How advanced digitalization and digital twins are transforming agriculture to address food insecurity and sustainability challenges
Drastic climate change and overpopulation have led to a global crisis of food insecurity, even in economically affluent countries like Canada. As traditional agricultural practices prove unsustainable, the need for innovative solutions to produce crops efficiently, reduce waste, and minimize environmental impact becomes increasingly urgent. Controlled environment agriculture (CEA), including indoor farming techniques, has emerged as a promising alternative. However, the complexity of CEA requires computer-aided support, such as digital twins, to optimize growth strategies and reduce energy consumption. This article explores the role of digital twins in revolutionizing agriculture and addressing the pressing issues of food security and sustainability.
Digital Twins: Enhancing Controlled Environment Agriculture
CEA involves growing crops in isolated environments with precise control over factors like temperature, humidity, and lighting. Automation in controlled environments allows for higher yields and better crop quality compared to traditional farming methods. However, optimizing growth strategies in CEA is challenging due to increased complexity. This is where digital twins, which are digital representations of physical objects or processes, play a crucial role. Digital twins provide real-time simulations of the physical system and enable decision-making and control of environmental conditions.
Reducing Energy Consumption and Improving Crop-to-Energy Ratio
Energy consumption is a significant concern in CEA, as heating and cooling facilities require substantial energy. Digital twins can help monitor and control environmental conditions to stimulate optimal and sustainable crop growth. By providing a live dashboard to observe the growing area’s environmental conditions, digital twins allow for precise control of the environment. This control helps reduce energy consumption and improve the crop-to-energy ratio, making CEA more economically and environmentally viable.
Designing New Greenhouses and Experimentation
Digital twins also find application in designing new greenhouses. By collecting data over an extended period, a digital twin can be used for experimentation purposes when designing a new greenhouse. This allows for informed decision-making and optimization of greenhouse design, leading to more efficient and sustainable structures.
Economic Feasibility and Digital Maturity
The adoption of digitally enhanced CEA and the development of digital twins come with associated costs. Hardware elements and software development are the primary cost drivers for creating digital twins. While home-brew solutions and gradual expansion of functionality can be cost-effective initial steps, professional grower settings require industry-grade subsystems, which entail higher costs. Additionally, digital maturity is crucial for successful adoption, and the costs associated with organizational digital strategy often overshadow technical costs. However, collaborations between industry and academia have shown promise in scoping ongoing digitalization efforts and overcoming economic challenges.
The Path to Food Security and Sustainability
The urgency for food security and sustainable production has never been greater. To meet the United Nations’ sustainability development goal of eradicating global hunger by 2030, a paradigm shift in agriculture is necessary. Advanced digitalization and digital twins offer a potential solution. While obstacles remain, the decreasing costs of hardware and computing power are making digitally driven smart agriculture a reality. By leveraging digital twins and embracing digital maturity, the agricultural sector can transform and contribute to a more secure and sustainable food future.
Conclusion:
Digital twins are revolutionizing agriculture by enabling precise control of environmental conditions, reducing energy consumption, and optimizing crop growth strategies. Through advanced digitalization, the agricultural sector can address the pressing challenges of food insecurity and sustainability. While economic feasibility and digital maturity pose obstacles, collaborations and advancements in technology are paving the way for a future where smart agriculture ensures food security for all. The time for a paradigm shift in agriculture is now, and digital twins offer a powerful tool to make it a reality.
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