PHOTO: NUFARM
PHOTO: THISISENGINEERING
PHOTO: BERT JANSEN
EDITOR’S PICKS ▶▶▶ Farm data to generate carbon credits
WORLD Farmers may soon be able to earn money from sequestering carbon in their soil. There are two initiatives, which involve developing a software system and creating a market for this activity. Truterra and Nori aim to create a new volun- tary carbon removal marketplace. Their pilot project translates existing farm data into po- tential carbon credits. These credits, which are in fact CO2 emission rights, could offer a new viable revenue stream for farmers. They could also be sold to third parties who have to com- ply with regulations for reducing carbon emis- sions. Truterra is synchronising its Insights En- gine, which farmers are already using to generate customised stewardship and profita- bility data, with Nori’s carbon marketplace. Growers will be able to use the data they’ve already entered and other sources of farm data to submit to Nori, at no cost, to see the potential value of the carbon credits they could generate. Currently, farmers can be paid up to US$ 15
Using electricity to control weeds
EUROPE/AUSTRALIA Nufarm and
Crop.Zone combine chemical and physical processes to create a sustainable weed control method. Plants are pre-treated with an organic, regulated liquid that is conductive. Then an electric charge is applied. That way, the companies say, farmers can control weeds with a high degree of efficiency and less use of ener- gy than conventional weeding technologies. Nufarm is an Australian developer and manu- facturer of seeds and crop protection solutions.
per tonne of carbon sequestered in the soil on Nori’s marketplace. The company Farmers Edge has also announced a partnership, with Radicle Group Inc., a developer of agricultural carbon credits, to create a carbon credit pro- gramme powered by real-time field data. This
partnership will combine digital infrastructure and carbon credit expertise to deliver a very precise programme that will provide growers with field-level sustainability scores, intelli- gent greenhouse gas (GHG) management tools, and market access.
Crop.Zone is a German agtech start-up. Its elec- trophysical weeder has an eight-metre applica- tion width and an application speed of 4 km/h. It can cover 3 ha per hour. According to Hildo Brilleman of Nufarm the new technology is an exciting innovation in crop protection. “It ena- bles us to offer our customers a real alternative to chemicals at competitive prices, especially for those crops in which chemical weed control op- tions have been reduced and where alternative technologies are needed.” The solution will ini- tially be made available to farmers in Germany and the Benelux countries in 2021.
Vertical farms could be ready to take off
EUROPE A new interdisciplinary study combining biolo- gy and engineering is accelerating the growth of vertical farming, including the use of aero- ponics, which involves using nutrient-enriched aerosols in place of soil. The study, published
6 ▶ FUTURE FARMING | 20 November 2020
in the journal New Phytologist entitled ‘Getting to the Roots of Aeroponic Indoor Farming’ identifies seven strategic areas of future re- search that are needed to underpin the in- creased productivity and sustainability of aero- ponic vertical farms. The report argues that one driver of technological innovation in verti- cal farms is minimising operation costs while maximising productivity – and that investment in fundamental biological research can play a significant role. Bethany Eldridge, a researcher at the University of Bristol and first author of the study adds: “Given that 80% of agricultural land worldwide is reported to have moderate
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68
