Why does NEOM project need more focus on Agriculture at initial planning ?

Saudi Arabia is investing in future ready city. As projected this city will have all the solution of problems in current urban cities. This city project cover all the horizons like manufacturing, water, technology, digitalization, entertainment and culture, education & research design and construction, food , energy, sports, tourism, mobility, health wellness & biotech, financial services , media etc. Might be the leadership of the project have some more idea.

One of the major aspect has been covered in this project or highlighted that is “Agriculture”. Though this is a Urban Development project, Agriculture is always considered as Rural development task. Yes that is Agriculture can only be possible out of city limits. Traditionally Agriculture is associated with Food and Fiber requirements, in some part of world it is also linked with shelter.

NEOM is future ready infrastructure project. If balanced agriculture will be not included at initial stage then it might not find proper space for inclusion. In such big project food will be first requirement for the humans. Agriculture is the only answer of the healthy food. NEOM project must be self-reliant on food production. 

           
                Why does NEOM project  need more focus on Agriculture at initial planning ?

If We say food production then it will cover all the ingredients / parts of food like cereals, pulses, milk, dairy product, meat, vegetables, fruits, spices, green vegetables, mushroom, marine food. It is expected that NEOM project have source of these food items. If project can’t go for 100 % self-reliance then it must try to reach its maximum capacity in self-reliance in food production. 

Except source of healthy food, Agriculture can be solution of many urban problem in NEOM projects, This article is written in that aspect how proper planning for agriculture can provide solution for the urban problems.  

Waste Water Recycling and its use:  

Such a big project will produce a lot of waste water. This waste water can be recycled and reused in Agriculture. Excess recycled water can be stored and reused in Agriculture. This water can used for crop production, Dairy Farming, Green houses, Fruit production, Waste water discharges in water bodies is a big problem in current cities. But in NEOM project it can be reused in Agriculture and other farming.

Temperature Control

 The entire NEOM project will produce a lot of heat, like body heat, cooking, movement, frictions. Controlling the temperature in sustainable way will be big challenge. The heat can be captured and it can be diverted to agriculture. Agriculture production requires optimum temperature for the different farming. Farming consumes a lot of heat for the photo synthesis and water evaporation.  The produced energy from NEOM project can be used in Agriculture and Thus Agriculture will control the temperature of the Project. 

Carbon Capture 

The entire project will produce a lot of carbon and carbon di oxide. The Carbon dioxide can be used and captured in agriculture. For future ready project carbon emission should be under control. Agriculture can be helpful for carbon capture for such big Project. If the Project is planned properly for the control of carbon foot print at initial stage then agriculture will be very helpful in this aspect.

Climate Control: 

The NEOM project is very big project so it will require the fresh air for the residents. Agriculture can produce fresh and healthy air. That can refresh the entire climate for the project. Dependency on artificial methods can be brought down. Even the residents will require some space so that they can breathe or experience the fresh natural environment.  Agriculture will control the greenhouse effect in such a big project.

Bio Waste Management 

The entire project will produce a lot of food waste, human waste. Management of the bio waste can be linked with agriculture and it can be converted into the manure and manure can be further used in Agriculture.  Bio Manure is good for the organic crop production. The Agriculture will be also based on the natural nutrient management and lesser dependency on chemical fertilizers.

NEOM PROJECT AND AGRICULTURE IN SAUDI ARABIA

Employment Generation

NEOM project will require employment opportunity for the residents. Agriculture will generate a lot of employment in agriculture production, farm management, harvesting, processing, packing, storages and marketing. With the help of agriculture project will produce its own food and own employment. Agriculture will require all the type of the work force from semi-skilled to skilled and highly intellectual personals.

 Agrivoltaics for Energy and Agriculture 

New concept of the Agrivoltaics will help in green energy production. Solar energy can be installed on the roof of the agriculture facilities. Thus agriculture will work as Green Energy production house. This concept is very good for the future ready infrastructure project for sustainable life.

Artificial Intelligence and Agriculture 

Now agriculture is Artificial Intelligence ready. It doesn’t require too much labour. Agriculture can be fit will the tech environment of the future ready infrastructure project. Demand based agriculture will lead to timely supply of the food produce to the residents of the NEOM project. Project will produce the agriculture production as per the generated demand. Scope of the export of the agriculture produce can be explored. In future NEOM can export its agriculture produce.

