Welcome to the old and the new. Today's episode will be a short opinion piece as I have been feeling under the weather for the past few days and have just now been able to record. With that out of the way, let's get into the episode.

Recently, a friend asked me what I thought the biggest impact of technology to date was. After some deliberation, I've come to the conclusion that the biggest impact of technology to date on our society has been agriculture. 

This one is fairly obvious, but still worth mentioning. Technology has greatly affected farming, increasing the size, productivity, and speed of farming equipment, which has enabled more areas to be farmed more effectively. In fact, Defra figures estimate that the total factor productivity (TFP) of agriculture has grown by 54.2% since 1973, with a 32.6% increase in output volume and a 14% decrease in input volume. This is mainly due to the advancement in farming technology. As technology improves and materials can be utilised more efficiently, less input is needed for the same output, conversely allowing more output for the same input. This is very important as the world population is expected to increase from 8 billion in 2023 to 9.8 billion in 2050, according to the United Nations. This means almost 2 billion more mouths to feed, and with the food shortage we are facing now it is becoming clearer just how much technology is needed for agriculture to be enough to support us.

Of course, there are also other things to consider. For example, technology has helped with yields in many ways, from gene editing to fertiliser and pesticide technologies. With the development of climate-resistant plants using CRISPR technology, one of the major issues currently facing us can be addressed as global temperatures rise. Not only that, but robotic technologies have allowed for more reliable monitoring and management of resources and give greater control over the production, processing, distribution, and storage of the yield. Additionally, artificial intelligence and sensors allow for better monitoring of the conditions in the field, ensuring a plentiful yield is produced. With these technologies, not only does the yield increase but so does the accuracy of the process, leading to less wastage of resources.

Lastly, I want to talk about precision. Precision agriculture relies heavily on the Global Positioning System (GPS) and Geographic Information System (GIS), which enable data collection, farm planning, and field and yield mapping. GPS helps with the spatial variability of soil as well as reducing fertiliser usage. It also reduces waste and cost by remotely controlling tractors to improve the seed placements on the farm, with companies such as Monarch tractors offering driver-optional tractors. Other key players include satellites, drones, and aerial imaging, which enable farmers to analyse and remotely check the condition of their crops. In fact, drones can also be used to spray pesticides on crops, evaluate plant health (and take necessary action), and create a 3D map of the field. For example, farmers can use a GPS to locate pre-selected areas in a farm field for the collection of soil samples and then use a  GIS to create a fertility map to properly determine the amount of fertiliser required for each sampled region. According to Planet Labs, a company that uses satellite imagery to aid in data-driven precision agriculture, “high frequency satellite solutions provide the critical insights necessary for productive, profitable, and sustainable farming.”

So, with the outlined technological advances and many more, it is clear that, in my opinion, agriculture has had the biggest impact of technology to date on our society.

Thank you for listening to the Old and the New Podcast, and see you next episode.