AEC 406: AGRICULTURAL SEMINARS

DISCUSS VERTICAL FARMING AND HYDROPONICS

INTRODUCTION

VERTICAL FARMING

This is practice of growing crops in vertically stacked layers and often incorporates a controlled environment agriculture that aims at
optimizing plant growth and soilless farming techniques such as hydroponics, aquaponics and aeroponics. Types of vertical farming
include buildings based farms, shipping containers and deep farms.

ADVANTAGES

1. Farmers are not exposed to hazards related to heavy farming equipment, diseases like malaria and poisonous chemicals.

2. Human and environment friendly: Indoor vertical farming can significantly lessen the occupational hazards associated with
traditional farming.

3. Increased production of organic crops: Allows to grow pesticides free and organic crops

4. Not affected by unfavourable weather conditions since they are less likely to feel the brunt of the unfavourable weather.

5. Less use of water in cultivation: Allow us to produce crops 70-95 less water than required for normal cultivation.

DISADVANTAGES

1. No established economics: The cost of building skyscrapers for farming combined with other costs such as lighting, heating and
labor can be more than the benefit we get from output of vertical farming.
2. Too much dependency on technology: It extremely depends on various technologies for lighting, maintaining temperature and
humidity.

3. Difficulties with pollination: It takes place in a controlled environment without the presence of insects. Pollination is done manually
which is costly and labor intensive

4. Few jobs: Automation may lead to the need of fewer workers

5. Lower worker efficiency: Climbing to upper layers takes time and energy, decreasing the overall employee efficiency thus the
layout of vertical farm may pose a challenge for the workers to reach each layer

HYDROPONICS

This is type of horticulture and a subset of vertical farming that involves growing of plants (usually crops) without soil, by using
mineral nutrient solutions in an aqueous solvent. Plants grow with their roots exposed to the nutritious liquid or even the roots may be
supported by an inert medium such as gravel.

ADVANTAGES

1. No soil: provides a soilless that can be used anywhere, particularly suited to cities
2. Transport: the ability to be grown anywhere even in the middle of a soilless city the transport is minimal
3. Reduced water usage: it uses less water due to recirculation of the water used.
4. Controlled environment: growing indoors allows better control of temperature light air composition and pest.
5. Less space: it allows maximum usage of small spaces making it a viable option for growing crops in city homes and spare
rooms.
6. Less need for herbicides and pesticides: due to the controlled, soilless environment, pests and diseases are minimized.
DISADVANTAGES

1. Organics debates: Hydroponics uses a chemical nutrient solution which is not organically
sourced. It is controversial whether the absence of the soil microbiome may affect the food quality with unknown impacts on
the human microbiome, as increasing evidence suggest that the microbes obtained from food may be an important contribution
to our health.

2. Limited crop variety: Due to the high light demands of fruiting plants, hydroponic technology is mostly limited to leafy greens
due to costs.

3. Technical knowledge and difficulties: Lack of understanding of the technical set-up of the hydroponic systems and plant
growth requirements leads to the system failures

4. Initial expenses: Setting up a hydroponic system can be done on a budget with minimal cost, on a commercial scale, the
specialist equipment required can be expensive.

CONCLUSION

Despite the number of challenges and limitations associated with vertical farming with hydroponic systems, it still offers a great
potential to contribute to a more sustainable future of farming. It is important to emphasize that vertical farming and hydroponics
is in no way a viable replacement for traditional farming practices but an alternative option suited to cities to help support the
demand for fresh, locally-sourced healthy greens, with the growing population. Technological advancements are expected to
improve costs and efficiency of plant growth in hydroponic systems, giving it high hopes for the future.
INTERNET OF THINGS IN MODERN AGRICULTURE

IoT (internet of things) in agricultural context refers to the use of sensors, cameras and other devices to turn every element and action
involved in farming data. Weather, moisture, plant mineral status, chemical applications, pest presence and must more can be turned
into large data sets that allow big data engineers to draw out insights about the farm at varying levels of granulating via software
algorithms. The aim of most agriculture IoT products is to enable farmers enable farmers to use these insights to make operational
decisions around planting, irrigating, harvesting and more.

(Agfundernews.com/iot)

How has internet of things shaped agriculture

Technologies and internet of things have the potential to transform agriculture in many aspects.

