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Agricultural technology oragrotechnology (abbreviatedagtech, agritech,AgriTech, oragrotech) is the use oftechnology inagriculture,horticulture, andaquaculture with the aim of improving yield, efficiency, and profitability. Agricultural technology can be products, services, or applications derived from agriculture that improve various input and output processes.[1][2]
Advances inagricultural science,agronomy, andagricultural engineering have led to applied developments in agricultural technology.[3][4]
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Thehistory of agriculture has been shaped by technological advances. Agricultural technology dates back thousands of years. Historians have described a number ofagricultural revolutions, which identify major shifts in agricultural practice and productivity. These revolutions have been closely connected to technological improvements.
Around 10,000 years ago, theNeolithic Revolution catalyzed an epochal transformation. Humanity transitioned from nomadic hunter-gatherer societies to stable agricultural communities. This transition bore witness to the domestication of vital plants and animals, including wheat, barley, and livestock, fundamentally altering the agricultural landscape. The surplus food production that ensued fueled population growth and laid the cornerstone for nascent civilizations.Irrigation technology was developed independently by a number of different cultures, with the earliest known examples dated to the 6th millennium BCE inKhuzistan in the south-west of present-dayIran.[5][6] Theancient Egyptian use of theNile River's flooding, marked another significant advancement.
TheRoman era ushered in notable contributions to agricultural technology. The Romans introduced innovative implements, such as the Roman plough, a notable refinement in soil cultivation. In tandem, they compiled comprehensive agricultural manuals like "De Re Rustica," serving as invaluable records of contemporary farming techniques.
TheMiddle Ages bequeathedsignificant agricultural progress. Concepts likecrop rotation and thethree-field system enhanced soil fertility and crop yields, while the introduction of theheavy plow, driven by draft animals, facilitated the cultivation of previously uncultivated lands.
A major turning point for agricultural technology is theIndustrial Revolution, which introducedagricultural machinery to mechanise agricultural labour, greatly increasing farm worker productivity. Revolutionary inventions like the seed drill, mechanical reaper, and steam-powered tractors reshaped the farming landscape. This period also witnessed the establishment of agricultural societies and colleges dedicated to advancing farming methodologies. In modernmechanised agriculture powered machinery has replaced many farm jobs formerly carried out by manual labour or by working animals such as oxen, horses and mules.
Advances in the 19th century included the development of modernweather forecasting and invention ofbarbed wire. Improvement toportable engines andthreshing machines led to their widespread adoption.Guano became a popular fertilizer in the 1800s and was widely extracted for this purpose. Guano use rapidly declined after 1910 with the development of theHaber–Bosch process for extracting nitrogen from the atmosphere.
The 20th century saw major advances in agricultural technologies, including the development of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, and new agricultural machinery such asmass-produced tractors andagricultural aircraft foraerial application of pesticides. More recent advances have includedagricultural plastics,genetically modified crops, improveddrip irrigation,integrated pest management, and soilless farming techniques such ashydroponics,aquaponics, andaeroponics.
In the first decades of the 21st century,Information Age technologies have been increasingly applied to agriculture.Agricultural robots,agricultural drones anddriverless tractors have found regular use on farms, whiledigital agriculture andprecision agriculture make use of extensivedata collection and computation to improve farm efficiency.[7]
The following is a 2021 list of by startup genome ranking Global Agtech & New Food tech ranking.[8]
