Tech trends to watch out for in 2024

Agriculture faced numerous challenges in 2023, from extreme weather to supplychain issues. To address this, a group of researchers and engineering teams have developed smart agtech tools, improving efficiency and yields.

Ron Baruchi, CEO of Agmatix, a company that specialises in datadriven solutions, says there are five key trends anticipated in the agricultural industry over the coming year. The first is the role played by generative artificial intelligence. “There is a historic opportunity to optimise processes, cut costs, and importantly, fuel innovations through improved modelling to fuel decision-making.”

There are businesses already using this technology through digital crop advisers, allowing agronomists to distil agronomic data into actionable recommendations. These tools enhance crop management by analysing big agronomic data and providing support that helps farmers understand patterns affecting the performance of crop varieties and production.

The increased integration of digital twins into field tests and field test planning is the second on Baruchi’s list. “A digital twin is a digital model or a virtual representation of an actual physical product, system, or process. These allow researchers and designers to experiment as though they were handling its physical counterpart.”

Synthetic data can enhance the performance of digital twins and based on real-world data, synthetic data can supplement data gaps, significantly reducing the time, cost, and effort in bringing new agricultural products to market.

The ultimate aim of regenerative agriculture is to improve soil health to boost yield, and according to Baruchi, one of the latest methods essentially mimics the natural process and biodiversity on agricultural land. “Platforms offering site-specific data will likely reign supreme in 2024. A view of sustainability that extends beyond simple carbon metrics and one-sizefits-all solutions is necessary and will enable the establishment of realistic, actionable objectives for growers.”

There will be exponential growth in farm data, which emphasises the transformative impact. The Industrial Development Corporation has estimated that by 2036, the amount of data collected on the farm will increase significantly. Cloud tools enabling realtime access to field trial data reduces trial duration and cost, and the volume and scope of trials can be increased.

Baruchi concludes by saying agriculture is prioritising sustainability and environmental protection, and the new year will see progress in climate-resilient crop development. “Digital technologies empower farmers to process and use the data they collect. Agtech solutions can help farmers and agronomists measure and demonstrate the return on investment of agricultural technologies. Amid global challenges, stakeholders using AI and machine learning will drive unprecedented innovation in food production.” –