Precision Agriculture for Sustainability and Environmental Protection

Abstract

Precision agriculture (PA) involves the application of technologies and agronomic principles to manage spatial and temporal variation associated with all aspects of agricultural production in order to improve crop performance and environmental quality. The focus of this book is to introduce for a nonspecialist audience the role of PA in food security, environmental protection, and sustainable use of natural resources, as well as its economic benefits.The technologies covered include yield monitors and remote sensing, and the key agronomic principles addressed are the optimal delivery of fertilizers, water and pesticides to crops only when and where these are required. As a result, it is shown that both food production and resource efficiency can be maximized, without waste or damage to the environment, such as can occur from excessive fertilizer or pesticide applications. The authors of necessity describe some technicalities about PA, but the overall aim is to introduce readers who are unfamiliar with PA to this very broad subject and to demonstrate the potential impact of PA on the environment and economy.The book shows how farmers can place sustainability of the environment at the centre of their operations and that this is improved with the application of PA. The range of topics described includes sampling and mapping, weed and pest control, proximal and remote sensing, spatio-temporal analysis for improving management, management zones and water management.

Can citizen science assist digital soil mapping?

“…In precision agriculture (Robert, 2002;Oliver et al, 2013) differential management is applied in each small area of a field. Traditional smallscale agriculture has always practiced this, but beginning in the 1980's technological innovations stimulated its development in large-scale commercial agriculture.…”

The Role of Precision Agriculture in the Promotion of Food Security

“…It can be stated that using precision agriculture application maximizes both food production and resource efficiency without waste or harm to the environment. The same applies to excessive fertilizer or pesticide applications (Oliver et al, 2013).…”

Understanding limits to data informative power for sustainable food policies in transition and post-transition countries

“…The second goal of the Sustainable Development for 2030 is to ensure that all vulnerable people and region can have access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round avoiding a worsening living conditions and food security (World Bank, 2013). It is shown that both food production and resource efficiency can be maximised, without damage to the environment, such as can occur from excessive fertiliser or pesticide applications (Oliver et al, 2013). Sustainability demands a shift from separating to integrating institutions exclusively fostering supporting cooperative rationality (Vatn, 2009).…”