Towards climate smart agriculture: How does innovation meet sustainability?

Abstract

A sustainable future is our task. All participants of the economy – including the farmers, food industry, retailers, and consumers – must give appropriate answers to the changes that fit and serve the sustainable world. To inherit a livable world for the future, we need to find and adapt those farming activities, solutions, and technologies that are suitable for effective production, ensuring viability, and adapting to climate change, too. Questions of food safety, food traceability, environmental pollution, or the increasing food demand have been discussed from several aspects by agricultural economists. In this paper, we highlight the role of precision farming as an innovation in agriculture as a way of getting closer to Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA), and the role of innovation in agricultural development in the context of the paradigm of ‘de-growth’.

The new values (Réévaluer – reappraise) suggest the intent of preserving nature, at least in the current condition. CSA (including Precision Agriculture) is a tool in this and allows the efficient use of natural resources (Restructurer – restructuring factors of production). Each farming strategy in which the farmers’ cooperation is the base of an efficient machinery use (Restructurer – restructuring of social relationships), each technology that reduces the human-health risk (Réduire – reduction) shows into the direction of ‘de-growth’ or other words: into the direction of sustainable development.

We believe that it will not be possible to maintain a sustainable economy without strengthening the rural areas, helping farmers to find successful ways/strategies for being competitive, innovative, and to cooperate with each other.