Healthy and fresh Food 

If the agriculture production will be within the project then Project will ensure the fresh and healthy food to its residents. The local food production will be chemical free and as per the standards of the city. Fresh and healthy food leads to good health and good health will lead to overall welfare of the NEOM residents.

NEOM PROJECT AND PRINCE OF SAUDI ARABIA

Entertainment and Recreation Activities

Agriculture is the part of the day to day life. It is great learning opportunity for the younger generation. It is the one of the best activity for the recreation. More the resident will engage in food production voluntarily more of they will become conscious about their health. For healthy lifestyle there is requirement of the outdoor activity, Agriculture is best option as out door activity.

Activities like fisheries, poultry, and Animal husbandry will also require in-house food. Demand of the in house food production will be great success for the success of this project. 

For the future ready project food production should be top priority. There must be all the option available for food production. It should be integrated with project and properly planned at initial stage. If the food production is linked to organic farming, carbon capture technology, lesser carbon foot print, healthy life style then it will lead to sustainable life style. NEOM is future ready and it should be self-reliant on food production.

Sustainable Agriculture Value Chain Development of the Agriculture Commodities.

Big agriculture value chains are exploiting the natural Resources. These value chains are impacting the society in negative way. To earn the profit agriculture commodities companies are promoting the large scale monoculture crop cultivation. Sometimes practices like child labour, extensive use of the agrochemicals, destruction of local bio diversity, extinction of local flora and fauna species, and breakage of the food chains, polluting the environment, and financial insecurities of small & marginal farmers are adopted to make the blind profits. These all ill practices are directly linked with the profit making mind-set. Sustainable agriculture is not the need of present it is the need of future generations.  Agricultural value chain should be formed in such way that it should include ethical sourcing practices and responsible agriculture methods. Sustainable farming practices will help small & marginal farmers to live with dignity.

Scenario is changing the policies are formed in a way that these business organization are being made responsible for the sustainable development and environment protection. Ethical business practices are being awarded. These practices are making entry in the balanced sheet of the organization. Like organic agriculture practices are certified as organic product, carbon capture practices are used and traded as carbon credits.

 Sustainable  Agriculture Value Chain Development of the Agriculture Commodities.

Role of the Agriculture value chain development is very important in the business of agro processing or agro commodities sourcing. All the agriculture based business need a smooth and assured supply chain for their business. The supply chain start from the agri input supply companies. Farmer and Farm give boost to it. Then after it passed through various service providers and channels and reached to processor. Since the business of agriculture commodities is highly volatile due to commodity or agro produce prices and it is highly time specific business due to peak arrival of the agro commodities or produce in market. At the time of arrival of commodity of agro produce the buyer or processing industries don’t have time to think except procurement of the produce. Rural development is directly associated with agriculture. Climate smart agriculture practices are promoting the carbon capture & credits. This will help farmers and farming community, farmer community will adopt crop diversification. Local crops & biodiversity will blossom with sustainable agriculture value chain development. 

International trade is giving importance to the steps taken for the sustainable agriculture or sourcing. Many companies started to trust the sourcing with sustainable farming practices. The companies are making the direct relationship with its producers. These companies are helping to the producers for their overall development which includes health, education, income generation, access to drinking water, gender equality, nutrition, crop diversification, supply of quality planting materials, crop inputs, crop cultivation technologies, technical assistance in farm operations, and mechanization of their far operations, access to real time weather data, market price and many other ways to give back to the producers. There can be other ways which agriculture produce sourcing company can used to make their value chain more sustainable. These task can be categorized in following ways for the sustainable agriculture value chain development.

Strengthening to the Farmer

Since the farmer is the first person who start the value chain for the agriculture produce or agriculture commodities.  His dedication and hard work make farm produce to grow or rise. Most of farmers are small and marginal farmers. Their living standards are very poor they don’t have access to the basic facilities like health, education, shelter. Companies should help farmers in his upliftment. A happy farmer will give his 100% to the agriculture and it will lead to better production with consistent quality. When we think about the development of the value chain in agriculture then first of all we must answer the question that how the value chain will help to the farmer and it will help in farmer empowerment. The answer of this question will lead to sustainable agriculture value chain development.   Fair trade practices should be adopted so that farmers can benefit from it and they can take part in Food security and Environmental protection movement through agriculture. Sustainable agriculture value chain development will lead to financial inclusion of farmers and farm labors.  

