Gone are the days when most Americans got the bulk of their food from local family farms or their own backyards. Today, the agricultural industry has grown to accommodate a changing population, and more changes will be necessary to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Read on to find out about the top three challenges facing the agricultural industry today.
Providing a Livelihood
Local farmers and farm workers play essential roles, even in today’s increasingly globalized agricultural systems. People who work in food-related jobs across the globe deserve to be provided with a good livelihood, especially given that food production is one of the most essential economic activities in many areas. Unfortunately. most small-scale farmers have not been able to keep up with changing times, and many have been incorporated into larger, more efficient agricultural business models.
Most of today’s farmers work for larger corporations that manage every aspect of the food production process, and those agribusiness leaders need to anticipate the continuing need to provide for the farmers who provide for the people. Hiring an Agribusiness Accounting service can help key players determine how best to manage their particular operations to ensure a good livelihood to farmers without cutting corners when it comes to crop quality.
A Growing Population
Trends toward increased globalization mean that agricultural operations aren’t just responsible for providing food for local markets. If they want to keep their heads above water financially, key industry players need to target developing markets and account for the need to feed almost 10 billion people by 2050. That means, they need to increase produce and get more suppliers from a place like ranch & home, e.g., agricultural lime supplier.
Many of these new customers in the developing world will be looking for not just basic sustenance, but also meat, dairy, and fish. These agricultural products require more intensive resource use. The amount of land required to feed people who follow plant-based diets versus relying heavily on meat is substantially lower, which creates unique challenges for those developing economies who want to follow predominantly Western diets.
Reducing Ecological Footprints
The current global agricultural system is very resource-intensive. It requires the use of almost 40% of the Earth’s land and 70% of its freshwater. The agricultural sector is also responsible for producing around 11% of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions currently entering the atmosphere. Needless to say, the current state of affairs is only contributing to ongoing problems with climate change.
Add to that intensive resource use concerns about deforestation, biodiversity loss, and the need to devote more land to accommodate the world’s growing population in living quarters, as well, and it’s clear that some things will need to change. Researchers are developing more sustainable crop management techniques every year, but upgrading equipment like 4 in 1 buckets and quick hitch as well as switching over to new agricultural models or used farm equipment requires a substantial investment. Agricultural land managers must be prepared to make financial commitments if they want to keep up.
Keeping Up With Changing Times
Human ingenuity knows no bounds, so scientists will doubtless come up with a solution that will allow the world’s agricultural industry leaders to feed its growing population, both in the developed world and in emerging economies, without destroying the planet. However, doing so will likely require some serious paradigm shifts, and current industry leaders will need to make appropriate changes if they want to keep up with the times. The best way to prepare for those changes is to invest in critical infrastructure upgrades as they occur instead of getting left behind.
