
That’s another reason professionals in the agricultural industries should clearly express their interest in such innovations. By making it clear to tech developers that there is a demand for these products, they’ll be developed and made available more quickly. Additionally, wireless companies will also recognize the demand and respond accordingly, building the cell towers required to support these applications. Anyone familiar with the nuances of agriculture knows that increasing efficiency and productivity is a key goal of all farmers. Throughout human history, farmers have identified useful processes and technologies, incorporating them into their work to achieve these goals. As mobile tech becomes more and more ubiquitous, it’s important that farmers continue this trend, embracing the potential uses for these products. As with any major industry, if you’re not directly involved, you may fall prey to misconceptions. This is especially the case with the agriculture and agrochemical industries. Perhaps misconceptions occur because this type of work is highly specialized, but it’s not highly publicized. Since movie stars and directors are constantly in the news, many ordinary people have a reasonable familiarity with the workings of the entertainment industry. When it comes to agriculture, however, unless you are an active participant in the industry, you may not be exposed to the latest news and trends. As such, it’s reasonable that you may have misconceptions. This blog post serves to challenge three of those misconceptions, illustrating why agricultural and agrochemical work is important and showcasing why these industries have some of the most significant potential for technological and social progress Misconception 1: Farming Is an Archaic IndustryAs has been pointed out by numerous experts and historians, agriculture is among humankind’s oldest industries. Because of this, it makes sense that some people have a tendency to regard it as an outdated practice that is no longer relevant to society as a whole. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. The vast majority of the food we consume is generated through farming. As any global history expert can confirm, the amount of food available to a population plays a major role in that society's development and stability. Without farms, the world as we know it would look remarkably different from the one with which we are familiar. Quite simply, agriculture is essential to maintaining order in human society. It’s had this effect for literally thousands of years and, there’s currently no reason to suspect that it won’t continue to do so. Misconception 2: Agriculture Is a Technologically Outdated IndustryThis misconception is an extension of the one above. Just as many people assume that farms are a relic of the past, they may also assume that the farms that do still exist are stuck in the past. People who don’t keep current with the shifts and developments in major technologies may assume that farms have failed to inspire further technological progress. Not so. The principles of precision agriculture - using advanced methods and tools to maximize crop yield - have resulted in the implementation of numerous new technologies in the effort to grow more food and to limit the amount of land that needs to be converted to farmland. These technologies include, but are not limited to, unmanned aerial drones that monitor crop growth and potentially distribute agrochemicals; unmanned agricultural equipment that can reduce much of the human labor necessary for farming; and remote monitoring stations that alert farmers to the condition and needs of certain crops. Those are just a few examples of how agriculture helps to move technology forward, which is beneficial to human society as a whole. Historically, when a technology is developed for one purpose, others quickly find new applications for it. This will undoubtedly be the case with various new technologies that are currently being used in the agriculture and agrochemical industries. Right now, they help farmers to get the most out of their land (which also helps to keep people fed). However, in the future, others will find new ways to make use of these tools. Misconception 3: Farming Is Not Intellectually ChallengingThroughout the world, there has been a stereotype of farmers as stoic laborers who work strictly with their hands, facing few if any intellectual challenges in their work. This is a strange misconception, although it’s a persistent one.
In order to make efficient use of farmland, one must have an in-depth understanding of the numerous variables which go into growing healthy, robust crops. Farmers also need to be able to understand how to use new technologies, such as those discussed above, to their best advantage. In addition, the people actually involved in creating these and other technologies - such as newer and stronger agrochemicals - need to be highly-educated, with creative minds and a passion for innovation. This is why how schools teach agriculture is important. Many students may not be drawn to the idea of pursuing a career in the agricultural or agrochemical industries if they believe that technology and innovation play only a minor role. Of course, the real truth is that these industries are ideal for those seeking a job that will provide them with constant mental stimulation. Farming will continue to benefit from the brightest minds in the world, and the world as a whole will continue to benefit from farms. |