2024-01-19 10:06:49
Technology connects and supports farmers around the world
Cesar Galaviz, Global Farmers Network*
I live and work in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, but as a farmer, I have never felt more connected to the world and its challenges.
Customers from other countries can buy what I produce. Exchange rates modify the selling prices of my crops. A war on the other side of the planet may influence my planting decisions.
And there is climate change, which knows no borders and whose effects affect farmers around the world.
Technology also connects us, and I have become convinced that while it cannot solve all problems, it can solve many; and farmers need reliable access to the best practical applications that science can offer.
Here in the region known as Rio Fuerte Sur, I am a third generation farmer growing corn, beans, sorghum and mangoes. This is the most productive agricultural area in Mexico, where we can devote ourselves to almost anything: cereals, fruits and vegetables, livestock, etc.
I feel privileged to be able to produce in this place.
Yet farming is difficult, and it’s getting harder. Production costs continue to rise as we struggle to purchase the fertilizers and crop protection tools we need to nourish our fields and protect crops from destructive weeds, pests and diseases.
In Mexico we are facing a lack of rain. Water has become scarce, and without water, there is no agriculture. Recent events have forced us to reduce the number of hectares sown and harvested.
This is not a complaint, but a reality. A life on the farm is a life of resilience. Farmers must withstand difficulties, recover from setbacks and adapt to circumstances.
We also need to seize opportunities and, for 21st century farmers, that means adopting new technologies that allow us to find new ways to produce more food.
It all starts with seeds. We rarely think of seeds as forms of technology, but that is what they are. They are the result of deliberate selection, dating back to the earliest days of agriculture in the ancient world. In our time, with our extensive knowledge of genetics, we have created the best seeds farmers have ever known. They grow faster and stronger, giving us the means to feed billions of people.
But we need them to do more. With appropriate scientific advances, they can help us reduce production costs and increase the yield of our crops. They can also help us reduce the harmful effects of climate change, particularly if they enable our crops to use water more efficiently.
Every seed needs help to thrive, and new precision technologies have allowed us to be more careful, more precise and more sustainable in our operations. We use drones to collect information and deliver fertilizers and other inputs with maximum efficiency. We’ve also upgraded traditional machines like tractors and combines with digital tools like GPS to collect data, allowing us to give our crops exactly what they need and none of it. more. Additionally, new irrigation methods have helped us conserve water.
Conservation is key to agricultural success, especially as we face modern pressures to produce more food and maintain a healthy environment.
With this in mind, my farm abandoned conventional forms of tillage, which were excellent for preparing fields for planting and killing weeds, but which were also labor and fuel intensive and promoted l erosion of our soils. Today, we work our fields while disturbing the soil as little as possible while protecting the humidity and biodiversity of our fields thanks to crop residues. We have thus discovered another way to reduce our costs, improve our yields and preserve the environment. This systemic approach, sometimes called “conservation agriculture,” is made possible by technology.
In each of these areas, I expect technology to improve.
However, improvements in seeds, machines and methods are not inevitable or automatic. Breakthroughs and knowledge transfer do not happen by themselves. Improving technology is a choice we must make every day.
Seeds require research and development. Machines require investment and innovation. New methods require experimentation.
The most important thing is access. We live in an age of global connections, and farmers need public policies that connect them and give them access to the best technologies on the planet.
This is how we can all thrive in our world of dangers and promises.
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* Cesar Galaviz
Cesar Galaviz is a new member of the Global Farmers Network. He is originally from Mexico, where he is a farmer and rancher. Cesar is a man of many talents, as he is also president of the Rio Fuerte Sur Farmers Association.
Source : Technology Connects and Supports Farmers Around the World – Global Farmer Network
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