Advantages and Disadvantages of Technology in Agriculture

Advantages and Disadvantages of Technology in Agriculture

Arshad Ali^*1, Muhammad Umair Yasin^1­, Muhammad Sajid¹ and Muhammad Amjid¹.

¹Department of Agronomy, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan.

*Corresponding author’s email: [email protected]

Agriculture is backbone in the economy of Pakistan. Pakistan is an agriculture base country, which is directly and indirectly seventy percent. Pakistan is self-sufficient in wheat, rice, sugarcane and cotton. Agriculture provide raw material for many industries like paper, leather etc. Pakistan is the 4^th largest country in the perspective of sugarcane production after brazil, India and china. According to survey of Pakistan, produce 25,700 metric tons of wheat in 2016-17 and in world ranking, 9^th position hold by Pakistan in the wheat production. Cotton is also very important crop for the Pakistan for fiber production. Pakistan hold good position in the world for the cotton production. Pakistan produced the cotton at 4^th position in the world and its rank is 3^rd in exporting the cotton. Rice is 1^st cash crop crops of Pakistan. Due to increasing population day by day, we need to improve the food security and enhanced acreage yield of wheat as well as others crops in the Pakistan. We can only enhance our production through adopting modern technology, producing resistance verities. By adopting modern technology, the living standard of farmer increase day by day. Technology have a massive role in the developing of agriculture industry.  Through agriculture biotechnology, it is possible to grow crop in desert areas. Due to biotechnology, plants produce ability in their selves against drought stress. We should be move toward the modern technologies for the quality and quantity production of the food in the world. Before going to detail the benefit of modern technology, we will discuss why technology is more important in agriculture.

1. Through modern technology, we can develop those machines that can be used for harvesting of crops
2. We can increase the production through modifying crop
3. We can develop new verities and pest can be produce that can be used as bio-agent for the control of pest
4. We can introduce NMR (Nuclear magnetic resonance in agriculture) which can bring revolution in agriculture industry. NMR is nuclear technique used to check the different type of organic matter like biomass of pollen, seaweed, deposited material in atmosphere and sediments
5. Introducing breeding animals, hybrid crops through modern technology
6. For the quality production of the fruit, we wax the citrus fruits to increase the shelf life of the fruits in the Pakistan

Merits of Modern Technology in Agriculture

• By using of advanced machine, we control the effort of farmers
• Mainly it reduces the time of the farmer
• Supply water according to the requirements of crop
• Now a day we can transfer our product from one place to another place just due to modern technology
• Due to technology we can provide nutrient to plant on their calculated requirement
• Control pest with the help of synthetic chemicals (Pesticides, Insecticides etc…)
• Through technology we increase the soil fertility
• Facilitate the farmer due to technology
• Make a E Comers system where a farm can purchase and sell their products
• By adopting some useful technique, we reduce the amount of fertilizer
• Through technology increase the profit of farmer and reduce the cost operation
• Through technology save the ecosystem
• By adopting technology farmer change their sowing method from manual to mechanical
• Tunnel forming is a basic perception for the production of the off season vegetables

Disadvantages of Modern Technology

• If we use the more fertilizer as compared to recommend, then it will reduce the soil fertility
• Due to lack of education farmer are unable to run the machine properly
• Due to high cost of maintenance of machine, it will increase the financial burden on farmer.
• It may be lead to environmental hazard
• No doubt, technology has some merits and demerits but if we can use it moderately we can increase our production