Drones in the Air and Sensors in the Ground: How Israeli Farmers Plan to Feed Billions

With the number of people on earth rapidly rising, there's a mad rush for agriculture to keep up.

So far, the human race has managed to avert an agricultural crisis. But, there are new challenges on the horizon.

Global warming is expected to cause setbacks, particularly in more remote parts of the world, and our rising population creates further strain on an already taxed system.

As usual, Israeli entrepreneurs are lining up to rise to the challenge. There are currently over 500 technology companies in Israel that are focused on agriculture.

Around the world, 7% of all transactions in high-tech agriculture were partnerships with Israeli companies.

Bringing high-tech to agriculture means that there are sensors that can tell when plants need water, light, and fertilizer. This involves the use of drones flying overhead, taking high-resolution images and transmitting the data to a central computer that analyzes it.

This requires fewer resources--fewer chemicals, fewer polluting fertilizers--and higher crop yields.

Years of Israeli defense experience has led to capabilities for precision agriculture.

Read all about it here.

Off to water my own plants, till next time!

J