The United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Association (FAO) this week released its 2022 state of food and agriculture report.
The theme this year is 'leveraging automation in agriculture for transforming agri-food systems'.
It compares and contrasts how farming, the first link in the food production chain, has evolved throughout history and traces the key developments from the use of hand tools through animal drawn machines in the 19th century, mechanisation in the early 20th century and computerisation in the late 20th century.
Robotics and artificial intelligence are the most recent developments.
Automation
The report identifies that automation plays an important role in making food production more efficient and despite heavy machinery having been a negative influence in places, smaller machines can also contribute to environmentally friendly farming.
However, while the role of automation is extremely positive, the report identifies the biggest issue is that it isn’t adopted globally.
In particular, the poorest regions of the world have the least ability to afford equipment, despite the greatest need, and suggests that “policies to ensure that agricultural automation is inclusive and contributes to sustainable and resilient agri-food systems” are put in place.
(L-R) Ireland’s special envoy on food systems Tom Arnold, Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue and UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) director general Qu Dongyu on his visit to Ireland earlier this year.
The report notes concern about automation causing unemployment in poorer parts of the world where there remains a large element of manual labour involved in agricultural production.
However, it concludes that these concerns are not reflected by historical realities and that labour freed from agricultural production typically finds employment in other areas of economic activity that develops alongside increased agricultural productivity.
It concludes that automation “can make agricultural production more resilient and productive, improve product quality, increase resource-use efficiency, promote decent employment and enhance environmental sustainability”.
This point is delivered even more bluntly by FAO director general Qu Dongyu, who wrote in the report foreword that the “FAO truly believes that without technological progress and increased productivity, there is no possibility of lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty, hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition".
Disparity in use of automation
A major issue identified by the report is the link between food and income poverty and adoption of technology and automation in agricultural production.
By way of example, it highlights that in 2005, Japan had over 400 tractors in use per 1,000ha, while, in Ghana, it was less than one (0.4) per 1,000ha.
The report recommends that efforts to reduce the unequal spread of automation should include investment involving producers, manufacturers and service providers.
While the report is a comprehensive 182-page document that goes into great detail on the issue of food production and poverty across the world, the recurring message is that productivity needs to be increased in a sustainable way.
It accepts that while large machinery can have a negative impact in contributing to monoculture and soil erosion, smaller, more-appropriate equipment enhances sustainable production.
The message is that achieving the FAO’s sustainable development goals isn’t a choice between the environment, climate and production - rather, it has to be achieving sustainable production.
Much of what is considered the developed world is coming close to maximising its sustainable production capability and any further expansion should be able to demonstrate that it is sustainable.
However, for much of the under-developed world, productivity remains particularly low and this has a negative effect on food security and availability, combined with a negative climate and environment impact.
For example, FAO figures from its outlook publication show that the yield per cow is 7.5 times greater in the developed world than the developing world.
That means it requires more than seven cows to produce the same amount of milk as one cow with the environmental and climate consequences of seven times as many cows.
Increased productivity in the developing world is essential to sustainable agriculture.
The United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Association (FAO) this week released its 2022 state of food and agriculture report.
The theme this year is 'leveraging automation in agriculture for transforming agri-food systems'.
It compares and contrasts how farming, the first link in the food production chain, has evolved throughout history and traces the key developments from the use of hand tools through animal drawn machines in the 19th century, mechanisation in the early 20th century and computerisation in the late 20th century.
Robotics and artificial intelligence are the most recent developments.
Automation
The report identifies that automation plays an important role in making food production more efficient and despite heavy machinery having been a negative influence in places, smaller machines can also contribute to environmentally friendly farming.
However, while the role of automation is extremely positive, the report identifies the biggest issue is that it isn’t adopted globally.
In particular, the poorest regions of the world have the least ability to afford equipment, despite the greatest need, and suggests that “policies to ensure that agricultural automation is inclusive and contributes to sustainable and resilient agri-food systems” are put in place.
(L-R) Ireland’s special envoy on food systems Tom Arnold, Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue and UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) director general Qu Dongyu on his visit to Ireland earlier this year.
The report notes concern about automation causing unemployment in poorer parts of the world where there remains a large element of manual labour involved in agricultural production.
However, it concludes that these concerns are not reflected by historical realities and that labour freed from agricultural production typically finds employment in other areas of economic activity that develops alongside increased agricultural productivity.
It concludes that automation “can make agricultural production more resilient and productive, improve product quality, increase resource-use efficiency, promote decent employment and enhance environmental sustainability”.
This point is delivered even more bluntly by FAO director general Qu Dongyu, who wrote in the report foreword that the “FAO truly believes that without technological progress and increased productivity, there is no possibility of lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty, hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition".
Disparity in use of automation
A major issue identified by the report is the link between food and income poverty and adoption of technology and automation in agricultural production.
By way of example, it highlights that in 2005, Japan had over 400 tractors in use per 1,000ha, while, in Ghana, it was less than one (0.4) per 1,000ha.
The report recommends that efforts to reduce the unequal spread of automation should include investment involving producers, manufacturers and service providers.
While the report is a comprehensive 182-page document that goes into great detail on the issue of food production and poverty across the world, the recurring message is that productivity needs to be increased in a sustainable way.
It accepts that while large machinery can have a negative impact in contributing to monoculture and soil erosion, smaller, more-appropriate equipment enhances sustainable production.
The message is that achieving the FAO’s sustainable development goals isn’t a choice between the environment, climate and production - rather, it has to be achieving sustainable production.
Much of what is considered the developed world is coming close to maximising its sustainable production capability and any further expansion should be able to demonstrate that it is sustainable.
However, for much of the under-developed world, productivity remains particularly low and this has a negative effect on food security and availability, combined with a negative climate and environment impact.
For example, FAO figures from its outlook publication show that the yield per cow is 7.5 times greater in the developed world than the developing world.
That means it requires more than seven cows to produce the same amount of milk as one cow with the environmental and climate consequences of seven times as many cows.
Increased productivity in the developing world is essential to sustainable agriculture.
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