Para 2050, cuando la población mundial llegue a 10 mil millones, se espera que la necesidad de productos agrícolas aumente en un 70 por ciento. Las nuevas tecnologías ayudarán a los agricultores a satisfacer esta demanda consumiendo menos energía y respetando el medio ambiente, como explica Vandana Shiva, ecologista y directora de la Fundación de Investigación para la Ciencia y la Ecología en la India. En las tareas diarias esenciales en la agricultura, las máquinas autónomas y los drones tendrán un papel muy relevante realizando funciones y trabajos que los investigadores casi ni imaginan hoy.
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TVTranscript
00:00In the course of thousands of years, in order to be able to cultivate the plants that we have domesticated,
00:15we have been occupying more and more space, reconfiguring the surface of our planet over and over again.
00:21Currently, world agriculture is at a crucial moment.
00:25Our food production system is a fragile ecosystem that has reached its limit.
00:30The world population is growing continuously and in 2050 we will have to produce 70% more food.
00:36A huge challenge.
00:40The main issue we are facing is how we are going to ensure the supply of food to an increasingly large population,
00:48with fewer fertilizers, in the same amount of land and in view of climate change.
00:54We will have to find new sustainable agricultural practices and conserve biodiversity
00:59while ensuring food security to avoid the worst-case scenario.
01:05When the food ran out, most of the people in the world died, but not the people in this place,
01:12where seeds were stored underground, kept safe for a better day.
01:19There will be many ways to focus agriculture in the future.
01:23There will be more means available for people to be able to grow their own food,
01:28and that's going to be important, especially in developing countries,
01:33while at the same time there will also be a large-scale automated agriculture
01:38in which not a single person will be seen.
01:42I am convinced that urban agriculture, vertical agriculture,
01:46will play a key role in feeding the world population in the future.
01:52One of the things I believe that's unique about our robots is that they reduce agriculture
01:58from a scale of a whole field to a single plant.
02:05Many of the solutions to the problems we are facing today are in nature.
02:10We have to find a way to take them to commercial reality.
02:16It's not enough to leave seeds or plants in their natural habitat.
02:20They pose many dangers.
02:22Reinventing traditions, finding new ways of growing crops to improve production,
02:27today, tomorrow and yesterday, that's the history of agriculture.
02:3210,000 years before Christ, our distant ancestors began to grow plants and raise animals,
02:38first in the Middle East, where 4,000 years before Christ,
02:41the oscillating plow appeared, an anticipation of the traditional plow,
02:45and a great invention that changed the lives of the first farmers.
02:49This also happened in northern China, in Papua New Guinea, in Peru and even in Mexico.
02:54To have larger cultivable areas, we began to modify our environment.
02:58Irrigation began and we colonized new land.
03:03We have constantly improved our techniques,
03:06and in this sense, the Gauls were precursors with their plow and their harvesters.
03:11In the Middle Ages, a whole series of inventions arrived,
03:14the plows, the carts, the stands and the rollers,
03:17as well as the stables for livestock and the use of natural fertilizers from animals,
03:23which revolutionized agricultural production in Europe.
03:26The needs of a growing population increased exponentially.
03:30From the 16th century to the 19th century, practices were optimized.
03:34Crops sprung up and the rhythm of harvests accelerated.
03:37The result was more pastures, more cattle, more fertilizers and larger harvests.
03:42The system worked and continued to improve.
03:45In 1804, the Swiss chemist Nicolas de Saussure
03:49proved that plants attracted nitrogen and mineral salts from the earth.
03:53The industry of fertilizers had been strengthened.
03:56In 1884, the reproducer of Henry de Vilmouran seeds
04:01had the idea of crossing two varieties of wheat
04:03to combine their best characteristics in just one.
04:09At the same time, mechanization was an important help for farmers.
04:13The mechanical harvester designed by the American Cyrus McCormick
04:17brought agricultural tools to a new dimension.
04:20In developed countries, motorization transformed agriculture of the 20th century,
04:25marking the beginning of the era of large-scale production
04:28and the rapid development of mechanical and chemical industrialization.
04:34It was also the era of genetic selection to maximize crops.
04:38Throughout the century, productivity was the slogan,
04:41reflecting the need to feed more and more people.
04:45Both economy and ecology come from the same word,
04:49oikos, which is the Greek word for home.