1. Data, tons of data, collected by small agriculture sensors e.g. weather conditions, soil quality, crops growth progress or
cattle’s health. This data can track the state of your business in general as well as staff performance and equipment
efficiency.
2. Better control over the internal processes and, as a result lower productions risks. The ability to foresee the output of
your production allows you to plan for better product distribution.
3. Cost management and waste reduction thanks to the increased control over the production. Being able to see any
anomalies in the crop growth and livestock health will be to mitigate risks of losing your field.
4. Increased business efficiency through process automation. By using smart devices you can automate multiple processes
across your production circle e.g. irrigation, fertilizing or pest control.
5. Enhances product quality and volumes. Achieve better control over the production process and maintain higher of crop
quality and growth capacity through automation.
As a result, all of this factors can eventually lead to higher revenue. (Easternpeak.com)

Internet of Things use cases in Agriculture (with examples)

1. Monitoring of climate conditions. Probably the most popular smart agriculture gadgets are weather stations, combining
various smart farming sensors. Located across the field they collect various data from the environment and send it to the
cloud. Some examples of such agricultural Internet of Things devices are AllMETEO, Smart Elements and Pycno.
2. Greenhouse automation. Typically, farmers use manual intervention to control the greenhouse environment. The use of IoT
sensors enables them to get accurate real-time information on greenhouse conditions such as lighting, temperature, soil
condition, and humidity. Examples are farm app, growlink, and GreenIQ.
3. Crop management. Just like weather stations, they should be placed in the field to collect data specific to crop farming; from
temperature and precipitation to leaf water potential and overall crop health. Thus you can monitor your crop growth and any
anomalies to effectively prevent any diseases or infections that can harm your yield. Examples are arable and semios.
4. Cattle monitoring and management. This are IoT Agriculture sensors that can be attached to the animals to the farm to
monitor their health and log performance. Livestock tracking and monitoring help collect data on stock health, well-being and
physical location. Examples are SCR by Allflex and cowlar.
5. 5 Agricultural drones. They are better equipped than aeroplanes and satellites to collect agricultural data. They can perform
tasks that previously required human labor e.g. planting of crops, fighting pests and infections, agriculture spraying and crop
monitoring.
Things to consider before developing your smart farming solution

1. The hardware. Your choice will depend on the types of information you want to collect and the purpose of your solution in
general.
2. The brain. You need to have a powerful data analytics capabilities and apply predictive algorithms and machine learning in
order to obtain actionable insights based on the collected data.
3. The maintenance. You need to make sure your hardware is durable and easy to maintain.
4. The mobility. A business owner/farm manager should be able to access the information on site or remotely via a smart phone
or a desktop computer.
5. The infrastructure. To ensure that your smart farming app performs well you need a solid internal infrastructure.
(Cropin.com/iot-internet)
DISCUSS SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES
INTRODUCTION
Sustainable Agriculture is the production of plant and produce including food in a away that uses farming techniques that protect the
environment, public health, communities and the welfare of animals.
Sustainable agriculture allows us to produce and enjoy healthy foods without compromising the ability of future generations to do the
same.
The key to sustainable agriculture is finding the right balance between the need for food production and the preservation of
environmental ecosystem.
Methods of sustainable agriculture produce on;
A. Crop rotation;

Its purpose is to avoid the consequences that come with planting the same crop in the same soil in a row for years.
It helps tackle pest problems as many pests prefer specific crops.
Rotation breaks the reproduction cycle of pests. During rotation, farmers can plant certain crops which replenish plant nutrients. These
crops reduce the need for chemical fertilizers.
B. Permaculture

It is food production system with intention, design and smart farming to reduce waste of resources and create increased production
efficiency.
Permaculture design techniques include growing grains without tillage, her and plant spirals, huge/kultur garden beds, keyhole,
mandala gardens and sheet mulching, each plant serving multiple purpose and creating swales on contour to hold water high on the
landscape.
C. Cover crops
By planting cover crops such as clover or oats, the farmer can achieve his goals of preventing soil erosion, suppressing the growth of
weeds and enhancing the quality of the soil.
It also reduces the need for chemicals such as fertilizers.
D. Soil enrichment

Soil is a central component of agricultural ecosystems. Good soils can increase yields as well as help to create more robust crops.
Some ways to maintain and enhance the quality of soil are leaving crop residue in the field after a harvest and the use of composted
plant material or animal manure.
E. Natural pest predators

In order to maintain effective control over pests, it is important to view the farm as an ecosystem
Managing your farm so that it can harbour populations of these pest predators is effective as well as a sophisticated techniques.
F. Bio intensive Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

It is an approach which essentially relies on biological as opposed to chemical methods.

It also emphasizes on the importance of crop rotation to combat pest management.
Once pest problem is identified IPM will ensure that chemical solutions will only be used as a last resort, instead the appropriate
responses would be the use of sterile males and bio control agents such as lady bird.
G. Polyculture farming

It is similar to crop rotation that tries to mimic natural principles to achieve the best yield.
Involves growing multiple crop species in one area. The species often complement each other and help reduce a greater diversity of
products at one plot while fully utilizing available resources.
H. Agroforestry
It involves the growth of trees and shrubs amongst crops or grazing land combining both agriculture and forestry practices for long
lasting, productive and diverse land use when approached sustainably.
Trees maintain the favourable temperatures, stabilize soil and soil humidity, minimize nutrient runoff and protects crop from wind or
heavy rains.
I. Bio dynamic farming

It incorporates ecological and holistic growing practices based on the philosophy of “anthroposophy”.
It focuses on the implementation of practices such as composting, application of animal manure from farmed animals, cover cropping
or rotating complementary crops for generating the necessary health and soil fertility for food production.

