SINGAPORE : As uncertain climate conditions and global food shortages continue to threaten the agriculture sector, farmers are some of the most at risk from environmental injustice.
To mitigate these challenges, leading Taiwanese companies have harnessed advanced technologies to promote digital equality for farmers as part of the Industrial Development Bureau (IDB) Smart City Taiwan project.
Across Taiwan, farmers are feeling the effects of climate change. Higher temperatures lead to increased crop respiration rate and evapotranspiration, higher pest infestations, a shift in weed flora, and reduced crop duration.
In this context, Taiwan has successfully integrated agri-tech to make farmers more
resilient and fuel high-quality agricultural development to boost shared prosperity.
“Taiwan’s agriculture industry is undergoing a digital transformation. From the Internet of Things (IoT) to AI and big data, local agri-tech innovations are empowering farmers to do more work with less labor power and time, reduce the cost and environmental impact of pesticides, and ensure healthier food for all,” Jiunn Shiow Lin said, the director of Information Technologies Industries Division, Industrial Development Bureau, Ministry of Economic Affairs.
Taiwan’s fisheries have been negatively impacted by the extreme weather patterns caused by climate change. However, Quadlink Technology Inc has developed IoT aquaculture systems that support the development of small-scale aquaculture production systems in coastal and inland waters.
Using sensors and big data, fishers such as Yung An Fish Farm have optimized aquaculture production and distribution to keep breeding conditions stable and manage concerning abnormalities.
In Pingtung, Taiwan’s agricultural hub, dragon fruit farmers have addressed labor shortages with advanced technologies from Dragon Digital Farm Co. With a harvest period of seven months, dragon fruit requires consistent lighting throughout the seasons to ensure year-round production, stable prices, and high margins. Thanks to an innovative system featuring AIoT, big data, digital barcodes and AI, farmers have reduced manpower, decentralized the production season, and are able to better identify the prime harvesting period.
Pingtung’s large-scale banana farmers have also consistently struggled with diseases that have caused a decline in production. With vast areas of land and few employees, farmers were unable to manually patrol the land and identify warning signs of disease. Using digital and precise applications, Yi Lung Agricultural Co. is now able to monitor plants across the farm and act quickly to prevent the spread of diseases in current and future agricultural cycles.
Further north in Chiayi, melon farmers are moving towards a smarter, safer agricultural model for their melon farming — a process that typically includes harmful chemical pesticides to ward off disease.
Thanks to Chunghwa Telecom’s Comprehensive Smart Agriculture Solution, farmers can use sensors, AI and big data to collect key environmental parameters and advise on crop rotation, optimal planting times, and soil management to mitigate pests and disease without noxious chemicals.
As climate change continues and the global population keeps climbing, Taiwan’s agri-tech innovations ensure equality for farmers and contribute to sustainable global development. Taiwan’s agricultural systems have been exported to other countries including Malaysia and Indonesia, bringing digitalization to even more farmers and improving global access to high-quality food. Looking ahead, Taiwan will continue optimizing its farming techniques by using high-precision technology as it commits to the Agriculture 4.0 movement.-pr/BNN
