With the expected population of the UK to be 73.7 million by 2036 and increased pressure to reach net zero by 2050, how does the Agriculture industry fair when challenged with growing populations, climate change, sustainability goals and resource inefficiencies? 

What does the future hold for Agritech?

It’s no secret that digital manufacturing is revolutionising the agriculture industry – In fact, we delved into the <a href="https://www.protolabs.com/en-gb/resources/blog/turning-over-a-new-leaf-digital-manufacturing-in-agriculture/?utm_source=wevolver&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=uk-agriculture-0124&utm_content=wevolver-digital-manufacturing-agriculture-blog-0224" target="_blank" title="Turning Over a New Leaf: Digital Manufacturing in Agriculture">transformative potential of digital manufacturing</a> in agriculture in an earlier blog. But the demand for more is unprecedented, which begs the question: what is driving the growth?Let’s look at the five root causes of the insatiable appetite for digital manufacturing in agriculture to understand how it is making such an impact. Green Consumers on the RiseDemand Driver: As environmental awareness grows, consumers increasingly seek products produced through sustainable and environmentally friendly practices. This shift in consumer preferences pressures the agriculture industry to adopt sustainable methods throughout the supply chain, from farming practices to food processing.Digital Manufacturing Impact: Digital manufacturing enables the agriculture industry to embrace sustainable practices by incorporating precision farming, reducing waste, and optimising resource usage. The demand for digital manufacturing rises as it becomes a key enabler for meeting consumer expectations for environmentally conscious products.&nbsp;<img border="0" width="431" src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNzA4NDMxMzgwNTk1LTE3MDg0MzEzODA1OTUuanBlZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTUwLCJmaXQiOiJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=" alt="arrow lake - technology for agriculture" class="fr-fic fr-dii">&nbsp;When designing their ozone purification system, The FLO3W®,&nbsp;Arrow Lake, was able to make a rapid decision about the feasibility of their part by using Protolabs’ automated solution to get an immediate initial analysis of manufacturability and cost-effectiveness.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.protolabs.com/en-gb/resources/case-studies/arrow-lake/?utm_source=wevolver&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=uk-agriculture-0124&utm_content=wevolver-digital-manufacturing-agriculture-blog-0224" target="_blank" title="Arrow Lake">Read the case study to find out how they did it.</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;Regulatory PressuresDemand Driver: Governments and regulatory bodies worldwide are implementing stricter environmental regulations and standards. Compliance with these regulations is not just a legal requirement but also a necessity for businesses to operate sustainably and maintain their Social License to Operate.Digital Manufacturing Impact: Digital manufacturing provides the tools and processes necessary for the agriculture industry to meet and exceed regulatory requirements. From precision farming practices to energy-efficient manufacturing techniques, the demand for digital manufacturing is fuelled by the need to align with and surpass regulatory standards.&nbsp;Small Portions of ResourceDemand Driver: The agriculture industry faces challenges related to resource scarcity, including water, arable land, and energy. Volatile prices for these resources make it imperative for businesses to optimise resource usage and reduce waste to maintain profitability.Digital Manufacturing Impact: Digital manufacturing technologies, such as precision farming and automated processes, help optimise the use of resources. By reducing waste, improving efficiency, and minimising the environmental impact of agriculture and food processing, digital manufacturing has become a sought-after solution to address resource scarcity and volatile prices.&nbsp;<img border="0" width="399" src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNzA4NDMxMzgwNjA1LTE3MDg0MzEzODA2MDQuanBlZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTUwLCJmaXQiOiJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=" alt="fambot - automation in horticulture" class="fr-fic fr-dii">&nbsp;FarmBot, the&nbsp;world’s first open-source, CNC small-scale farming machine, allows individuals to create and manage a garden using a laptop, tablet, or phone to oversee the automated planting, watering, and monitoring of crops. Protolabs’ product development experts helped FarmBot transition from 3D-printed components to more&nbsp;<a href="https://www.protolabs.com/en-gb/resources/case-studies/farmbot/?utm_source=wevolver&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=uk-agriculture-0124&utm_content=wevolver-digital-manufacturing-agriculture-blog-0224" target="_blank" title="FarmBot">repeatable and cost-effective injection-moulded parts.</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;Technological AdvancementsDemand Driver: Advances in technology, including renewable energy technologies, efficient manufacturing techniques, and smart systems, are driving the demand for more sustainable products and processes across industries. Businesses that adopt these technologies gain a competitive edge in efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and environmental stewardship.Digital Manufacturing Impact: Digital manufacturing plays a crucial role in implementing these technological advancements in agriculture. Whether using smart sensors in precision farming or adopting sustainable manufacturing practices, digital manufacturing is at the forefront of technological innovation, driving demand in the agriculture industry.&nbsp;<img border="0" width="491" src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNzA4NDMxMzgwNjEzLTE3MDg0MzEzODA2MTMuanBlZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTUwLCJmaXQiOiJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=" alt="small robot company - robotic agriculture innovation" class="fr-fic fr-dii">&nbsp;Small Robot Company&nbsp;developed the 21st-century answer to the 21st-century problem in agriculture, producing more food from less land. Their Tom V4 Per Plant farming makes autonomous robotic farming a reality, meaning more food and less waste at a cheaper cost than ever before. With sustainability as the driving force of their product, they needed to minimise the entire system weight so that ground pressure was reduced, so they partnered with Protolabs to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.protolabs.com/en-gb/resources/case-studies/small-robot-company/?utm_source=wevolver&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=uk-agriculture-0124&utm_content=wevolver-digital-manufacturing-agriculture-blog-0224" target="_blank">3D Print two different parts&nbsp;for their latest agri-robot.</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;Squaring the Circular EconomyDemand Driver: The circular economy approach, emphasising waste reduction, reuse, and recycling, is gaining traction as a sustainable business model. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a key element in assessing the environmental impact of products from creation to disposal.Digital Manufacturing Impact: Digital manufacturing supports the circular economy by enabling more efficient use of materials, reducing waste in production processes, and promoting developing products with a longer lifespan. The demand for digital manufacturing rises as businesses seek to align with circular economy principles and implement sustainable practices throughout their operations.&nbsp;The agriculture industry is quickly realising the importance of sustainability and the need to address environmental awareness, regulatory pressures, resource scarcity, technological advancements, and the rise of the circular economy. That's where digital manufacturing comes in as a critical solution to support more eco-friendly and efficient practices in agriculture and food production. It's exciting to see businesses recognising the potential impact of this technology and embracing it to meet these challenges.