04:52Understanding the land we live on,
04:55of which we are part,
04:57science is the science of ecology.
05:00Ecological agriculture is the only way
05:03not only to mitigate the impact of the climate,
05:06but also to adapt to it.
05:12This return to the land begins in the city,
05:15where in 2050 three-quarters of the population will live.
05:19With billions of mouths to feed,
05:21agriculture will have to approach people.
05:24The agriculture of the future is in the city.
05:27Architects like Jacques Ferrier or Wardell E. Boscuti
05:30have accepted the challenge and dream of green cities
05:33where nature is predominant.
05:36But beyond these visions,
05:38to produce our food,
05:40we will have to optimize our cultivable areas
05:43and sow everywhere in our cities.
05:48You don't have to consider the American Midwest
05:52as the breadbasket of the world.
05:54Roofs, terraces, urban parks,
05:57school yards or church yards
06:00become potential food suppliers.
06:04The scale can be minimal, a very small scale.
06:07When we adopt it,
06:09there will be no place where we can't grow food.
06:15Their projects consist of occupying urban space,
06:18supporting urban agriculture
06:20and following the locavore trend,
06:22local production for local consumption,
06:24regaining control of the vegetables we eat and its cultivation,
06:27a phenomenon already in motion
06:29in the main Western cities.
06:35If we think about the development
06:37of this urban agriculture trend,
06:40we often see that it is a minority initiative.
06:46There are small-scale community gardens in the neighborhoods,
06:50mainly with a social purpose.
06:54At the other end of the spectrum,
06:58there are also very sophisticated technical solutions,
07:02such as greenhouses on the rooftops.
07:06Just by comparing these two examples,
07:09you can see the big difference.
07:13But external urban crops are not enough
07:16to meet our needs.
07:18We have to get more space.
07:21Imagine that in the future,
07:23our vegetables could be grown inside,
07:25without the need for sunlight.
07:27Is that just science fiction?
07:34The world capital of urban agriculture, Berlin,
07:37has become the center of creativity
07:40and has attracted talented young people
07:42from all over the world.
07:44This is where the founders of Infarm
07:46decided to plant their seeds to change the world.
07:50We see ourselves as the new farmers,
07:53and the city is our farm.
07:57My name is Osnat Nikaeli.
08:00I believe we are entering the era
08:03of a new agricultural revolution.
08:06People want to know where their food comes from.
08:09Who has grown it?
08:11How has it been done?
08:13And what does it contain?
08:15I think that people are looking for a personal contact
08:18with the food suppliers,
08:20with the growers.
08:23Our mission is to make cities
08:26self-sufficient in food production.
08:30We want to make cities self-sufficient
08:33in food production.
08:48When we started,
08:50we were three people in our living room,
08:53experimenting with hydroponics,
08:56watching YouTube tutorials
08:58to know what to do.
09:04We just did it for ourselves.
09:07We didn't have the idea to change the world yet.
09:10And it just worked out.
09:12Suddenly, we had a jungle in our living room.
09:20My name is Ered Galonska.
09:23And I believe that technology
09:25is just a tool in the hands of evolution.
09:34Then we started to see
09:36the magic of these crops
09:38and what it gives to us.
09:40And we thought it would be a good idea
09:43to create a company
09:45that facilitates that magic to the whole world.
09:48The advantage we had then
09:50is that we were on the edge of this profession
09:53and we could think with initiative
09:56and thus provide solutions
09:58that people who come from an academic education
10:01did not see.
10:07Our office is basically a research center.
10:18We like to observe nature.
10:20And we like to investigate
10:22within this huge world
10:24what are the perfect conditions
10:26for each type of plant.
10:29And then we take that piece of nature
10:32and we start to reproduce it.
10:40And this led us to actually
10:42do a lot of research
10:44on different kinds of light
10:46and different kinds of nutrients,
10:49different kinds of environments
10:51that can change during the day.
10:54Within one big farm
10:56we can create many microclimates
11:00and grow thousands of different varieties.
11:09The food that we produce
11:11with these systems
11:13has to be highly nutritious
11:15and we measure this with taste.
11:17So it's a kind of parameter
11:19to say, this plant yes, this plant no.
11:22Taste is very important
11:24because at the end of the day
11:26it's to eat.
