Foreword to the Special Issue on Digital Innovations in Agriculture Research and Applications

Abstract

The articles in this special section focus on the use of digital technology in agricultural research and applications. Sustainability of global agricultural and food systems is one of the prominent factors for peaceful future of the world in next few decades. Although agriculture is the main part of the global food supply chain, it is under rising pressure of global climate change, environmental deterioration, and falling per-capita arable land. Efficiency and sustainability management at all levels of agricultural planning and production appear as the most promising balancing factor for the short and medium terms. For this reason, timely and accurate information about the current conditions and future predictions in agriculture and the related resources become more important than ever. We are living in an age that the annual production number of transistors in microprocessors is more than the number of wheat grains produced in the same year. This is an indication of increasing data processing capability and decreasing cost. On the other hand, the number of Internet connected devices is estimated to be more than 20 billion now and is increasing rapidly, and Intent-of-Things (IoT) devices have the highest share in this rising trend. While it may be not able to solve long-term global food sustainability issue, the rapid increase in data collection and processing capabilities for agricultural monitoring and prediction may remediate the issue at least in short and middle terms.