It's no secret that digital manufacturing is revolutionising the agriculture industry. In this blog, we explore the five root causes of the insatiable appetite for digital manufacturing adoption in agriculture to understand how is making such an impact.

Digital Manufacturing: The Growing Appetite in Food and Agriculture

Low-power Bluetooth sensing systems enable scientists to better monitor and protect bee populations in urban and rural areas.


Keeping an Eye on the Bees: What Smart Monitoring Systems Can Bring to Bee Sustainability

Of all the Earth&rsquo;s precious commodities, water is the most essential to human life. And not just for drinking; over the last 12,000 years water has mainly been used to grow food. Today, more than 70 percent of the planet&rsquo;s fresh water is used by agriculture (according to World Development Indicators).&nbsp;That puts stress on resources and reduces the amount of water available for other uses, highlighting the importance of reducing the amount of water required to support crops.But it&rsquo;s not going to be easy. Factors such as climate change are increasing the challenge. For example, the Bill &amp; Melinda Gates Foundation has forecast that by 2050, 70 percent of crops produced in sub-Saharan Africa will be grown in areas experiencing &ldquo;extreme&rdquo; heat stress. That&rsquo;s going to increase the amount of water plants need, not lower it.<h2>Using IoT sensors to refine water use</h2>The IoT has started to address the problem of water stress. Two reasons for agriculture&rsquo;s high usage are waste through leakage and lack of information about soil moisture levels leading to overwatering.By detecting leaks in irrigation systems (which often use many kilometers of piping and tubing) as soon as they occur, shutting off the supply, and notifying farmers via their smartphones, wireless monitoring can both reduce water waste and lessen any damages caused by potential flooding.To address the second problem, humidity sensors can be used to monitor soil moisture levels. This helps ensure that crops are receiving the exact amount of water they require for maximum yield, while avoiding depletion of precious water resources. The remote control offered by the IoT also helps farmers adjust irrigation using their smartphone or laptop if significant rainfall occurs.As IoT technology evolves, automation will play a more important role by, for instance, automatically stopping the watering process once the soil has received a sufficient level of moisture. Furthermore, analysis of irrigation data transmitted to Cloud computing can help ensure that watering occurs at the optimal time (for example, overnight or at cooler times during the day) to minimize evaporation losses.<h2>Monitoring sprinkler carts to reduce leaks</h2>Novel irrigation applications include the <a href="https://www.nordicsemi.com/News/2023/04/7Sense-Irrigation-Sensor-Gen-III-uses-nRF9160-SiP?utm_campaign=2021%20wevolver" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">7Sense Irrigation Sensor Gen III</a>.&nbsp;The product leverages IoT technology for both leak detection and sprinkler cart management. It employs non-intrusive flow monitoring using vibration detection to sense any loss of water, reducing waste and providing the option to reallocate the manual resources that would normally be spent monitoring irrigation systems. The wireless sensor also provides location monitoring and fleet management, notifying farmers if a cart passes a certain point, or has overturned.Using Nordic&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.nordicsemi.com/products/nrf9160?utm_campaign=2021%20wevolver" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">cellular IoT SiP</a>, the product sends any leak detection notifications and location updates to the Cloud, where they can be accessed from the 7Sense app on the farmer&rsquo;s smartphone.<h2>IoT honing flood irrigation</h2>Another example of how the IoT can help with water management is <a href="https://www.nordicsemi.com/News/2023/06/DitchFlows-Land-Irrigation-Sensor-uses-Nordic-nRF9160-SiP?utm_campaign=2021%20wevolver" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">DitchFlow&rsquo;s Land Irrigation Sensor</a>.