11:29This one is actually very tasty
11:31because it's crystallized.
11:33So when you look at it up close
11:35you can see the crystals.
11:37We're introducing new varieties
11:39that don't exist in the market
11:41and we're trying to figure out
11:43what to do with these new varieties,
11:45new tastes, new textures
11:47and maybe new ways of serving.
11:50And we're working hand in hand
11:52with the cooks who are trying
11:54to bring these new varieties
11:56to our dishes.
11:57It's very good.
11:58Do you want to taste it?
12:07In 2015 we had the crazy idea
12:10that if we were growing inside the city
12:13why not grow inside a supermarket
12:15where people come to buy their food.
12:23If we can bring production
12:25directly where people live
12:27and where they consume food
12:29we are saving more than 99%
12:32of energy on transportation
12:35and refrigeration and logistics
12:38and eliminating the huge waste
12:41that generates the current food system.
12:52Now the big question is
12:54how can we scale it?
12:56How can we bring it to each and every supermarket
13:00hotels, restaurants, offices
13:02and potentially even to our homes?
13:05We launched the first urban agriculture network.
13:09All of our crops
13:11are managed through a central platform
13:15that is constantly optimizing operations
13:18coordinating results
13:20and anticipating market demand.
13:22Currently we are developing
13:24a larger scale agriculture
13:26in a distributive way.
13:28We could say that we are decentralizing agriculture.
13:33If we introduce more tools
13:35to the possible new farmers
13:37they will come because people want to grow.
13:39People want to do this.
13:41We carry it in our blood.
13:44In 2050 in the heart of our cities
13:46turned into farms
13:48the line between the city's inhabitants
13:50and the farmer is blurred.
13:52Helped by ultraconnected tools
13:54with our smart phones
13:56like unique shovels
13:58we will grow fresh, healthy
14:00and seasonal vegetables
14:02in our own homes
14:04to feed our families.
14:06But can these micro-crops
14:08satisfy all the needs
14:10and needs of the inhabitants of a city?
14:15With a population of 5 million
14:17enclosed in 715 square kilometers
14:20the island country of Singapore
14:22barely has space for agriculture.
14:2492% of its food is imported.
14:27In Singapore they are growing up.
14:30In its search for self-sufficiency
14:32in recent years
14:34the island has become a real nursery
14:36of large-scale urban vertical farms.
14:41This adventure attracts people from all over
14:43including electronics giants
14:45like Panasonic.
14:47In this futuristic farm
14:49set up with a modern,
14:51modern and innovative
14:53environment
14:55the island's population
14:57is growing exponentially.
14:59The average daily income
15:01of a family of six
15:03is equivalent to
15:05the income of a family of five.
15:07The average daily income
15:09of a family of five
15:11is equivalent to
15:13the income of a family of five.
15:15In this futuristic farm
15:17set up with classical music
15:19the sun never shines.
15:21Everything here is controlled
15:23with great precision.
15:25Sensors measure in real time
15:27the brightness, humidity
15:29and the amount of air.
15:31An aseptic laboratory
15:33where the parameters
15:35for the growth of the plants
15:37are perfect.
15:39All our plants in here
15:41don't have to worry
15:43about the weather conditions.
15:45They just need to focus on growing.
15:51My name is Alfred Tam.
15:53I'm 40 years old
15:55and I believe that indoor crops
15:57are the future of agriculture.
16:05Here the plants
16:07grow in less time
16:09than in traditional
16:11open farm.
16:13Those outdoor crops
16:15only receive sunlight
16:17seven or eight hours in a row.
16:19We use LEDs
16:21and we can control the duration
16:23of the light.
16:25That's why we have an advantage
16:27in crops and in reducing
16:29the growth cycle.
16:33During germination
16:35the plant only needs
16:37white light to grow.
16:39During the third week
16:41of germination
16:43the plant only needs
16:45blue and red light
16:47for photosynthesis.
16:49With natural light
16:51the energy efficiency
16:53of photosynthesis
16:55rarely exceeds 9%.
16:57Thanks to the spectrum
16:59of red and blue light
17:01of the LEDs
17:03adapted to each plant
17:05it is possible to increase
17:07the amount of photosynthesis
17:09during the whole year.
17:11In these facilities
17:13we grow more than 40 types
17:15of different crops.
