The legendary British broadcaster, Sir David Attenborough, has long been a prominent voice in climate change discussions, frequently highlighting how we need to make changes to ensure the future of our planet.
In his 2020 book, A Life on Our Planet, Attenborough delves into his sustainable visions for the future. He discusses the developments already made in CEA (Controlled Environment Agriculture) and the essential role our industry plays in creating a future which stops climate change.
So, what is his vision and how is the CEA industry making changes that guarantee a more sustainable future?
A vision of a sustainable future
A Life on Our Planet initially starts off with shocking, hard-hitting facts on the decline our planet – which will inevitably impact every living creature.
With a growing demand to feed a rising population and fears for soil health, the food production industry faces particular challenges from our changing environment.
Nevertheless, Sir David’s vision is not all doom and gloom!
The second half of the book suggests a more positive vision for the future, where we eventually reverse some of the damage caused and find new ways of living for a balanced and sustainable existence.
We believe that Light Science Technologies and other agricultural innovators have been helping the world more towards a more sustainable future through new innovations in environmental control.
How can agricultural control technology support this vision?
As the world’s population grows – with a predicted population of nearly 11 billion people by 2100 – growing higher quantities of food in a sustainable manner becomes increasingly challenging.
Although delivering more food partly involves what is produced (namely, less meat), it will be equally determined by the efficiency and sustainability of the cultivation systems and resources used.
In recent years, developments in agricultural control technology have improved productivity in farming, which is vital in fulfilling Attenborough’s vision of greener future.
Devices that allow for data collection and analysis have played an important role, enabling growers to make better, more cost effective and ultimately more sustainable decisions.
By gaining a better understanding of how our crops are grown in the ground through new innovations, we can move towards a model of agriculture that not only feeds the growing global population, but also preserves the natural world.
Light Science Technologies – shaping the future of sustainable food
Since 2019, we have been committed to delivering research-proven lighting and environmental monitoring solutions that help growers grow more with less.
As controlled environment agriculture specialists, partnered with some of the world’s leading university research teams, our latest technology could be instrumental in driving forward Sir David Attenborough’s vision.
Here at Light Science Technologies, we have already established a strong footprint within the CEA market and our flagship product – the SensorGROW – marks a significant milestone in supporting more sustainable growing.
What is SensorGROW?
Released in 2022, the SensorGROW is an all-in-one growing intelligence tool aimed at giving farmers better data driven environmental control over their crops.
Growers benefit from reductions in water usage, nutrients, fertilisers, labour and energy – while producing healthier crops, reducing waste and increasing yields.
With great interest in SensorGROW from the agricultural sector, we were awarded a grant in 2024 by the Innovate UK collaborative scheme to take the SensorGROW project to the next level.
With future developments to gather even more precise readings on root zone data, the SensorGROW sensor plans to help researchers and growers achieve the optimal conditions for growing bigger, better and higher yield crops.
TRIP Project
At Light Science Technologies, we have also been pioneering sustainable growing with our involvement in the three-year research TRIP (Transformative Reduced Input in Potatoes) trials.
Begun in 2023, TRIP is a collaborative research program to develop methods of growing potatoes that require fewer inputs of inorganic nutrients, fungicides, herbicides, insecticides and energy.
The goal of the project is to identify scalable farming techniques and reduce resulting emissions of greenhouse gases, including CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) and N2O (Nitrous Oxide).
With more than 300 million tonnes of potatoes produced globally each year, the TRIP trials expect to deliver significant developments to food production by making potatoes more sustainable.
The next steps in agriculture…
As we continue to innovate our technology and help address specific sustainability challenges (such as the TRIP project), the dream of sustainable agriculture becomes increasingly more attainable.
Additionally, the UK government has been proactive in funding the future of food, with recent grants aimed at boosting sustainable technology and practises in agriculture. With further grants expected to be offered in future, we’re hopeful our industry is on the way to more sustainable farming.
With the news of the environment typically focused on the negative, we’re taking a more hopeful stance. We believe we’re on the right path within controlled environment agriculture to be a building block towards Sir David Attenborough’s vision of a sustainable future.
More information can be found at https://lightsciencetech.com/
Image courtesy of the BBC
