The increasing impacts of extreme weather from climate change means it is essential we balance our need to feed the world with our environmental impact, and space-based technologies can support the shift to sustainable agriculture and food production.
Agriculture faces a plethora of challenges: population growth, diminishing arable land, and the growing impacts of climate change. These pressures exist alongside increasing operational costs, environmental regulations and the need for sustainable practices. Efficient and sustainable farming solutions can drive transformation by increasing productivity whilst reducing costs, waste and environmental impact.
The agricultural sector requires ongoing support from both agencies and policymakers to transition effectively to sustainable production. European and national policies are supporting the transformation to sustainable agriculture and initiatives like the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and the EU’s Green Deal are steering the industry towards efficient and environmentally friendly practices.
Integrating space technologies into agricultural practices boosts efficiency and supports the agricultural sector to become part of the solution to global environmental challenges. For example, satellite navigation can transform operational efficiency with real-time tracking of farm machinery and optimised routes and enabling virtual fencing and tracking of livestock.
Precision farming aims to deliver the right output, such as water or fertiliser, at the right time, reducing costs and waste. Real-time tracking, automation and the Internet of Things (IoT) are at the heart of these sustainable practices.
Satellite Earth observation data can be used to monitor conditions which impact crop yields, such as soil moisture, predicted weather, and other environmental events and satellite communication then provides resilient and secure data transmission.
Earth observation plays a key role in ensuring agricultural practices comply to policy, enabling closer monitoring of the supply chains essential to food production and helping predict future food supplies. This essential data can support farmers adapt to extreme climate events and enhance resilience across the industry.
Technological advancement in agriculture is also supported on the International Space Station (ISS) and other microgravity environments which provide a novel laboratory to study plant biology and cultivation techniques. This microgravity research can improve practices on Earth with the potential for stronger crops and new cultivation techniques.
Join our newsletter to never miss new reports!
The ESA Business Incubation Centres (ESA BICs) are Europe’s premier commercialisation network for supporting space start-ups. Operating in 36 centres across 23 European countries and with over 100 locations, ESA...
The European Space Agency (ESA) has signed a Letter of Intent with GEOSAT, marking an important milestone in advancing Europe’s space commercialisation landscape. Through ESA’s Partnership Initiative for Commercialisation (EPIC),...
“Our goal is not only to generate ideas, but to experiment, to test, to learn, and to collaborate. Because here in Redu, innovation is not a slogan, it’s a mindset.”...
Europe’s launch sector is undergoing a rapid transformation to meet the growing and diverse demand for access to space. Last week, amid these shifting dynamics, ESA invited the European space...
Held between September 8-12 in Brussels, the ESA Acceleration Days: Accelerate Urban Green Transition was organised in collaboration with the European Commission’s DG CLIMA and supported by a diverse group...