17:17Our annual production
17:19is about 81 tons.
17:21The performance
17:23of a traditional crop
17:25is around 60 or 70%.
17:27In indoor farming
17:29we can reach
17:31a success rate of 95%.
17:33Taking advantage
17:35of the climate
17:37we can avoid
17:39transporting the crop
17:41to large distances
17:43by growing plants everywhere
17:45including areas with low sunlight
17:47or hostile areas
17:49such as deserts and polar regions.
17:51But the infrastructure
17:53is still expensive.
17:55They depend too much on energy
17:57and occupy a lot of space.
17:59To reduce costs
18:01and offer vegetables
18:03we have developed
18:05a much simpler system
18:07that makes use
18:09of the third dimension.
18:11The cost of the infrastructure
18:13has to be low.
18:15If you make it very sophisticated
18:17then the costs are very high.
18:21I am Dr. Niamh Tontao
18:23and I believe
18:25that our crop system
18:27will help feed the world
18:29in the future.
18:33In this system
18:35we use very little energy
18:37and very little water.
18:39So we call it
18:41a low carbon footprint system.
18:47It is 9 meters high
18:49and 16 levels
18:51of cultivable boxes
18:53and the amount
18:55of vegetables
18:57that grow here
18:59is 10 times
19:01higher than
19:03the amount of crops
19:05on Earth.
19:11Our plant boxes
19:13rotate up and down.
19:15A cycle lasts 16 hours.
19:17When they go up
19:19they get more sunlight.
19:21When they go down
19:23they get water.
19:25Everything is automated
19:27and the excess water
19:29goes back to the tank.
19:33It is a hydraulic system
19:35and the energy
19:37that we use to run
19:39this whole section
19:41is only that of a pump
19:43that uses 60 watts of energy
19:45which per kilo of vegetables
19:47is equivalent to only
19:495 cents of Singapore,
19:51that is, 3 cents of euro.
19:55The crops of traditional agriculture
19:57use a lot more energy.
20:01It can be about 6 dollars per kilo.
20:05That's why they grow expensive vegetables.
20:09We try
20:11to make our system
20:13produce food at an affordable price
20:15for the Singaporean population
20:17and we have done it.
20:19We have demonstrated
20:21within this 3.5 hectares
20:23that we can produce
20:253,000 tonnes of vegetables
20:27per year.
20:29Singapore needs
20:31100,000 tonnes
20:33of vegetables
20:35per year.
20:37It means that
20:39if we allocate
20:41100,000 hectares of land
20:43to our system
20:45we could produce
20:47all the vegetables
20:49necessary in Singapore
20:51and we would be more or less
20:53self-sufficient.
20:55I don't think
20:57that urban agriculture
20:59alone can feed
21:01the entire urban population
21:03in the future.
21:05There are too many restrictions
21:07to increase it enough
21:09to be able to produce
21:11that amount.
21:13It is very difficult
21:15and if we talk about cattle
21:17it is much more difficult
21:19to bring them into the cities.
21:23Cattle represents
21:2540% of the world's agriculture.
21:27It is responsible
21:29for almost 15%
21:31of the greenhouse emissions
21:33more than transport.
21:35A third of the cultivated land
21:37is used exclusively
21:39to intensively produce
21:41millions of tonnes of food
21:43of the animals we raise.
21:45Three quarters of the leaves
21:47are sent to industrial farms.
21:49With the intensive use of fertilisers
21:51cattle breeding contributes
21:53to the degradation of the land
21:55and to the pollution of the atmosphere
21:57and of the water.
21:59It also generates a massive deforestation
22:01that damages biodiversity.
22:03We have to leave these intensive practices
22:05and find more ecological methods.
22:07We need experience
22:09in care,
22:11knowledge of ecological systems,
22:13knowledge of agricultural ecosystems,
22:15knowledge of biodiversity,
22:17of how the land-food network works,
22:19knowledge of how insects
22:21work in harmony.
22:23Those are the sophisticated knowledge
22:25that we need
22:27and that has been lost.
22:29What if we could combine
22:31livestock and agriculture
22:33respecting the fertility of the land?
22:35Aquaponics is an organic cycle
22:37in which fish breeding
22:39is carried out.
22:41The residues of the first
22:43feed the second,
22:45which in turn purifies the water.
