Smart Agriculture Practices

Scientists in England have been testing a simple but promising idea that could help farmers reduce their reliance on pesticides: planting long strips of wildflowers directly through crop fields. Traditionally, wildflowers are planted only around the edges of fields. These flower-rich borders attract beneficial insects such as hoverflies, parasitic wasps, and ground beetles, which naturally feed on crop pests. While this method has been successful, researchers found that these helpful insects often struggle to reach the middle of large fields, allowing pests to thrive farther from the field edges. To solve this problem, researchers from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology launched a five-year trial on 15 farms across central and eastern England. Instead of placing flowers only along the borders, they created six-meter-wide strips of wildflowers running through the fields. These strips occupy just 2% of the total farmland while giving beneficial insects easier access to the entire crop area. The wildflower mixes include species such as oxeye daisies, red clover, common knapweed, and wild carrot. Scientists hope these plants will provide food and shelter for insects that naturally control pests like aphids, reducing the need for chemical treatments. Modern GPS-guided farming equipment has made this approach more practical. Harvesters can now accurately work around the flower strips, allowing them to remain in place year-round as safe habitats for beneficial insects. Researchers are monitoring how well the system works across different crops, including winter wheat, oilseed rape, and spring barley. They are also studying whether attracting insects into the middle of fields could expose them to more pesticides and unintentionally harm them. Similar experiments are taking place in Switzerland, where farmers are using flowers such as cornflowers, coriander, buckwheat, poppies, and dill. Scientists hope these habitats will create stable populations of beneficial insects that keep pest numbers low from year to year. The project comes at a time of growing concern about the environmental effects of pesticides. Many studies have linked heavy pesticide use to declining insect populations and other ecological problems. Some experts argue that many farms could significantly reduce pesticide use without harming crop production. However, agricultural specialists caution that pesticides may still be necessary during years when severe pest outbreaks occur. They believe the goal should be smarter, more targeted use rather than complete elimination. If successful, these flower-strip projects could offer farmers a practical way to protect crops, support wildlife, and reduce dependence on chemical pesticides while maintaining healthy harvests.

WHY AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH OFTEN FAILS TO REACH FARMERS — A Consultant’s Perspective Having worked with dozens of cooperatives, farmer groups, and agrifood projects across Kenya, I’ve seen a pattern that’s hard to ignore: Agricultural research is abundant. Impact on the ground? Minimal. Why? Research is often academic, not practical. Brilliant findings end up in journals, not in farmers’ hands. Most farmers I work with have never seen or heard of the latest research that could transform their yields or earnings. Top-down approaches dominate. Solutions are designed in labs or research stations with minimal farmer involvement. Yet, farmers are the experts of their own environments. Poor extension linkages. Even when good innovations exist, there’s a huge gap between research institutions and grassroots extension systems. As consultants, we often end up "translating" research that should have been made farmer-friendly from the start. No market lens. Research tends to focus on production. But farmers ask: “Will it sell? Is it profitable?” Without market integration, innovation is just theory. Feedback is ignored. Farmers are rarely involved in evaluating what works or doesn’t. We need more participatory learning, less top-down training. From a consultant’s view, the solution is not just more research—but more relevant, inclusive, and actionable research. Let’s invest in: Co-creating with farmers, Bridging research with market realities, Translating findings into practical guides, audio-visuals, and demos, Strengthening extension and private sector partnerships. The knowledge exists. The gap is in the approach. Farmers don’t need more data—they need results. #Agriculture #FarmersFirst #ResearchToImpact #KenyaFarming #AgriConsulting #FoodSystems #ValueAddition #DairyDevelopment #ExtensionServices #AgriPolicy #AfricanAgriculture

Our current food production system, with agriculture at its core, is the single largest driver of planetary boundary transgression. The same system, however, can become part of the solution. In our new review in Global Sustainability, we assess the global evidence on Conservation Agriculture, based on 3 principles: no soil disturbance, permanent soil cover, and diversified crop rotations. The evidence is clear: Conservation Agriculture has expanded from ca. 100 to 200 million hectares in just a decade and now covers about 15% of global cropland. It could reach 50% by 2050. Converting cropland to Conservation Agriculture can sequester around 0.5 to 0.9 tonnes of carbon per hectare per year, potentially about 0.4–0.8 gigatonnes of carbon annually at global scale, while cutting fuel use by up to 70%. Healthier soils mean higher water retention, less erosion and greater resilience to droughts and floods. Conservation Agriculture on its own will not solve all food system challenges, but it is difficult to find a more ready-to-scale transformation in land management that addresses climate, biodiversity, freshwater, and soil degradation at once. It can be adopted at scale and speed, i.e., across all agro-ecological zones within the coming 1–2 decades. To operate within planetary boundaries, we need both an energy transition and a soil transition. Healthy soils are foundational to food security and Earth system stability. https://lnkd.in/dUTG3DSi

