Precision Agriculture in Postharvest Technology
By Ir . Dr Norhashila Hashim Associate Professor Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering Faculty of Engineering Universiti Putra Malaysia
Head SMART Farming Technology Research Centre ( SFTRC ) Faculty of Engineering Universiti Putra Malaysia
COVER FEATURE
Agriculture plays a crucial role in the global economy and provides the main sources of food for planet earth . Population increase and urbanisation have led to a gradual reduction in arable land for farming activities . The Food and Agriculture Organization ( FAO ) reported that food production will need to grow by 70 % to feed the world population by 2050 when it is expected to reach 10 billion thus boosting the demand for agriculture . Traditional agricultural management methods will have to be replaced by innovative sensing and driving technologies coupled with advanced information and communication technologies to accelerate the increase in agricultural productivity , thereby promoting high-quality and high-yield agricultural production .
Precision agriculture ( PA ) is a major agricultural change in this third revolutionary wave after the first wave of settled agricultural society about 10,000 years ago and the second wave of industrial revolution about 250 years ago . PA first emerged in the early 1980s with the introduction of grid sampling followed by the use of yield sensors combined with a Global Positioning System ( GPS ) receiver . The innovations continued to evolve over the following years to deal with many issues in agricultural production that have opened doors for new practices and strategies , thereby increasing production output and improving production quality .
PA can be defined as a comprehensive system through the application of crop information , advanced technology , and management practices with the objective of maximising production efficiency , minimising production input and losses , and improving product quality . In simpler words , it is all about the “ Right Place , Right Time , and Right Product ”. Information , which is the most valuable resource in PA , is essential for improving decision making , fostering greater traceability and providing reliable input for production efficiency . Technology is the second critical component of the system and sophisticated technology promotes efficient and better productivity . Appropriate management of technology gives the producer the means to analyse information and to make timely and sound production decisions . The adoption of PA is now widespread globally with new technologies emerging day by day .
Postharvest Technology
Postharvest handling begins as soon as the crop is harvested and consists of several stages including pre-cooling , cleaning , sorting and grading , packaging , storage , transportation , etc . Improper handling may lead to postharvest losses that can go up to 50 % of the total yield . The losses are attributable to a number of factors such as product
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