STEM Adventures in Sustainable Farming

Did you know that farming is all about STEM?  Ever since people started cultivating crops, they have been experimenting with different and better ways to grow food!  Farmers nowadays are on the cutting edge of technology and use critical thinking and problem solving skills all the time.  As the demand for food increases from an ever growing world population, and as we start thinking about feeding people in harsher environments beyond our own planet, innovative STEM projects may hold the answers.  Here are some of the newest innovations being implemented in farming.

Indoor Vertical Farming
Indoor vertical farming is basically exactly what it sounds like.  It's a method of growing crops in stacked layers indoors.  This method is often associated with urban farming where space is limited.  Vertical farming utilizes artificial growing systems like hydroponics and aquaponics.  Vertical farms use up to 70% less water than traditional farms, and can produce more food in less space than traditional farming methods.

Farm Automation
Drones, autonomous tractors, robotic harvesters, and automatic watering are all becoming more and more common on farms.  As robotics technology improves, more and more possibilities become available in agriculture.  Automation on farms is showing promise for reducing the effect of farming on climate change.

Livestock Farming Technology
A wide variety of technology can help improve the management of livestock.  This includes things like Precision Livestock Farming (a collection of technologies that monitor livestock using sensors, cameras, and microphones), and infrared spectroscopy (used to analyze milk for components like fat, protein, and lactose).

Blockchain and Food Traceability
Blockchain technology is making it increasingly possible to solve urgent food safety issues quickly.  Blockchain helps with safety recalls, supply chain inefficiency, and food traceability.  Food traceability has been a time-consuming task, since there are some aspects of food transportation that are still managed on paper.  A blockchain structure streamlines the process and adds accountability to the system.

Now we want to hear your ideas!  What great ideas do you have that could help farmers?  Comment with your thoughts, or try them out at home and let us know how it goes!