Grow rice by doing nothing. In 1947, a Japanese scientist walked back to his family’s rice paddies and made a blunt claim: I can feed us all without ploughing, weeding or spraying. His neighbours laughed, and his scientific peers said the idea was only suitable as a fantasy for a mystic. But Masanobu Fukuoka had studied plant diseases for the customs service. During a night-long epiphany following a bout of pneumonia, he was left convinced that 'modern' farming was harming the soil. He quit the lab, went home to Shikoku and began removing tools and products instead of adding them. His rules were clear: no tillage, no fertiliser, no herbicide, no pesticide. Seed was mixed with clay to form little pellets, then broadcast over standing stubble; straw from the last crop became the only mulch. Ducks ate pests, and weeds were sliced just once a season. He called it “do-nothing farming”. Local officials dismissed the method as masquerading as Zen at best, and lazy at worst. Yet the 'lazy' fields continued to produce a harvest and filled his barns. After twenty-five years, the paddies still yielded about 1,300 lb of rice per quarter-acre—on par with the best ‘modernised’ farms in the area. Fukuoka wrote the results down in a slim book, The One-Straw Revolution (1978 in English). It sold over a million copies and turned him into an unwilling guru for the nascent organic farming movement. Today, his legacy is evident in Indian zero-budget natural farming, African agroforestry projects, and no-till market gardens spanning from Iowa to Inverness. The core lesson remains the same: don’t disturb the soil and let nature do the work. Fukuoka kept the philosophy simple: “The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings.” Eight decades on, and we’re still fighting the good fight by advocating natural farming, standing on the shoulders of pioneers like Fukuoka.

AI is redefining what’s possible in modern agriculture. Have you tried maximizing parsley cultivation? Consider this: 🌱 52 parsley bunches from a single aeroponic tower occupying just 1 m² 🌱 9-week crop cycle (3 weeks from seed to seedling + 6 weeks from transplant to harvest) 🌱 6 seeds per growing port to maximize uniformity and yield Now imagine combining that system with AI. The Power of AI + Aeroponics Agriculture generates enormous amounts of data every day: Temperature Humidity CO₂ concentration Light intensity (PPFD/DLI) Nutrient EC pH Water usage Growth rates Harvest weights AI can analyze millions of data points continuously and make adjustments faster than any human operator. What AI Can Deliver ✅ 15-30% yield improvement Through optimized environmental control and predictive growth models. ✅ Up to 95% less water Aeroponic systems already use dramatically less water than traditional farming. AI helps optimize every misting cycle and nutrient delivery event. ✅ 20-40% reduction in fertilizer waste By dynamically adjusting nutrient concentrations based on plant growth stages. ✅ Early disease detection Computer vision systems can identify plant stress and nutrient deficiencies days before they become visible to the human eye. ✅ More accurate harvest forecasting AI can predict harvest windows with high precision, helping farms reduce waste and meet customer demand. The Economics Scale Fast A facility with: 1,000 towers 52 bunches per tower 52,000 bunches per harvest cycle Even a modest 10% increase in yield means: ➡️ 5,200 additional bunches every cycle ➡️ More revenue without expanding floor space ➡️ Better return on infrastructure investments The Future: Autonomous Farms The next generation of vertical farms will operate as living AI systems: Cameras monitoring every plant Sensors feeding real-time environmental data AI models predicting growth trajectories Automated nutrient and irrigation control Digital twins simulating thousands of optimization scenarios before changes are made This isn't science fiction. The global AI in agriculture market is projected to grow from billions today to tens of billions of dollars over the next decade as growers seek higher yields, lower resource consumption, and greater food security. The future of farming won't be defined by how much land you have. It will be defined by how intelligently you use every square meter. 🌱 52 bunches. 1 square meter. Millions of data points. One intelligent growing system. #AI #Aeroponics via @agrotonomy #VerticalFarming #SmartAgriculture #FoodTech #AgTech #ControlledEnvironmentAgriculture #MachineLearning #Sustainability #Innovation #DigitalTwin #FutureOfFood #PrecisionAgriculture

