5 Key Global AgTech Trends for 2023

Agricultural technology has the potential to enhance and transform farming practices worldwide, and 2023 will see an increasing number of familiar challenges being addressed with new technologies, says AgriTech Tomorrow.

Here are 5 key global trends for 2023 in the AgTech sector, according to the Global Ag Tech Initiative website:

1. Collaboration and integrations in agriculture – technologies that help farmers gain a deeper understanding of the biological make up of their soil, so that they can make science-based decisions to improve food production as well as biodiversity and soil quality.
2. Crop protection and biofertilisers – such as using microbes and crop nutrients to increase yield and reduce use of chemicals sprays. This trend aligns with the vision of industry organisation New Zealand Apples and Pears Inc (NZAPI) to become spray-free by 2050.
3. Supply chain transparency – tracking performance across the supply chain and being able to predict the optimal time for farming operations to take place. This also helps in the measurement of sustainable operations and quantifies an operation’s impact on sustainability. In the case of The Yield, delivering a set of recommendations via an app, farming operational teams can plan better for when to irrigate, feed, plant, protect crops and harvest to achieve the best yield.
4. Internet of Things Technologies (IoT) – data and insights delivered via an app provide valuable information and predications for growers throughout the crop cycle, which has the potential to revolutionise the way commercial growers interact with farms.
5. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning - the vast amount of information gathered during regular farming operations can also be leveraged with AI technologies such as The Yield’s platform, which combines operational data and microclimate information to create AI models for yield prediction.

AgriTech Tomorrow predicts that as technology adoption grows, the digital age in farming will continue to thrive, with AI becoming a constant presence in agriculture production of all sizes.

As the climate continues to change, 2023 will be an important year in the uptake of agricultural technology to help growers save time, conserve resources, accelerate output and reduce food waste.

There is also a social imperative to improve efficiencies in the agriculture sector. Less food waste and more efficient food production can also go a long way to correcting the current imbalance in food security worldwide.