What’s Climate-Smart Agriculture and Why Is It the Future

Global cooling. Then, global warming. Now, we know it as ‘climate change’. Whether it’s real or a hoax doesn’t really matter. What matters IS the climate. And if you’re a farmer, the climate will determine whether you’ll be successful or not.

Farmers have to deal with shifting seasons, cooler (sometimes hotter) summers, and warmer (sometimes colder) winters. Dry periods that weren’t there before are a problem; there are sudden storms, as well as extreme temperature swings.

Just imagine having a 32°F morning, but the max expected temperature for the day is 70°F. Basically, you’re walking your dog in the morning in your winter jacket, and then later that day you’re walking him in a T-shirt.

With such swings throughout the year, it’s not easy to plan long-term. Or is it?

That’s where climate-smart agriculture comes in.

Let’s dive in!

What’s Climate-Smart Agriculture?

Climate-smart agriculture is a relatively modern framework that has three primary goals:

Increasing productivity and resilience

• increased yield and performance
• better fertilizer
• waste reduction
• crops being able to withstand various stresses

Reducing emissions

• CO2
• Methane
• Nitrous Oxide

Improving sustainability

• soil health
• biodiversity
• reducing water use
• long-term viability
• prevention of resource depletion

All of this can be achieved with various tools and strategies such as precision irrigation, weather data, crop management apps, genetic/crop-choice, soil/land management, water management, livestock/pasture strategies, remote sensing (via satellites), multispectral drone imagery, automated weather stations, AI yield-prediction models, etc.

All these strategies are designed towards one single goal, and that is sustainable growth, which in turn leads to higher business profitability. So, even if you aren’t doing this from the goodness of your heart, you’re still doing something that helps humanity greatly.

This means, for example, that instead of relying on traditional agriculture, which relies on historical weather patterns and experience, you can now use AI models that are fed with accurate real-time weather data that can very precisely make long-term predictions regarding climate, soil condition, and crop growth models.

This is just one example of how technology can be used today to make agriculture even better than it already is.

How Tech Helps You Adapt to Weather Risks

Farmers today are utilizing advancements in digital tools to monitor conditions, plan operations, and minimize the effects of dangerous weather risks.

For example, you can manage your agricultural weather forecasts with Visual Crossing or a similar accurate weather API provider and have access to data that’ll help you successfully manage planting, crop care, harvesting, etc.

Planting Decisions

Planting is one of the most weather-sensitive steps in any farming season, and with advanced weather data, it’s possible to identify the best planting window.

• Soil temperature indicates if the ground is warm enough to support safe germination.
• Knowing soil moisture levels helps avoid planting in fields that are too wet or too dry.
• Growing degree days (GDD) show the level of moisture that is expected to evaporate based on current weather. In planting, it helps determine if early-season heat patterns support uniform crop emergence.
• Precipitation forecasts can greatly help you avoid planting just before a harsh storm or very heavy rainfall, which may cause damage.

Crop Care

Weather conditions heavily influence irrigation, fertilization, and pest management.

• Monitoring Evapotranspiration (ET) shows data on daily water loss from crops, which helps farmers to make more efficient irrigation schedules.
• With real-time tracking of moisture levels, you have insights into how water moves through the soil, which helps prevent overwatering.
• Rainfall forecasts help optimize the timing of fertilizing, so the nutrients are not washed away by rain.
• Tracking temperature and humidity trends provides early detection of pest and disease outbreaks.
• DeltaT measurements help determine the best spraying windows for pesticides or fungicides.

Harvest Timing

Harvest timing relies on continuous tracking of temperature patterns and soil conditions to estimate crop maturity and choose the right moment to begin.

• Temperatures influence crop ripening and overall quality, and soil moisture levels impact field access for equipment and machinery. 
• Rain and weather forecasts help avoid harvesting in conditions that can cause crop damage, sprouting, or delays.
• Monitoring air humidity supports optimal planning for drying, curing, and storage processes.

Tools That Support Climate-Smart Agriculture

Advances in digital technology, remote sensing, and automation have widened the range of tools that support climate-smart agriculture.

Here are some of them:

• Weather platforms & weather APIs provide access to localized, real-time, and forecasted weather information. They can also be integrated with farm management software and IoT systems to deliver alerts and precise recommendations on planting, irrigation, fertilization, and more
• IoT sensors are in-field sensors that monitor soil moisture, temperature, and humidity and can automate irrigation, fertigation, and environmental controls.
• Satellite & drone imaging helps monitor crop health, soil conditions, stress levels, and environmental changes across large areas, and helps you detect potential problems earlier. 
• AI – You can’t be ‘smart’ without AI being involved in some way or form. AI models can be fed with various data and trained to serve a particular purpose. You can have one model that’s there to predict weather (based on real-time data gotten through weather APIs and detailed historical data), or you could train AI models to make suggestions for sowing/planting, or harvesting to get the most optimal output. Some AI models can be used to help predict when (and where) a pest outbreak might occur.

Conclusion

You could think of ‘climate-smart agriculture’ as combining traditional agriculture with today’s technology that wasn’t available before, and using better soil practices and crop strategies, with the ultimate goal of making it better.

Public opinion on climate change is split, and there’s not much anyone can do about it right now. But farmers are still left to deal with weather patterns today, which aren’t the same as they were decades ago. What farmers need is a way to deal with that, whatever THAT may be.

And climate-smart agriculture might be the way to do it!