Agriculture faces a plethora of major challenges in the modern age: population growth, diminishing arable land, and the growing impacts of climate change. These pressures exist alongside increasing operational costs driven by environmental regulations and the need for sustainable practices. Efficient and sustainable farming solutions can drive this transformation by increasing productivity while at the same time reducing costs, waste and environmental impact.
In addressing these challenges, the agricultural sector requires ongoing support from both agencies and policymakers to transition to sustainable production effectively. European and national policies are pivotal in supporting the transformation of agriculture towards sustainability. Initiatives like the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and the EU’s Green Deal are critical in steering the industry towards more efficient and environmentally friendly practices.
Integrating space technologies into agricultural practices not only boosts efficiency but also plays a role in making agriculture a part of the solution to global environmental challenges. The use of satellite navigation can transform farming practices by enabling real-time tracking of farm machinery and livestock. This technology facilitates optimised routes for machinery and virtual fencing for livestock, significantly enhancing operational efficiency.
Real-time tracking along with the Internet of Things (IoT) and automation are at the heart of practices like precision farming. This approach aims to deliver the right output (water, fertiliser, etc.) at exactly the right time, reducing costs and waste. In addition to navigation, space assets such as satellite communications can provide a secure means of data transmission for these approaches and can be complemented with Earth observation data to monitor soil moisture or to predict weather and other environmental events that could affect yield.
Earth observation also plays a role in monitoring agricultural practices and ensuring policy compliance. This data enables closer monitoring of supply chains for essential and misused food production, as well as help predict future food supplies. It gathers essential data for studying environmental shifts and supporting farmers in adapting to extreme climate events.
Agricultural advancement is also supported on the ISS and other microgravity environments. Space conditions provide a novel laboratory for studying plant biology and cultivation techniques. Research performed in microgravity on space stations can improve agricultural practices on Earth, potentially resulting in stronger crops and new cultivation techniques.
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