Revisiting Agricultural Technologies in the 4IR Era

Abstract

Food security is becoming a growing problem worldwide. Much focus should therefore be placed on the agricultural sector with a view of equipping the sector for increased food production capabilities. The agricultural sector is changing rapidly globally due to the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) mega tech nologies, resulting in smarter ways to farm. These technologies allow farmers to maximise production remotely while controlling every aspect of crop farming such as pest control, soil conditions, crop monitoring, and soil moisture. These advances will allow farmers to be more profitable, efficient and environmentally friendly. However, evidence suggests that small-scale farmers are left behind in the use of 4IR mega technologies in South Africa. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the use of various 4IR technologies in the agricultural sector by using a desktop review of current literature. The paper recommends for a government-driven entity to be established that will focus on building capacity for small-scale farmers to build more sustainable and bigger businesses to assist in increased food production through the introduction of 4IR technologies