Sometimes, a strong master’s thesis — especially when supported by a professional research institute like ILVO — leads to insights that matter far beyond academia. This is one of those cases. In his thesis, Senne Vrins explored why AI-driven weed management, despite its promise to cut pesticide use and improve sustainability, is still struggling to gain traction in Flemish agriculture. The findings are clear: the delay is not because the technology doesn’t work, but because there is a poor understanding of ecosystem orchestration. Farmers, policymakers, AgTech startups, contractors, and researchers all act in their own silos, while success requires alignment across regulation, data-sharing, skills, and business models. Using Ron Adner’s Wide-Lens framework, the study shows that adoption barriers — from cost–risk imbalances to unclear data ownership — are interdependent. Without orchestration, each stakeholder waits for others to move first, creating a stalemate. What is missing is coordinated thinking and governance that actively synchronizes incentives, rules, and trust across the ecosystem. The result is an article that is both academically rigorous and highly relevant for practitioners. It makes the case that AI-driven weed management will only succeed if we shift from isolated technology pushes to ecosystem thinking and orchestration — with initiatives like DjustConnect as key enablers. #AIinAgriculture #AgTech #SustainableFarming #PrecisionAgriculture #ILVO #OpenInnovation #EcosystemOrchestration

New Publication!! 🌍 Overcoming barriers to the adoption of water-saving technologies in Jordan: policy pathways for transforming knowledge, attitudes, and practices💧 Authors: MAHA Al-ZU'BI, Ph.D. Nafn Amdar Youssef Brouziyne Jordan is facing a severe water scarcity crisis, worsened by rapid population growth, climate change, and the overuse of limited groundwater. With per capita water availability at just 61 m³/year—far below the global threshold of 500 m³/year—it’s one of the most water-scarce countries in the world. 🌿 The agricultural sector, which consumes nearly 48% of the country’s freshwater, is hit especially hard. The reliance on inefficient irrigation methods has led to low water productivity, particularly in the highlands, where productivity is only JOD 0.36 per m³, far below the potential achievable with Water Saving Technologies (WSTs). 💡 However, several barriers hinder the adoption of these critical technologies: - Financial Constraints 💸 - Limited Extension Services 📚 - Technical Gaps 🔧 - Unequal Access, especially for smallholders and marginalized communities 🚜 Many farmers struggle to integrate WSTs into their practices without proper guidance and support. Aligning farmers' knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) with water conservation goals is key to ensuring the successful adoption of these technologies. 🌱 To address these challenges, a multi-faceted approach is required: 💧Research & Tailored Support: Researchers can pinpoint adoption barriers, while practitioners offer targeted guidance to overcome them. 💧Policymaker Action: Policies should encourage WST adoption through financial incentives, education, and research. 💧Education & Awareness Campaigns: Farmers need to understand the long-term benefits of WSTs for sustainable farming. 💧Financial Support: Subsidies or low-interest loans can help make these technologies more accessible, especially for smallholders. 💧A Farmer-Centric Approach: A Market Systems Development (MSD) strategy can improve the market system surrounding WSTs, while peer learning and strong extension services offer ongoing support. By tackling these issues, we can ensure long-term water security and agricultural productivity for Jordan. Together, we can drive the adoption of water-saving technologies and pave the way for a more sustainable future. 🌱 #WaterSecurity #Agriculture #Sustainability #Jordan #WaterSavingTechnologies #ClimateChange #Innovation #WaterConservation #AgricultureSustainability #FutureOfFarming #MarketSystemsDevelopment International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Read full Policy Brief: https://lnkd.in/epr2fWpT

When an unseasonal frost threatened Saraswati Vishwakarma's potato crop, she had hours to decide. Months of work and her family's income were on the line—and her husband was away. The nearest agricultural advisor served thousands of farmers across the region. She turned to FarmerChat. In India, one extension worker often serves more than 5,000 farmers. When disease hits or rains come late, help can take weeks to arrive. That's a wait most smallholder farmers simply can't afford. FarmerChat, an AI-powered tool developed by Digital Green and supported by The Rockefeller Foundation, delivers hyperlocal agricultural advice in farmers' own languages—in real time, on their phones. More than 1 million installs. More than 10 million queries answered. Seven in ten users report applying the advice within 30 days. The technology matters. What matters more: farmers like Saraswati now have something closer to a personal advisor—available exactly when it counts. Read more about how FarmerChat is bridging the information gap for India's farmers: https://lnkd.in/eNmMb4hT