22:47Could aquaponics be
22:49considered commercially
22:51pesticide-free,
22:53fertiliser-free
22:55and closer to consumers?
22:57This ideal model
22:59of agriculture of the future
23:01is already underway in Australia.
23:03On the outskirts of Sydney
23:05Green Camel Farm
23:07Fish and most plants
23:09did not evolve together.
23:11You never go fishing
23:13and throw the hook
23:15under a tomato plant
23:17floating in the water.
23:19They have not evolved like that.
23:21My name is Levi Nuponen
23:23and I am 35 years old.
23:25We believe in the support
23:27of nature through technology.
23:37We said to ourselves,
23:39let's try to make sure
23:41that the fish breeding system
23:43that generates waste
23:45full of nutrients
23:47serves to produce plants.
23:49Let's try not to throw
23:51traditional agricultural fertilisers
23:53into the water
23:55so that productivity works.
23:57We have forgotten all that
23:59and we try to make sure
24:01that our fish breeding system
24:03is productive,
24:05so we take 100% of the water
24:07that comes out of this system
24:09and we introduce it
24:11into the bioreactor.
24:13This bioreactor converts
24:15the organic elements,
24:17the fish waste,
24:19into nutrients for the plants
24:21in the right proportion
24:23and the right biochemistry
24:25and thus does not compromise
24:27the growth of the plant.
24:29It is a linear system
24:31that allows all elements
24:33of liquid and solid waste
24:35generated by fish breeding.
24:37A secret technological recipe
24:39in which several millions
24:41of dollars have been invested.
24:43Each drop of water
24:45to breed fish
24:47is then used to produce plants
24:49or what is the same,
24:51each drop of water
24:53to produce plants
24:55was used to breed fish.
24:57This increases the productivity
24:59and efficiency of water use,
25:01the abundance of fossil fertilizers
25:03and agrochemical products
25:05that are used in traditional
25:07industrial agriculture.
25:09It is a way of producing organic food
25:11at an equal or higher production rate
25:13than conventional agriculture
25:15and without losing any quality.
25:17This Australian technological farm
25:19produces 15 tons of fish
25:21and more than 130 tons
25:23of organic vegetables per year.
25:25Green Camel carries out
25:27a production that generates
25:29and recycles.
25:31Fishes are an important part
25:33of this system,
25:35but I think they are also
25:37an important part
25:39of what is happening
25:41in the world today.
25:53The population is not only
25:55going to eat lettuce
25:57or carrots,
25:59it's a combination of everything.
26:01Proteins are the largest source
26:03of food the world will need
26:05and naturally
26:07there are not enough fish
26:09in the oceans
26:11or enough animals in the world.
26:13The cultivated land
26:15is disappearing rapidly.
26:17We have to think about
26:19how to make it
26:21perform better
26:23per square meter.
26:26With the production
26:28that we have here
26:30we get efficient growth rates
26:32and a very good conversion rate.
26:34We can get 0.6,
26:36which means we need
26:38600 grams of ocean fish
26:40to produce a kilo for the consumer,
26:42which is a great net guarantee
26:44of fish protein.
26:46Is it perfect? No,
26:48but we are going in the right direction
26:50and we are always investigating
26:52new technologies
26:54in the world.
27:01Now we can help
27:03many other producers
27:05to convert their products
27:07into organic
27:09and we will see little by little
27:11an increase in organic production.
27:13It's already happening all over the world
27:15because people are worried
27:17about what they are feeding their children
27:19and that's one of the reasons
27:21I got involved in this.
27:23Now we understand better
27:25the biological interactions
27:27that occur in agriculture.
27:29Soon we will see that the waste
27:31from the breeding of animals,
27:33both cows, pigs or chickens,
27:35as well as fish,
27:37become fertilizers
27:39in real time,
27:41full of nutrients
27:43for agricultural production.
27:45And when we get it,
27:47we will be able to eliminate
27:49the dependence we have
27:51on limited resources
27:53from the earth.
27:55We will create a circular economy
27:57and the only way to exist
27:59will be having a cleaner
28:01and more ecological life.
