The sector's biggest challenge is closely related to the latest data released by the UN, which estimates that by 2050 the world population will increase between 2 and 3 billion (from 7 to 10 billion) and according to the FAO, this demographic factor, combined with the increase in the economic power of underdeveloped countries, the demand for food will double, which will require a doubling of agricultural productivity, as arable land is scarce. This need to produce more with fewer resources will inevitably lead to the intensification of agricultural production systems, which may lead to greater risks of pests and diseases, decreased soil fertility and environmental problems such as contamination, salinization and soil erosion. ground. These problems can only be mitigated through the use of innovative technologies focusing on processes with high performance levels, from a precision agriculture perspective, which will have a positive impact on the efficiency of resource use.
Therefore, the future will require more precision agriculture, imposing machines based on precise process automation technology capable of applying products in the right quantity, in the exact location and at the right time and at the same time being able to evaluate and report the status of the crop. and soil in accordance with the principles of agriculture 4.0.
Factors that affect the adoption of precision agriculture include:
– Agricultural entrepreneurs: training, age, investment capacity, computer knowledge, human resources, risk aversion, size, insight;
– Technology: perceptibility of gains, ease of operation, initial investment cost, difficulties in interpreting the data obtained.
– Others: existence of service providers, competent and effective support from manufacturers/sellers, strength of the “innovation system”/communication.
Therefore, we believe that a set of measures to demystify and encourage the use of these technologies must be advanced, such as:
– Change the paradigm of farmers and help in the implementation of a more professionalized culture that looks at the return on investment. So, in all technology, the premise is the same, how much it will impact its costs and whether it will have a return. You have to deliver a relevant service that brings a return on investment and is tangible. To achieve this, investment in purchasing studies of the current and future situation and demonstration days is necessary.
– Training users/Farmers is also essential, transmitting knowledge and enabling them for this new era of agriculture. But this has to be something commanded by the Ministry of Agriculture in a structured way, adopting incentive policies and creating networks and ecosystems for sharing knowledge and skills among all stakeholders.
– Found an association of national agricultural machinery manufacturers , who truly defend the interests, needs and real difficulties of the sector with political power. We have the example of Ansemat in Spain, which is a reference in representing the propensities of manufacturers with a strong mobilizing power with political entities and with a large informative and training component for the Spanish agricultural sector.
– Creation of simple lines of direct financing for farmers to purchase precision agriculture equipment, as if companies and technological institutes are investing in technology, there needs to be national support. Our team finds it difficult to develop new products (agriculture 4.0) that are not salable in Portugal as we continue to be in the era of mechanization, we have to overcome barriers. We must start by renewing our machine park.
– Focus on the issue of safety (replacing potentially dangerous tasks with robotics). Portugal is the third country in the European Union with the most accidents involving agricultural machinery. More than 350 fatalities in five years are the total resulting from tractor accidents in Portugal. The data refers to the period between 2013 and 2017.
At Herculano , regarding the digital revolution, it was a path that we started 3 years ago and as a starting point we started with an analysis of our strategy and market (current and future). We soon realized that there was a missing piece to complete our puzzle on this journey and that was when INESCTEC appeared, in the first phase with an isolated DPA project, a debt solution proportional to the progress towards slurry tankers and Spreaders, it was a “courtship” phase for we got to know each other and then decided to move towards marriage with the celebration of a partnership protocol between the Herculano and the institute signed at Agroglobal in 2018 with the presence of the Minister of Agriculture.
Having said this, we decided to move forward with a new project “Smart Fertilizers”, which consists of the research and development of a smart cistern and spreader, at a competitive, efficient and versatile cost for use in agriculture 4.0 and with a clear contribution to increasing the efficiency of the fertilization operation in the environmental, agronomic and economic components.
Fertilization and organic soil correction nowadays, using manure spreaders and slurry tankers, are agronomic operations carried out with very low efficiency in environmental and economic terms. There are even European regulations, which tend to be stricter, which require greater control over fertilization processes in order to reduce the amount of nitrogen applied.
This moment in which we are experiencing a shortage of raw materials has a strong impact on artificial fertilizers, which are more expensive than ever. Due to high costs, mainly caused by rising energy costs, fertilizer manufacturers are limiting their production. This threatens the availability of chemical fertilizers for the next season. There is a great need for a sustainable alternative, organic fertilizer, to ensure optimal growth.