Fixing Agriculture’s Core Issue: Market Linkage and Policy Bias!! Farmers feed the world, yet many struggle to access markets that fairly value their produce. This market linkage gap, combined with policies prioritizing cheap food for consumers, traps farmers in poverty, threatens food security, and stifles agricultural progress. With smallholders producing 70% of global food, solving this is urgent. Why It Matters Poor market access costs farmers billions—40% of produce in sub-Saharan Africa alone rots before reaching buyers. Meanwhile, policies like price caps and subsidies keep basic commodities like grains and rice affordable for consumers but depress farmgate prices, penalizing farmers. This dual challenge demands bold solutions. Key Barriers Weak Infrastructure: Poor roads and storage cause massive post-harvest losses. Information Gaps: Farmers lack real-time market data, leaving them vulnerable to exploitative value chains. Limited Networks: Smallholders miss out on large markets due to scale and connections. Financial Constraints: No credit means no investment in quality or technology. Policy Bias: Price controls and consumer-focused subsidies undervalue farmers’ work, as seen in systems like India’s MSP, which often favor select crops. Solutions That Work Tech Platforms: Apps today connect farmers to buyers, boosting incomes by 30%. Better Infrastructure: Public-private investments in roads and cold chains cut losses. Cooperatives: Models like Kenya’s Tea Agency show collective bargaining unlocks global markets. Value Addition: Training in processing or certifications opens premium markets. Fair Policies: Shift from price controls to income support and market diversification to balance consumer needs with farmer livelihoods. The Way Forward Low consumer prices shouldn’t come at farmers’ expense. Bridging market gaps and reforming biased policies can slash waste, boost incomes, and ensure resilient food systems. The impact—thriving farmers, stronger economies, and sustainable agriculture—is worth fighting for. Join the Conversation What’s working in your region to improve market access or fix policy imbalances? Share your ideas below—let’s build a fairer future for agriculture.

For the past two years, I served on the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on Food and Water Security, which was led by Co-Chairs Usha Rao-Monari and Ranveer Chandra. While I am not a specialist in food or water security, my invitation likely stemmed from a career exploring the intersection of people and nature and my experience in media and communications. Early in my tenure, when asked why I was passionate about this issue, I explained: “I see food and water security as a way to broaden the constituency for protecting nature.” This perspective shaped my contributions throughout the council’s work. We recently released a white paper (https://mongabay.cc/Zi83M4) introducing the "Food-Water Stack," a framework for integrating data and technology to address the interconnected challenges of food and water systems. The concept of a "stack," borrowed from technology, refers to a layered structure enabling comprehensive decision-making. For food and water, this involves linking datasets on physical infrastructure, digital tools, and emerging technologies like AI to provide actionable insights for diverse stakeholders. The stack seeks to solve a persistent problem: fragmentation. Food systems account for 72% of global water withdrawals, yet decisions about these interconnected resources often occur in isolation. By consolidating data into a shared platform, the stack empowers policymakers, farmers, and investors to simulate scenarios, forecast outcomes, and make informed choices. For me, the stack’s most compelling aspect is how it highlights nature’s role. Sustainable land use, ecosystem health, and water availability are central to its design. By integrating data on land condition, water use, and ecosystem functions, the stack emphasizes nature as both an essential input and a desired outcome. For instance, policies like the E.U. Deforestation Regulation, aimed at reducing agricultural expansion's environmental impact, can influence farmers’ decisions and align local practices with global goals. At scale, the stack holds transformative potential. It could guide farmers in selecting crops suited to their ecosystems, enable policymakers to model the effects of conservation policies on food security, and help investors identify opportunities in sustainable farming and water stewardship. Crucially, it reframes water as an "impact multiplier," a foundation for both human systems and the natural world. Participating in this initiative underscored the importance of cross-disciplinary collaboration. Through data integration, innovative financing, and localized governance, the Food-Water Stack offers a path to securing livelihoods while preserving ecosystems. As the council concluded, this is more than a technical solution—it is a framework for fostering deeper respect for the natural systems that sustain us all. 4 ways to address food and water security in the Intelligent Age: https://mongabay.cc/pdO1eb