As access to space grows and becomes more efficient, the potential for future industries directly linked to space exploration grow exponentially.
For example, agriculture has been improved significantly through the space industry and the application of space-based advances to challenges here on earth. It is now increasingly likely that food items have been produced with the assistance of space-based technologies, like freeze-dried foods, or through the use of crop monitoring from space-based satellite systems and observatories.
Agriculture is the next frontier for space tech, with billion-dollar opportunities for future industries to super-charge technology adoption for farmers, fishers and foresters over the next five to ten years.
That’s according to a new report by AgriFutures Australia, commissioned to give producers awareness of the depth and breadth of the space industry with available space technologies and the potential uses and insights into what is coming over the next decade.
The Australian National University (ANU) study, Space-based technologies – opportunities for the rural sector, found that improvements to geolocation alone could benefit Australian agriculture by $2.2 billion over a 30-year period¹, and satellite connectivity can add $15.6 billion to gross value of production across agriculture, fisheries and forestry industries each year.
While these are big numbers, space technologies are already making their mark. Producers are routinely using satellite imaging, low bandwidth sensors, GPS tracking, autosteer, paddock level imagery and weather forecasting to drive better decision making.
United Nations - Benefits of Space: Agriculture
Agriculture forms the basis of the world's food supply. Soil conditions, water availability, weather extremes and climate change can represent costly challenges both to farmers and the overall food security of populations.
Space-based technology is of value to farmers, agronomists, food manufacturers and agricultural policymakers who wish to simultaneously enhance production and profitability.
Remote sensing satellites provide key data for monitoring soil, snow cover, drought and crop development. Rainfall assessments from satellites, for example, help farmers plan the timing and amount of irrigation they will need for their crops.
Accurate information and analysis can also help predict a region's agricultural output well in advance and can be critical in anticipating and mitigating the effects of food shortages and famines.
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