&nbsp;The product is designed for use in flood irrigation and can determine when the water has reached the desired level. The product is simply inserted into the ground and can send notifications via email or text using the cellular connectivity of Nordic&rsquo;s SiP. Irrigators can then decide when to make changes (such as moving water from one area to the next).Remote monitoring is ideal for situations like this, as farmers would ordinarily have to walk the field to check water levels, often multiple times per irrigation. Using this device, to change the settings for an irrigation channel, farmers only need to go to the ditch where the water is being delivered once they have been notified. This helps reduce the water waste caused by human miscalculations of when the water will reach a desired level.<h2>Agriculture in the home</h2>It&rsquo;s not just on a large scale that the IoT can be used to monitor water use and improve plant growth. <a href="https://www.nordicsemi.com/News/2022/09/Growgreen---Smart-Grower?utm_campaign=2021%20wevolver" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Growgreen&rsquo;s aspara Smart Grower</a> is an indoor hydroponic planter designed for domestic use, employing moisture sensors in the soil to ensure that each type of plant is receiving the ideal amount of water. The corresponding app allows the user to select the type of plant being grown so the growing conditions can be optimized. Using this technology, the company claims that the aspara Smart Grower can help plants grow up to 50 percent faster.The device sends a notification to the user&rsquo;s smartphone via <a href="https://www.nordicsemi.com/products/bluetooth-low-energy?utm_campaign=2021%20wevolver" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bluetooth LE</a> when the water tank needs to be refilled. According to Growgreen, the product can reduce water use by up to 90 percent compared to traditional soil farming.<h2>Cellular IoT &ndash; the future of smart farming</h2>By 2035, there are expected to be 20 billion connected devices across farms worldwide, while the compound annual growth rate of the smart agriculture market in Europe is predicted to reach 10.6 percent. This growth is underpinned by IoT products that can measure and transmit a wide array of variables, and analyze data to make autonomous decisions to reduce the workload for farmers, increase yield, and minimize the required resources.Some barriers still exist to the widespread implementation of the IoT in agriculture, largely due to the challenges of data transmission across long distances. However, as <a href="https://www.nordicsemi.com/Products/Low-power-cellular-IoT?utm_campaign=2021%20wevolver" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">cellular IoT</a> and other massive IoT technologies such as <a href="https://www.nordicsemi.com/Products/DECT-NR?utm_campaign=2021%20wevolver" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">DECT NR+</a> become more ubiquitous in remote and rural areas, smart agriculture will increasingly address the challenges presented by continued population growth, land availability, climate change, and other water stress factors.<hr id="isPasted">This article was first published on Nordic&#39;s <a href="https://blog.nordicsemi.com/getconnected" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"></a><a href="https://blog.nordicsemi.com/getconnected?utm_campaign=2021%20wevolver" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Get Connected Blog</a>. &nbsp;

As IoT technology evolves, automation will play a more important role by, for instance, automatically stopping the watering process once the soil has received a sufficient level of moisture. Furthermore, analysis of irrigation data transmitted to Cloud computing can help ensure that watering occurs at the optimal time (for example, overnight or at cooler times during the day) to minimize evaporation losses.

Cellular IoT helps farmers use water wisely

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