Precision agriculture: challenges and opportunities in a flat world

Abstract

Precision Agriculture has witnessed unprecedented growth in the last decade, especially in countries such as the United States, Germany and others. This paper will present the broad concept of precision agriculture with several examples of precision nutrient management from several countries. There, farmers and practitioners have overcome the challenges associated with precision nutrition management and converted them into opportunities by harnessing the global information and developing local precision techniques suitable for their region, operation and resources. With increasing global population and limited or decreasing arable land available for crop production the question arises “will we be able to overcome the future challenges and seize them as opportunities?” Precision agriculture management coupled with genetic improvements in crop traits will play a crucial role in meeting global demand for food, feed, fiber and fuel in the near and distant future.