Five devices set to revolutionise agriculture

Justin Platt, founder and CEO of regenerative farming companies Zylem SA and RegenZ, looks at the key technologies affecting agriculture.

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Agritech is a growing industry, and it’s time for today’s farmers to harness its potential for improved decision-making, production, access to markets, and new investment opportunities.

1. SMART SOIL HEALTH 

PES Technologies has developed a tool that turns soil testing into a five-minute process. Instead of soil samples being sent off to a laboratory, the PES device works as a point-of-care diagnostics machine does in the medical field. It’s hand-held and battery-powered, and controlled using a smartphone app. It reports on a range of biological, chemical and physical soil-health indicators, including microbial biomass and soil organic matter content.

You can analyse soil samples there and then on the land without any sample preparation. In this way, you’ll have a better idea of the right products to use to balance the soil and create the best possible conditions for plants to thrive.

2. CLOUD-BASED DATA PLATFORMS

Cloud-based platforms such as Continuum Ag’s TopSoil Tool are able to combine soil health data and deliver unbiased recommendations to provide farmers with direction and