Agriculture 4.0 is the agriculture of the future; a form of precision and conservation agriculture that is environmentally friendly and digital, going a step further than current organic farming, and falling within the framework of the European Union’s Green Deal “Agriculture 2030”.
In Agriculture 4.0, thanks to new technologies, we can control the vast majority of factors involved in production and thus provide the plant with exactly what it needs at any given moment, greatly reducing the use of fertilisers and inputs with the consequent benefits this brings, such as reduced soil and aquifer pollution. Furthermore, it aims to minimise mechanical disturbance of the soil as much as possible, whilst maintaining permanent vegetation cover.
It also seeks to reduce the use of plant protection products (pesticides) to a minimum or by at least 50%, through integrated pest management using biological control and preventive trapping.
Another very important aspect is improving product traceability so that the end consumer has complete transparency regarding the entire production process of the fruit they are buying. Furthermore, other key factors within the objectives of this Agriculture 4.0 include reducing the water footprint to a minimum and promoting local trade to reduce the carbon footprint.
This entire strategy is also known as “From Farm to Fork” and is the approach we follow at Arándanos el Cierrón with the berries we produce (blueberries, redcurrants and mini kiwis).
Prepared and written by Adrián García Villar, Agricultural Engineer from the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM). Membership No. 215, Official Association of Agricultural Engineers of the Principality of Asturias (COIASTUR)
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From farm to fork