Why the Agtech industry isn’t in opposition to traditional farming
Soilless farming methods such as hydroponics, aeroponics, and aquaponics are often portrayed as being pitted against one another, as well as against traditional, soil-based farming.
However, here at Freight Farms, we think that all of these methods are complementary rather than in competition. While agtech will play an essential role in the future of food production, we firmly believe that in order to achieve an equitable and sustainable food system, we need to encourage diversification of crop production methods.
Introducing new, and potentially disruptive technology into any sector is no easy task. Convincing people about the viability of growing food without the use of soil or using the latest LED technology is difficult because it has never been done on such a large scale before. But, as innovators in the industry we look to Henry Ford when he said, “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” In order to progress at the necessary rate to sustain future generations, we need to seriously consider making these new agricultural methods of food cultivation commonplace.
We’re no strangers to the staggering FAO data regarding the difficulties of producing sufficient food to feed our growing population. As the world population continues to rapidly grow, our food supply must also expand to meet the increased demand for calories. This data is especially concerning when considering the environmental impact associated with the agricultural sector. Agriculture is responsible for a sizable portion of greenhouse gas emissions (estimates range from 19–30% of total CO2 emissions worldwide), the majority of which come from the processes of fertilizer production, land-cover change, transportation, and refrigeration. Scalable methods of indoor farming have an incredible potential to reduce emissions from these four energy inefficient components of the food production and delivery supply chain. Additionally, agriculture currently covers nearly 40% of the ice-free land on Earth and uses roughly two-thirds of withdrawn freshwater. In the face of climate change and increasing resource scarcity, it is essential that we evolve our methods of food production to best fit varying cultural, and environmental needs, while reducing our carbon footprint.
Cultural
Traditional agricultural knowledge, frequently passed down through generations of farmers, often plays a significant cultural role in communities worldwide. Twenty-first-century methods of farming should not disrupt methods of growing culturally important crops such as varieties of maize, marigolds, and rice. Traditional knowledge should be preserved, and in fact, growing leafy greens indoors leaves more resources for native crops to be grown outdoors, naturally cross-pollinating to create more genetic diversity in our food system.
Environmental
Regions across the world have a broad range of challenges when it comes to agricultural production, and each will be affected differently by climate change according to their geography. Some areas will experience less rainfall; others will be faced with more. Additionally, some farmers’ growing seasons will be shortened, while others will be lengthened. These environmental changes will affect different crops in varying ways. Methods of indoor growing can help combat these issues and ensure that all regions have access to fresh, locally produced food regardless of the season, leaving more resources for the cultivation of native crops with cultural significance. The products developed by the agtech sector can be used as tools by current farmers to expand their growing seasons, or to individuals, companies, and organizations new to the industry.
The agtech sector is moving at rapid speed to build the next generation of farming equipment that makes farming more accessible to all kinds of farmers, while also making operations more efficient for current farmers. The number of farms producing the food we eat here in the United States has dropped by roughly 70% since the 1930’s, leaving the majority of the food we eat grown by giant corporations, often shipped from hundreds or even thousands of miles away. Despite this trend, however, consumers’ appetite for local food is growing. In 2014, locally grown food generated nearly 12 billion in sales and is expected to double by 2019. While the “local” label conjures up images of small farms, pastoral scenes, or perhaps even urban farming operations, the reality is, big box retailers are elbowing their way into the space and capitalizing on the trend.
Studies show that only about one-third of small farms have a designated successor in the family, in part because many young people are unwilling to make the significant financial investment in an industry that requires them to work long hours and has a somewhat antiquated reputation. The agtech sector is working to breathe excitement into one of the oldest professions that exists by appealing to the next generation of farmers not only by lowering the start up cost of farming but by connecting products through IoT and lowering the labor requirements of food production.
At Freight Farms, we’re passionate about not only providing technical solutions to lower emissions while increasing yields but also empowering individuals to grow food anywhere, especially in the face of global climate change. It’s far too easy to get bogged down in the day-to-day grind, whether you’re an organic farmer in the heartland or the CEO of an agtech startup in a bustling urban center, so we wanted to take a minute to celebrate the movement in which we’re all participating. The bottom line is, in collaboration with traditional soil farms, innovators in the agtech industry are working towards moving our food system towards a more sustainable, local, equitable, and transparent future.
Farm on! 🌱
And let’s keep the conversation going, use #growfoodhere to let us know your thoughts on the future of food production