Strengthening the Farm land

Farm is the first factory for the value chain. The sourcing of the agriculture commodity should helpful in developed of the farm or agriculture land. By the exploitation of resources the land is losing its fertility. The crops are absorbing the nutrients from soils. There must be solution for the recharge of the nutrients in farm land. Continuous irrigation by salty water is also giving birth to problematic soils. With the help of the farm the farm land should be recharged. The organic content of the soil must be maintained properly. The crop residue can be converted in to the manure and it should go back to farm instead of burning or throw away in open. The bio diversity of the farm should be increased. Farms should have good percentage of the biomass in soil. Crop cultivation technologies should promote the organic way of the crop cultivation or very limited use of the synthetic agro chemicals. Climate resilience agriculture practices should be adopted for proper use of the available soil moisture. Crop diversification should be adopted instead of the mono cropping. IF the farmer wants to take sustainable production form farm then he should be encouraged to adopt these climate smart agriculture practices. A healthy farm will produce the quality farm produce.   Building sustainable value chains in agriculture is highly in demand at global level. There are many challenges and opportunities for sustainable sourcing of agriculture produce. It is the duty of the organization to come out from these issues. Currently the business of Agro-processing and Agro-commodities si totally based on Monoculture agriculture practices.  Climate change will put an adverse impact on agriculture  so  farmers and agriculture companies should move to Climate-smart agriculture and adopt it at early stage.

Strengthening the Farming or Local Crops

The profit centric crop cultivation gives lesser importance to local crops. Due to mono culture farmer don’t sow the local crops and local varieties. Even some due to adoption of latest technologies farmers go for only those crops for which the machine or technologies are available. Likes farmers are not taking the minor millers crops. Slowly and slowly the cropping area of these crops are going down slowly and slowly. Tradition verities and crop are not finding the buyer and value chains. The agriculture value chain should provide market to the other farm produce, so that the farmers can able to generate income from another crops and activities. Local food, crops, cereals, pulses, fruits, vegetables, spices, herbs, medicinal plants have very good nutrition values and market potential. The Value chain should also assist farmers by providing the market support to other crops. Importance to millets is being given globally, millets have been considered as nutrition rich food. In the same way there are other crops and farm produce which have large market potential. Geographical identification of local produce should be preserved and documented. A sustainable agriculture value chain should also strengthen the value chain of other parallel crops / produces. Diversifying crops for a more resilient food system must be included in agriculture value chain development programmes. This is joint responsibility of the agriculture business organization and farmers, by preserving local biodiversity in agricultural practices they can achieve their targets. The agriculture value chain development should give emphasis on technology adoption. Farm input suppliers and Post-harvest services should be included in strengthening of rural infrastructure. 

Strengthening the Rural Society / Farming community

Since most of farming community reside nearby the agriculture farms in rural area. Generally there is no access to the basic public facilities in these areas like drinking water, school, hospital, community centre, road, sanitation, common agro processing centre. Agriculture based business organization should come with strategies for improving rural infrastructure and access to basic facilities. A sustainable agriculture value chain should support the strengthening of rural community.  There are many other social thrust areas where the agro industry can contribute like women education, gender equality, girl child education, capacity building, seed production, backward traceability, environment protection, plantation, backyard vegetable production, own farm crop input preparation, custom hiring centre, backward and forward market linkages, establishment of farmer producer organizations, vaccination, first aid, ambulance, skill development, micro finance, financial education, community based primary processing, carbon foot print capture, carbon credit generation, geographical identification of local produces, technology exposure visits,  and many more. A strong rural society will lead to happier and intelligent farmers. These farmers will produce the best quality farm produce, which will be lead to sourcing or procurement of the quality farm produce.  Impact of ethical business practices on rural communities will be very positive in future. The rural community need some visible impact. Since agriculture production is directly linked with the rural community. Empowering small farmers through sustainable agriculture practices will be beneficial for entire society. Responsible business organizations are investing in carbon capture credits through agriculture and agriculture based agriculture value chains. Benefit of carbon footprint should be shared with farmer.

Strengthening the Service Providers of Agriculture value Chains

There are many service provider associated with the agriculture value Chains, like farm input supplier, transporters, farm labours and labours supplier, agri implements suppliers, post-harvest service providers, local traders, packaging material supplier, cleaning and grading service providers, warehousing and storages, agriculture drone (Unmanned Arial Vehicles ) operators  primary processing service providers. A sustainable agriculture Value chain must strengthen these service providers. These service providers are facilitator to the main agriculture value chain if these facilitators will be strong enough then they will assist the agriculture value chain in their full capacity. These service providers need technical up gradations, new skills development. Leveraging technology for sustainable farming and traceability will be time saving and result oriented. Technologies like artificial intelligence block chain technologies, remote sensing and other technologies will be very helpful to understand the need of these service providers and their solutions.

