Computational Contributions to the Automation of Agriculture

The purpose of this paper is to explore ways that computational advancements have enabled the complete automation of agriculture from start to finish. With a major need for agricultural advancements because of food and water shortages, some farmers have begun creating their own solutions to these problems. Primarily explored in this paper, however, are current research topics in the automation of agriculture. Digital agriculture is surveyed, focusing on ways that data collection can be beneficial. Additionally, self-driving technology is explored with emphasis on farming applications. Machine vision technology is also detailed, with specific application to weed management and harvesting of crops. Finally, the effects of automating agriculture are briefly considered, including labor, the environment, and direct effects on farmers

Opportunities and limitations of crop phenotyping in southern european countries

ReviewThe Mediterranean climate is characterized by hot dry summers and frequent droughts. Mediterranean crops are frequently subjected to high evapotranspiration demands, soil water deficits, high temperatures, and photo-oxidative stress. These conditions will become more severe due to global warming which poses major challenges to the sustainability of the agricultural sector in Mediterranean countries. Selection of crop varieties adapted to future climatic conditions and more tolerant to extreme climatic events is urgently required. Plant phenotyping is a crucial approach to address these challenges. High-throughput plant phenotyping (HTPP) helps to monitor the performance of improved genotypes and is one of the most effective strategies to improve the sustainability of agricultural production. In spite of the remarkable progress in basic knowledge and technology of plant phenotyping, there are still several practical, financial, and political constraints to implement HTPP approaches in field and controlled conditions across the Mediterranean. The European panorama of phenotyping is heterogeneous and integration of phenotyping data across different scales and translation of “phytotron research” to the field, and from model species to crops, remain major challenges. Moreover, solutions specifically tailored to Mediterranean agriculture (e.g., crops and environmental stresses) are in high demand, as the region is vulnerable to climate change and to desertification processes. The specific phenotyping requirements of Mediterranean crops have not yet been fully identified. The high cost of HTPP infrastructures is a major limiting factor, though the limited availability of skilled personnel may also impair its implementation in Mediterranean countries. We propose that the lack of suitable phenotyping infrastructures is hindering the development of new Mediterranean agricultural varieties and will negatively affect future competitiveness of the agricultural sector. We provide an overview of the heterogeneous panorama of phenotyping within Mediterranean countries, describing the state of the art of agricultural production, breeding initiatives, and phenotyping capabilities in five countries: Italy, Greece, Portugal, Spain, and Turkey. We characterize some of the main impediments for development of plant phenotyping in those countries and identify strategies to overcome barriers and maximize the benefits of phenotyping and modeling approaches to Mediterranean agriculture and related sustainabilityinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Quality analysis of critical control points within the whole food chain and their impact on food quality, safety and health (QACCP)

The overall objective of the project was to optimise organic production and processing in order to improve food quality and increase health promoting aspects in consumer products. The approach was a chain analysis approach which addressed the link between farm and fork and backwards from fork to farm. The objectives were to test food authenticity on farm level and food quality and health in processing. The carrot was chosen as the model vegetable since it is common for the involved partners from industry and is processed for baby food; hence the results are relevant for other vegetables and organic food in general as well. - Identify and define critical and essential product quality parameters useful to optimise organic food quality - Compare products from different farming practices (conventional and within organic) - Performance of QACCP (Quality Analysis Critical Control Point, similar to HACCP methodology) - Test the impact of the food chain (focusing on processing techniques) on the product quality and safety - Test the impact of organic food on healt

Definition of the CAPRI Core Modelling System and Interfaces with other Components of SEAMLESS-IF

Environmental Economics and Policy,

Chapter 5: Food Security

The current food system (production, transport, processing, packaging, storage, retail, consumption, loss and waste) feeds the great majority of world population and supports the livelihoods of over 1 billion people. Since 1961, food supply per capita has increased more than 30%, accompanied by greater use of nitrogen fertilisers (increase of about 800%) and water resources for irrigation (increase of more than 100%). However, an estimated 821 million people are currently undernourished, 151 million children under five are stunted, 613 million women and girls aged 15 to 49 suffer from iron deficiency, and 2 billion adults are overweight or obese. The food system is under pressure from non-climate stressors (e.g., population and income growth, demand for animal-sourced products), and from climate change. These climate and non-climate stresses are impacting the four pillars of food security (availability, access, utilisation, and stability)

A New Sampling Design for Swiss Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) Data

Agricultural Finance,

Monitoring land use and plant cover on an integrated agroecological production system through GIS.

The objective of this paper is to study in detail the land use and plant cover of an Integrated Agroecological Production System (IAPS) from 2003 through 2005. Four quarterly updating visits were performed on the 26 land units of the System from January 2003 to December 2005. Cartographic documents and QuickBird satellite images were also used to generate the final index maps for agrodiversity, fallow intensity and green manure use intensity. A high diversity of crops was observed. In some land units up to 40 plant species were recorded. However, this diversity was not uniformly distributed throughout the terrain. A high intensity of land use, mostly with annuals was also observed in a large part of the area. In most cases, fallow periods were up to 3 months in 3 years. Since annual crops demand intense tillage, minimum or no tillage practices are recommended for those areas to improve soil conservation. The use of legumes was less frequent on the land units used for annual crops. They were not uniformly distributed throughout the terrain. The results of this research are useful not only for those who are interested in the system itself, but also to validate the hypothesis that through GIS it is possible to summarize complex agroecological information into a visually friendly format, allowing easy interpretation of systemic analyses