The growing network of international policies, targets, and standards that seek to promote environmentally friendly farming practices by either punishing or rewarding companies for their sustainable strategies, or lack thereof, are driving the innovation and development of Climate Mitigation and Adaptation Technologies, which are incorporating recent digital and computing advances into the fight against climate change.
The 6P Framework for the Future of the Sustainability & Circular Economy – More with Less – Agriculture
Source: Frost & Sullivan
We recently had the opportunity to meet with the co-founder and CEO of Ucrop.it, Diego Hoter, who shared the company’s innovations in the field of AgTech. Since agriculture represents around a quarter of the total percentage of GHG emissions, sustainable agricultural practices are necessary for a climate-resilient world. Ucrop.it’s collaborative platform integrates actors across the entire agricultural value chain, connecting over 700 farmers with around 60 upstream and downstream companies by sharing relevant farming data, in exchange for benefits.
Monitoring of the value chain enables integrated solutions that guarantee the environmental impact of products is reduced, which is crucial in an industry such as agriculture, where inputs and outputs are traded across a variety of groups. The recent developments in sustainable fertilizers and seeds call for the assessment of their benefits and can also present a competitive advantage when trading the outputs produced, given that demand for environmentally friendly products and brands is on the rise.
Transparency in monitoring processes underlies the concept of sustainable development, given that tracking emissions and pollutants is key to understanding what and how practices are to be adapted to become sustainable. Technological advancements, including IoT, blockchain, and satellite imagery, are aiding these transparency and compliance demands, helping companies such as Ucrop.it back their traceability strategies by providing evidence of farms’ sustainable production practices. Digitalized data exchange reduces the challenge of tackling Scope 3 emissions, by providing companies and consumers with the information they need to keep track of the carbon footprint of the products they are buying, thus facilitating conscious choices of brands and suppliers, as well as promoting sustainable practices.
The digitalization of agricultural practices facilitates access to sustainable and precision farming for remote sites, increasing the possibilities for isolated people and farms of expanding their operations, incorporating them into the global market, and promoting their adherence and compliance with production standards. These expansions have driven the creation of partnerships that bring farmers together to promote and ease the implementation of climate-friendly practices, ranging from organizations that facilitate funding to forums for sharing best practices and recommendations.
Comprehensive platforms that combine data aggregation and insights with tangible benefits for complying with sustainable practices or standards are an optimal way of ensuring private market actors have the incentive to reduce the environmental impact of their operations. Tackling agricultural risks, such as soil degradation and pollution, requires the combined efforts of producers, traders, and consumers, thus transforming sustainability into a market requirement.
Ucrop.it will be featured in Frost & Sullivan’s upcoming market research dedicated to Climate Solutions: Climate Tech Top 50, focusing on solutions for climate adaptation and mitigation, including water technologies, AgTech, and circular economy, among others.