28:03Part of the consumers
28:05want the perfect harvest
28:07and that puts a lot of pressure
28:09on the farmers
28:11because they need to get
28:13the perfect harvest
28:15with the demands of the other
28:17part of the consumers
28:19The farmer is worried
28:21about climate change,
28:23about the company's economy,
28:25he has to get an apple,
28:27a lettuce or a tomato
28:29that looks perfect
28:31without chemicals.
28:33And that's a very,
28:35very difficult thing to do.
28:43To be competitive
28:45and at the same time
28:47you have to become
28:49something more specific
28:51to respond to this challenge.
29:01Agriculture has always
29:03followed the technological process
29:05to reinvent itself.
29:07Another idea of agricultural
29:09mechanization is currently emerging.
29:11Very soon tractors
29:13will become robots.
29:15They have come to agriculture
29:17to revolutionize the lives
29:19of farmers.
29:23Completely autonomous
29:25and equipped with smart sensors,
29:27robots optimize agricultural tasks
29:29thanks to a better understanding
29:31of the needs of the earth
29:33and of the plants.
29:35The possibilities of a respectful
29:37agriculture with a more precise
29:39environment, more competitive
29:41and more manageable are immense.
29:43It will not be difficult to buy
29:45a robot that is able to grow
29:47the best lettuce, the best carrots
29:49and the best tomatoes in your garden.
29:51And it will be cheap and we will be able
29:53to have a piece of land in our garden
29:55in which to grow for our own consumption
29:57or for the neighbors or maybe
29:59for the whole town.
30:01And this robot will do it for you.
30:03And you won't have to know much
30:05about agronomy or agricultural practices.
30:07You won't have to worry about anything
30:09and everything will come out of your mouth.
30:11The Australian Center for Robotics
30:13is one of the most famous laboratories
30:15in the world in this discipline.
30:17It has been developing agricultural robots
30:19for more than 20 years.
30:21I sincerely believe that we have
30:23to make a more efficient use
30:25of our land.
30:27We have to be more efficient
30:29not wasting as much product
30:31as we produce.
30:35My name is Asher Bender
30:37and I believe that agricultural robotics
30:39is the only way to be more productive.
30:53The objective of our research
30:55is to help farmers
30:57to use the land better
30:59by eliminating tasks
31:01that are difficult and heavy
31:03for them and providing them
31:05with data that helps them
31:07to identify problematic areas
31:09which contributes to being productive.
31:19These agricultural robots,
31:21the type of robots that we design
31:23in this laboratory,
31:25have to face unpredictable scenarios.
31:27Land that they haven't seen before,
31:29free areas where there are people
31:31and in which they have to operate
31:33safely for the farmers
31:35who live in that environment
31:37which means that we have to design
31:39a software that can face
31:41the uncertainty
31:43and that is one of the main problems
31:45when developing agricultural robots.
31:49Most of the time
31:51we spend developing
31:53the brain of these robots
31:55so that they think in a more intelligent way
31:57and learn part of the knowledge
31:59that farmers apply
32:01when they go through their crops
32:03by identifying problems
32:05that may arise.
32:07It's quite a fun task
32:09to develop the algorithms
32:11that help the robots
32:13to identify things.
32:15It's very easy for a person
32:17to identify an apple.
32:19You pick an apple
32:21and you put it in the basket
32:23in a safe way.
32:25Converting all that knowledge
32:27into a robot
32:29is a difficult task.
32:31You have to do a lot of research
32:33in what in robotics
32:35is known as perception.
32:37We have a high-resolution
32:39data feeding system,
32:41hyperspectral cameras
32:43and normal RGB cameras.
32:45How do you take all that information
32:47to say this is an apple,
32:49this is a branch
32:51and this is a leaf?
32:53Once you can do that
32:55you can start working
32:57on the process of performance.
32:59It's still a challenge
33:01to find the optimal path
33:03from where the robot is
33:05to pick the apple.
33:09We can now locate
33:11a bad herb
33:13and apply the herbicide directly.
33:15This not only has the benefit
33:17of reducing the amount
33:19of herbicide we apply,
33:21which is a savings for the farmer,
33:23it also has a great benefit
33:25for the environment
33:27because we minimize
33:29the amount of chemical products
33:31we apply to the plant.
33:33With all this we reduce
33:35agriculture from a scale
33:37of a whole field
33:39to a single plant.
