Opinion – Owen Williams, Hub Manager at the Agtech and Logistics Hub

Plant health in agriculture is no longer just about the size of the crop you get or the quality of your pasture. It’s also about how you go about managing the risks to plant health, namely pests and diseases.

Local suppliers and overseas export markets are increasingly demanding agricultural products with minimal to zero chemical residue, which means our growers and producers are having to rethink how they keep their crops and pastures healthy. 

We’re starting to see the sector undergo a paradigm shift whereby biostimulants and biopesticides are being increasingly used on farms, reducing reliance on more traditional synthetic chemicals.

Nature’s Power: Bio-Solutions for Thriving Crops

Biostimulants, composed of naturally occurring substances such as botany, algae, microbe or a combination, stimulate plant growth and enhance nutrient uptake, contributing to improved overall plant health and resilience. Biopesticides harness the power of living organisms such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses to control pests and diseases.  

The use of these alternatives not only reduces environmental impact, they also mitigate concerns about pesticide residues in crops.  

The shift towards more natural options is being driven by consumers across the globe, who are concerned about chemical residues on their food.

Biotech Meets Agtech: A Revolution in Plant Health

While science is moving towards biotechnology, agtech is also playing a major role in transforming plant health.

Agtech platforms powered by artificial intelligence (AI) can enable traditional boom sprays to be more precise, which means less chemicals need to be sprayed to eradicate pests. Through advanced algorithms and real-time analysis, AI ensures precise use of pesticides, reducing environmental impact and crop management costs while promoting a more sustainable approach to agricultural practices.

Drones and satellite mapping, meanwhile, are providing farmers with insights, such as dry matter and where to soil test, to help them make better decisions about how they manage the health of their crops and pastures, including pest control. 

There’s also agtech that monitors the performance and effectiveness of the products farmers are using, providing them with confidence that what they’re investing in is actually working.

To ensure there’s widespread adoption of biotech and agtech, we need to bring farmers on the journey.

Education is needed to challenge the conventional perspectives that traditional chemicals are the best method of pest control and provide the confidence to use biological alternatives and utilise agtech to improve efficiency and sustainability. 

The team at the Agtech and Logistics Hub is working with scientists, tech providers and agronomists to educate and help farmer’s sustainability plans with mainstream practices for plant health. We’ve also just run an open innovation program on plant health to find solutions with the potential to transform crop and pasture health. 

This collaboration is a promising stride towards ensuring farmers who adopt more sustainable practices will maintain their return on investment, ensuring we can grow our exports and, ultimately, foster a healthier global food system.

This piece was originally published in the December edition of Queensland Farmer Today.