Agriculture Crop Diversification Consultancy ( Sustainable agriculture)

Today, companies and farmers want to diversify their agricultural crop patterns. There can be many reasons for this, including poor prices, high cultivation costs, low rainfall, unavailability of irrigation water, government restrictions, and international trade policies. We can assist you in diversification – we have experience working with global agribusiness companies on similar projects. Crop diversification is the part of sustainable Agriculture Practices. We can assist you in achieving sustainability goals or Climate smart agriculture goals.

Agriculture is the backbone of the world economy. Many industries are directly or indirectly related to it. Though agriculture is the oldest profession, in the changing scenario of globalization, it needs efficient and effective management. Two drawbacks of agricultural production are low yields and post-harvest losses. With better managerial skills, we can guide agriculture in the right direction. There are two types of agricultural production: perishable and non-perishable. Perishable produce, like fruits, leafy vegetables, and green vegetables, has a shorter shelf life and higher risk of loss.

We provide all possible solutions for various agribusiness ventures, including agriculture finance, production, services, processing, organic cultivation and certification, export-import of commodities, food processing, storage and warehousing, value addition, production development, food preservation, and commodity trading. We assist in developing new ventures and upgrading existing ones. We help establish export-oriented agriculture industries, develop supply chains, distribute produce and commodities, manage cold storage and warehouses, and set up grading, sorting, and packaging plants. We specialize in product and market development for agricultural produce.

We are a leading provider of agro-technology and agribusiness consulting services. We strongly believe in business ethics and have a highly professional team of subject matter experts in agriculture and allied disciplines. We provide high-quality consulting with independent and profitable solutions. For us, agriculture is the foundation, pinnacle, strength, and depth of development. Sustainable social and economic development requires agriculture to be the driving force, environmentally friendly, and efficient in resource usage while remaining non-hazardous.

We offer agro-technology and agribusiness consulting through better resource utilization, value for your money, independent advice, cost-effective solutions, and complete satisfaction, guaranteed.

Dream of a Developed India: A Path through Agricultural Development

Dream of a Developed India: A Path through Agricultural Development

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is aiming to transform India into a Developed Nation by 2047, marking the completion of a century since the transfer of power from Britain to India in August 1947. A Developed India signifies the complete prosperity of its citizens, with agriculture playing a vital role in achieving this goal. The current population of 147.76 Crore Indians will necessitate sufficient and nutritious food for a developed India.

Presently, India heavily relies on importing essential food products such as pulses, edible oil, tree nuts, sugar, spices, and cotton, leading to a supply chain that is entirely dependent on imports. This dependence poses a potential disruption at any time and imposes a financial burden of USD 37 Billion, steadily increasing from USD 12.5 Billion in 2019. In contrast, India exported agriculture commodities worth USD 19.86 Billion in 2023.

India's diverse climatic conditions offer the opportunity to reduce import bills and increase agricultural commodity exports. Policymakers should focus on enhancing agricultural productivity. With 159.7 million hectares of agricultural land, the second-largest globally, and 82.6 million hectares of irrigated land, India can emerge as a net exportsr. Despite possessing favorable factors like land, labor, resources, climate, and biodiversity, India's dependence on edible farm produce imports must be addressed.

 Dream of a Developed India: A Path through Agricultural Development

Strengthening the agricultural sector is crucial for overall development and the realization of a developed India. With the world's largest population share, India must prioritize the agricultural sector for holistic development.

Employment Creation

A significant portion of the population is engaged in agricultural production, making agriculture the largest employment creator in India. Importing farm produce not only leads to foreign exchange outflow but also results in lost employment opportunities related to that production. Improper post-harvest management contributes to significant losses in fruits, vegetables, and other non-perishable items. Properly developing the agriculture sector can mitigate wastage, adding value to the nation's economy. Agriculture can create employment in various sectors like Information Technology, Data Management, Aviation, Drones, Artificial Intelligence, Transportation, Sales Marketing, Food Processing, International Trade, Mechanical Engineering, and Shipping, requiring a skilled workforce.

