Innovations in modern agriculture tech helping improve water efficiency

In every superhero movie, there’s inevitably a group of “good guys” who team up to tackle some sort of challenge that is threatening their way of life. But what if this narrative was a lot closer to what’s going on in the world today than many people might think? 

In this story the farmers, scientists, researchers, engineers, computer scientists, and more make up the team of good guys. The forces that are threatening our way of life include a changing climate and the limitations of our world’s natural resources: soil, water, and energy.

New digital tools and other innovations have allowed farmers to become much more efficient with water consumption. One way they do this is by using genetically modified seeds that have been optimized to better withstand water-limited conditions. This is especially useful in areas of the world where dry, hostile climates are common. In places like Sub-Saharan Africa, when drought strikes, food scarcity is a very big problem because it becomes more difficult to reliably produce enough maize. Water-efficient seeds have been a huge help to food security and also economic security. 

Another way farmers have been able to conserve water is by using soil sensors and advanced methods of irrigation that are precise. When farmers know how much moisture currently exists in a field due to rainfall, they can analyze that data and apply only the necessary amount of additional water with methods like drip irrigation. 

In this story, there are no magical powers that farmers can utilize on their farms—but there are many tools at their disposal due to research and development efforts that help modern agriculture conserve more water. 

This article, “These Real Life ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Can Help Save Us From Today’s ‘Evil Forces,’” was written by Robb Fraley, Chief Technology Officer at Monsanto, and originally published on HuffingtonPost.com.