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Trends and innovations in agriculture - you should know these 5
Katharina Rösner
Customers still want regionally and sustainably produced food. Space-saving solutions such as Agri-PV, aquaponics or vertical farming are very well received by consumers. Digital solutions can support companies and animal welfare and insects could make agriculture independent from polluting soya imports in the long term. We've got closer concerned for you with 5 innovations in agriculture.
With Agri-PV, i.e. photovoltaic, is the double use of agricultural land In other words, which combines agriculture and solar energy: In the lower layer, you keep animals or grow plants, and in the layer above are the PV modules.
They protect plants and animals from sun and heat in summer and from moisture, wind and hail in winter. Both are therefore less exposed to the weather.
The benefits are actually clear:
What grows well under PV systems? fruit, berries, cucumbers and lettuce for example, since they are shade-tolerant plants benefit from the shadow of PV modules. Other varieties such as clover and corn do not tolerate so much shade so that yield losses are more likely to be expected.
What are the current challenges? Agricultural land has priority over electricity generation. In concrete terms, this means after the directive 92/43/EEC that affected areas result in compensatory measures and that at least 66% of agricultural income is retained must. The expansion is planned primarily at Infrastructure lines, how it is read at the Rhineland-Palatinate Chamber of Agriculture.
The concept already exists since 1981, but currently it often fails due to network expansion: The generated electricity often cannot even be fed into the grid. So it happens that at the 117 gigawatts generated per year in Germany from solar energy, Agri-PV only makes up a share of less than 1% how Deutschlandfunk describes it.
There is also criticism that the remuneration is too low, which is a maximum of 6.5 cents and that the conversion is not worthwhile, as you read it on Deutschlandfunk can. And this is despite the fact that Agri-PV offers many benefits for nature.
Because of low milk prices, dairy farms keep more animals, which produce more milk as a result of their breeding. In 2023, the average was 81 animals, but that varies depending on the region. In southern Germany, for example, there are farms with half as many animals, in eastern Germany according to the State Information Center for Agriculture there are farms with up to 240 cows. You can find out more about the figures at Destatis.
A cow gives up to 10,000 liters of milk per year. For animals, this means a high load, which can lead to udder infections and claw problems and can have a negative effect on fertility and metabolism.
The health of the herd is important, but it is more difficult to monitor, especially with many animals. That's why the trend goes towards digital systems with measurement sensors that help collect health data and monitor health status. So they can prevent diseases and the animals can be given more wellbeing. In addition: if the animals are not well, this also has an effect on the operational efficiency.
For example, metabolic disorders can be identified by the fact that the rumination period is shorter.
Digital systems also recognize waiting times. If a cow lies a lot, this can be a symptom of illness. The values are recorded while limits are defined for various parameters at the same time. The cow is treated when the limits are exceeded or below the limits. With such systems, estrus can also be identified better than during routine tests.
Digital solutions can therefore, among other things, ensure greater animal welfare.
Since 2017, feeding insects to fish from aquacultures has been allowed again, and since 2021 also for poultry - subject to strict conditions, as this led to an outbreak of BSE in the 1990s. Why are the larvae of the flour beetle, among other things, a good alternative as animal feed? A quarter of soy, which is fed to farm animals, is from America and South America imports.
Although land is also used in Germany to grow soy as animal feed, the quantities are nowhere near enough, as you can see it at the Federal Information Center for Agriculture.
The production of soy also pollutes the environment significantly more than that of insects. Because plants require much more space, plant protection, nutrients and water than insect larvae. They therefore help to minimize dependence on soy imports. Another advantage of insects over soy is their higher protein content.
Their feed comes from by-products from the food industry, such as potato peels or grain residues, which are already produced. Other household waste, for example, is not permitted in the EU under animal feed legislation. The larvae and crickets are fed either alive, dried or processed into flour. For animals that naturally eat insects and worms, such as omnivorous pigs or chickens, this is a suitable source of food.
Insects are also becoming more attractive for agriculture due to high feed prices. And it is less dependent on soy imports.
Aquaponics is the combination of fish and plant farming on soil-free substrates or even completely without substrates. Both cultures share the same water and nutrient cycle. Ammonium is converted into nitrate by bacteria and is thus used to fertilize plants.
Natural waters can quickly be over-fertilized. The technically supported nitrogen cycle prevents contamination of water, as plants can absorb and utilize it.
Water treatment works via biofilters, which provide the plants with an optimal pH value and sufficient nutrients. If a system of two circuits is used, water can be recovered so that fresh water only has to replace the part that is lost through biomass and evaporation.
In an aquaponic culture 1 kg of fish and 5 kg of tomatoes canbeproduced with 100 liters of water. Since growing tomatoes is very water-intensive, the resource water is very conserved: Up to 180 liters are consumed for 1 kilo, which also results in a drop in the groundwater level. You can read this at the Federal Information Center for Agriculture.
Cultivated fish prefer pH-neutral water, with lettuce and herbs get along well. Other plants require more acidic water. In addition, plants such as peppers and tomatoes are demanding in terms of the nutritional composition of water and substrate, making it difficult to grow a range of plants in aquaponic cultures. Fish that are typically bred are Talpia (cichlid), carp, trout and pike.
Similar to aquaponics is also vertical farming, vertical farming or the vertical cultivation of plants, an urban trend, as it is possible in buildings. In doing so plants grow tall on towers, which also saves space. These can accommodate up to 52 plants and at the same time, compared to conventional cultivation 90% water saved.
The towers rotate so that the plants receive the same amount of light from all sides. One advantage is that they are in Winters can also easily grow like this Can. Instead of soil, biopolymers made from sugar and corn starch are used, as well as water, which is enriched with nutrients. The system is also suitable for greenhouses and film tunnels. Customers are currently mainly local catering establishments, such as you read it at St. Galler Bauer.
However, aquaponics and vertical agriculture have great potential in urban areas.
There are many innovative ideas that can revolutionize agriculture. It remains to be seen how this will establish itself on the market. They are better for the environment as they significantly save resources such as water. Digital solutions are already being used a great deal — including in direct food marketing. By the way, ERP software can also save resources through increased efficiency and route optimization.
If you still look for a suitable ERP software for your regional direct marketing, have a look at FrachtPilot ;) You can acquint us and that ERP system in a webinar or test it directly for free. We're looking forward to seeing you!