Technology Development

Agriculture is currently labor-intensive and relies on traditional farming methods. The evolving business environment demands technological development in agriculture. Technologies such as agriculture drones for monitoring and spraying, AI-based farm machinery for remote operations, controlled climate farming for year-round cultivation, data analysis for decision-making, weather forecasting, app-based data collection, on-farm input delivery, on-farm commodity procurement, and food processing technologies are essential. Introducing these technologies will not only benefit agriculture but also influence other sectors, creating a ripple effect in society .

Research and Development

Agricultural development will drive research and development as companies seek new products, solutions, and services to meet market demand and address challenges. A strong research and development environment will attract investment and contribute to the creation of intellectual property, paving the way for further advancements. Currently lagging in technological farming, India needs to focus on research and development to improve crop productivity and compete globally.

Inflow of Investment

The evolving business environment will attract new investments and create opportunities for global investors in the Indian agriculture sector. Heavy investments are required in farm inputs, machinery, post-harvest management, warehousing, food processing, and research and development. Prioritizing agriculture development will not only benefit production but also stimulate investments in linked sectors like mechanical and information Technology.

Human Resource and Education

Developed agriculture requires a high-quality human resource, necessitating a well-developed education system aligned with market requirements. Agriculture education has a wide scope globally, with subjects like plant protection, irrigation, harvesting, and nutrient management shifting to modern platforms such as blockchain Technology, artificial intelligence, and data-driven decision-making. Educating the younger generation in these technologies will prepare them for the challenges of modern farming.

Agriculture is the backbone of the Indian economy, catering to both production and demand sides. Overall development of agriculture is crucial to strengthen food supply and make India self-reliant in its pursuit of becoming a developed nation.

Artificial Intelligence In Agriculture In Year 2024

Agriculture is the primary profession of the humans. There is broad diversity in agriculture practices and the stakeholders of the agriculture. All the stake holders are scattered around the world. Since the primary stakeholder, like farmers, often live in rural area. They don’t have access to the knowledge and technology. They need some urgent solution for their problem. Since all the solution provided to farmers depends on farm to farm and even some time plant to plant.

For the proper solution the identification of the problem is very crucial. A crop / agriculture production process faces many problems these can be insect attack, outbreak of disease, requirement of the nutrients, need of moisture, sudden change in climate/ surrounding environment, different stage of the plant growth. All these data need to be analyzed , then reach a particular conclusion, then provide solution and implementation of the solution . 

 Artificial Intelligence In Agriculture In Year 2024

The task of the data input and data analysis need a vast network for data input, storage, and analysis.  All these work can be completed with the help of the automatic machines. When we provide solution to farmer then it must be spot solution or timely solution. Farmer is highly exploited by the middlemen, who don’t provide solutions but instead of that, they increase the financial burden of the farmer.

With the help of remote sensing, automatic weather station, drone survey, farmers queries, soil testing lab reports, water testing reports,  and other sources the data can be collected into central server and then these can be analyzed and solution can be provided to farmers. All the farmers should be linked to one platform, all the collected data should be compiled and linked to main server / central server. Artificial intelligence operated machines and equipment will change the entire scenario of the agriculture operation. The Artificial intelligence operated machines will completely change the operation with more accuracy and efficiently. 

The Artificial intelligence in agriculture will be beneficial mainly for the small and marginal farmers. Scope of Artificial intelligence in not limited to agriculture production alone.  It will also assist farmers in backward and forward market linkages, market price tracking, demand of agriculture produce identification, real time market information, real- time agriculture statistics such as crop sowing data, crop damage assessment, production information and market demand.

These all real time data will help farming and agriculture community to serve the humanity. Artificial intelligence will help in minimizing the post-harvest losses, storage and warehousing condition, demand of the processing of the agriculture produce.  Artificial intelligence is most sought technical intervention in agriculture. It will remove the barrier of time, delay, language, communication, mistake, wrong analysis, requirement of the subject matter expertise. 

Climate change is putting negative impact on agriculture which is directly hitting the small and medium farmers. We require robust, real-time data-driven decision-making tools which can lead to sustainable agriculture production. The concept of climate-smart agricultural practices, also require real-time data analysis and decision-making capabilities. Farmers will also use the fertilizers and other agrochemicals in appropriate quantities according to their needs. Artificial intelligence can cover all the disciplines of agriculture like horticulture, animal husbandry, dairy, fisheries, horticulture, and forestry. All these disciplines are interlinked with each other. In new year 2024, use of Artificial intelligence in Agriculture will reshape the agriculture and agricultural production.