J. Better water management

The first step in water management is the selection of the right crops.
Local crops that are more adaptable to the weather conditions of the region are selected.
There should be well planned irrigation systems.
The application of rain water harvesting system by storing rainwater can be used in drought prevailing conditions.
Benefits of sustainable agriculture
1) Contributes to environmental conservation
2) Saves energy for future
3) Public health safety
4) Prevents pollution ; air soil and water pollution
5) Reduction in cost
6) Biodiversity
7) Sustainable livestock management
 8) Beneficial to animals
9) Beneficial for environment
10) Economically beneficial for farmers

Conclusion
In assessing the relative sustainability of current agricultural production systems it is necessary to define 'sustainable agriculture',
but again their are many interpretations to this ambiguous term due to a host of apparent conflicting ideas and heavily value laden
concepts.

FOOD SECURITY
Definition of Food Security

Food security is a situation that exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious
food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life

Dimensions of Food Security

Four dimensions of food security have been identified according to the definition

1) Availability of food produced locally and imported from abroad.

2) Accessibility.

The food can reach the consumer and the latter has enough money for purchase. To such physical and economic accessibility is added socio-
cultural access to ensure that the food is culturally acceptable and that social protection nets exist to help the less fortunate.

3) Utilization.

The individual must be able to eat adequate amounts both in quantity and quality in order to live a healthy and full life to realize his or her
potential. Food and water must be safe and clean, and thus adequate water and sanitation are also involved at this level.

4) Stability.

Deals with the ability of the nation/ community/(household) person to withstand shocks to the food chain system whether caused by natural
disasters or those that are man-made.

N/B: More recent developments emphasize the importance of sustainability, which may be considered as the long-term time (fifth) dimension to
food security. Sustainability involves indicators at a supra-national level of ecology, biodiversity and climate change, as well as socio-cultural and
economic factors.

Linking Food Security to Sustainability

The notion of Sustainable diets links sustainability with food security to ensure holistic sustainable food systems, as can be seen from their
respective definitions. Sustainable diets are defined as ones that “are protective and respectful of biodiversity and ecosystems, culturally
acceptable, accessible, economically fair and affordable; nutritionally adequate, safe and healthy; while optimizing natural and human resources
sustainable food system is a food system that ensures Food Security and Nutrition (FSN) for all in such a way that the economic, social and
environmental bases to generate FSN for future generations are not compromised

Food insecurity

Definition of Food Insecurity

whenever the availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods, or the ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways, is
limited or uncertain.

Food insecurity is experienced when there is;

(1) uncertainty about future food availability and access.

(2) insufficiency in the amount and kind of food required for a healthy lifestyle.

(3) the need to use socially unacceptable ways to acquire food.

food insecurity can also be experienced when food is available and accessible but cannot be utilized because of physical or other constraints,
such as limited physical functioning of the elderly or disabled.

Relationships Between Food Security and Food Insecurity

The two processes are inter-related linearly with re-iterative feedback loops such that stress leads to coping responses that may or may not be
adequate, thereby requiring modifications in the coping strategies until food security is regained.

Measurement of Food Security

Indicators for measuring Food Security

At household level

 Availability
 Accessibility
 Utilization
 Stability
Dietary Diversity and Food Frequency; This category of indicators usually capture the number of different kinds of foods or food groups that
people consume, and the frequency of consuming them.

Spending on Food; People who spend a greater proportion of expenditure on food, have been considered less secure in household food
security.

Consumption Behaviors; This category of indicators measures behaviors related to food consumption, thus capturing food security indirectly,
example Household Hunger Scale.

Experiential Indicators; Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) and a culturally-invariant subset of HFIAS Household Hunger Score (HHS)
are capturing household behaviors signifying insufficient quality and quantity.

Self-assessment Measurement

Monitoring of Food Security

Food security, nutrition and sustainability are increasingly discussed in the same context. The integration of food security as an explicit part of
the sustainability agenda would go a long way towards such a goal. The final common pathway of all these efforts is towards sustainable food
security and nutrition for our planet.
References;

Anderson, J.R., 2018a. Concepts of food sustainability. In: Ferranti, P., Berry, E., Anderson, J.R. (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Food Security and
Sustainability. Elsevier Concepts, Oxford

Anderson, J.R., 2018b. Concepts of food stability in food security. In: Ferranti, P., Berry, E., Anderson, J.R. (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Food Security
and Sustainability. Elsevier, Oxford.

Berry, E.M., Dernini, S., Burlingame, B., Meybeck, A., Conforti, P., 2015. Food security and sustainability: can one exist without the other? Public
Health Nutr. 18, 2293–2302.

FAO, 1983. World Food Security: A Reappraisal of the Concepts and Approaches. Director General’s Report. FAO, Rome.

FAO, 1996. Rome Declaration on Food Security and World Food Summit Plan of Action. FAO, Rome.

FAO, 2002. The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2001. FAO, Rome.

FAO, 2018. The Food Insecurity Experience Scale. Voices of the Hungry.