33:41The robots we have been developing
33:43contain high-resolution sensors
33:45capable of showing
33:47an image of each individual plant
33:49and perhaps in the future
33:51they can show a leaf in particular
33:53or a small part of the plant.
33:55In the future I imagine
33:57many machines in the farms.
33:59The machines can work
34:0124 hours a day,
34:03they are very precise,
34:05they do not get tired and do not forget anything
34:07while they are in the crops
34:09and I think they will be able
34:11to identify what happens
34:13in their crops with great precision.
34:19We will gather an unprecedented amount
34:21of data in modern agriculture.
34:23We have a lot of data,
34:25for example, about corn and wheat,
34:27but if you talk to me about lettuce,
34:29spinach, sprouts,
34:31beetroot or carrots,
34:33we do not have a lot of data
34:35and what fascinates me the most
34:37is that robotics is going to change all that.
34:39It is going to change our perception
34:41of how plants grow,
34:43it is going to change our perception
34:45of the right time to do certain agricultural activities.
34:53For the air,
34:55drones also play
34:57an important role
34:59in the digital revolution.
35:01Created by the American company
35:03Winfield,
35:05this animation gives us a vision
35:07of this ultra-technological
35:09agriculture 3.0.
35:19The flight to a more reasonable
35:21and coherent agriculture
35:23has begun.
35:25Hundreds of drones are already
35:27hovering in the skies.
35:29Their sensors and infrared cameras
35:31accurately map the vegetation
35:33of a land in different wavelengths.
35:35Once processed,
35:37these images provide farmers
35:39information about the health
35:41of their plants,
35:43which allows them to determine
35:45what nutrients they need
35:47in each case.
35:49Thanks to drones,
35:51farmers can now treat their fields
35:53area by area and thus reduce
35:55the consumption of water, fertilizers
35:57and other contributions.
35:59All these new combined technologies
36:01will allow farmers to respect
36:03the quality of the soil and optimize
36:05their production and use of resources.
36:07It is also a way to attract
36:09younger generations back to the rural regions
36:11that they abandoned a long time ago,
36:13making the profession of farmer
36:15again attractive.
36:17Suddenly, with robots,
36:19we can collect spectral data
36:2124 hours a day,
36:237 days a week.
36:25In a few years,
36:27there will be a confrontation
36:29between data scientists
36:31and agricultural scientists,
36:33because we know that their models
36:35will collide with each other.
36:37What model is the right one?
36:39And not only that,
36:41the model we have created
36:43in agricultural science
36:45is based on the fact
36:47that the lettuce of this region
36:49grows differently in this other region.
36:51Now agronomy is much more specific
36:53for each particular meadow
36:55and for each particular farm.
37:03In the future decades,
37:05global warming will destabilize
37:07agricultural practices.
37:09Irregular seasons,
37:11excessive heat and water shortage
37:13will deeply affect the cycles
37:15of crops.
37:19Our food security
37:21lies in a few crops.
37:25If a catastrophe were to occur,
37:29or a plague that eliminated
37:31all rice, wheat
37:33or bananas from all over the world,
37:37we would lose an important pillar
37:39in the availability of food.
37:43The connection between the crop
37:45and the plague is always there.
37:47How do we adapt our plants
37:49to the climate and parasite attacks
37:51while we improve the crops?
37:53Agroecological techniques
37:55propose integrating natural resources
37:57and mechanisms
37:59to improve production.
38:01The idea is to stimulate the crops
38:03while we relieve the pressure
38:05on nature and preserve
38:07its ability to renew.
38:13To achieve this,
38:15we have to understand
38:17how the plants respond
38:19in their environment
38:21and therefore we have to observe
38:23many varieties to identify
38:25the strongest one.
38:27French scientists
38:29from the National Institute
38:31for Agronomic Research
38:33have developed a phenotypic
38:35high-performance platform,
38:37computerized facilities
38:39for studying the growth
38:41I want that to change
38:43and I think agroecology
38:45could be a solution.
38:49My name is Christophe Salon
38:51and I am 56 years old.
38:53What fascinates me most about plants
38:55is their ability to adapt
38:57to restrictive environments.
39:05Agroecology aims
39:07to produce better
39:09both in quality and quantity
39:11without degrading the environment
39:13with herbicides and pesticides
39:15that harm biodiversity
39:17and us
39:19since we eat what we grow.
39:25For 10,000 years,
39:27man has chosen more or less
39:29intuitively the plants
39:31that best fit his needs,
39:33which can be
39:35higher production,
39:37more seeds,
39:39more beautiful flowers
39:41to give fruits that are
39:43larger or know better.
39:45Currently we have methods
39:47that allow us to accelerate
39:49this selection process
39:51and know in what best way
39:53the plants respond
39:55to be able to adapt
39:57the agriculture of the future
39:59to climate change.
40:03What we can do
40:05is to look at different environments
40:07and vary the supply of water
40:09to see which one survives
40:11with lack of water
40:13and which one produces
40:15quality seeds and fruits
40:17in greater quantity.
40:19Subjected to different scenarios,
40:21thousands of plants
40:23involuntarily participate
40:25in a gigantic casting.
40:27They are photographed daily.
40:29Those whose genetic heritage
40:31is more interesting
40:34We have robotic systems,
40:36image systems that allow us
40:38to see the passage of time
40:40in a dynamic way
40:42during the growth of the plant
40:44and take photos and extract
40:46phenotypic features,
40:48that is, the characteristics
40:50that interest us,
40:52shape of the leaf,
40:54height of the plant,
40:56number of branches,
40:58size of the vine,
41:00automatically and safely
41:03This platform has another
41:05unique feature.
41:07It allows you to observe
41:09the roots of the plant.
41:11With a high-resolution camera,
41:13researchers can access
41:15the smallest details of the root.
41:17Their studies clarify the relationship
41:19between plants and soil microorganisms
41:21and help us better understand
41:23the complex characteristics
41:25such as drought resistance
41:27and nitrogen absorption.
41:32We know that farmers
41:34are today under a lot of pressure
41:36to feed the billions of inhabitants
41:38that will be in 2050.
41:40If we can find out
41:42which plant is doing better
41:44in which environment
41:46and increase performance
41:48and quality by cultivating
41:50more resistant plants
41:52and adapt better,
41:54everything should go well.
41:56After identifying the champions
41:58of adaptation,
42:00it is important to know
42:02which plants are better
42:04adapted to our agriculture
42:06and which seeds are better
42:08adapted to climate change.
42:10But the solution of this adaptation
42:12is also based on preserving
42:14the genetic biodiversity
42:16of the current seeds.
42:18After thousands of years
42:20of selection and cross-breeding,
42:22our seeds have unified
42:24and impoverished.
42:26On the contrary,
42:28they have brought our eyes
42:30to an alarming rhythm
42:32just when we were showing
42:34interest in them.
42:36How far will it go?
42:38When the food ran out,
42:40most of the people in the world died.
42:42But not the people in this place,
42:44where seeds were stored underground,
42:46kept safe for a better day.
42:58The crisis of climate change
43:00was linked to the extinction
43:02of species.
43:04There is only one place
43:06from which the problem
43:08can be solved,
43:10resorting again to the earth.
43:12At the heart of the English countryside,
43:14the largest seed bank in the world
43:16is dedicated to preserving
43:18the plant biodiversity
43:20for the entire planet.
43:22In this place,
43:24there is only one place
43:26dedicated to preserving
43:28the plant biodiversity
43:30for the entire planet.
43:32We know that 20% of the plants
43:34are in danger in nature.
43:36So if we don't preserve
43:38these fundamental pieces now,
43:40we're not going to have
43:42the possibility
43:44to use them in the future.
43:46My name is Ruth Eastwood.
43:48I really believe that seeds
43:50are very important
43:52for the plants
43:54and for the environment.
44:04About 80% of the calories
44:06that we ingest
44:08come from just 12 crops.
44:10If we think about diversity
44:12and adaptation,
44:14that's something impressive
44:16considering that more than
44:1830,000 species of plants
44:20are edible.
44:22Maybe we should diversify
44:24the type of food we eat,
44:26but just thinking about those 12,
44:28everything that includes
44:30potatoes, wheat,
44:32corn, rice,
44:34the amount of genetic diversity
44:36that remains in each of those crops
44:38is very small.
44:40If you compare it to your wild relatives,
44:42there is very little potential
44:44for that crop to improve.
44:46That's why we have to look
44:48at those wild species
44:50that have evolved
44:52over time.
44:54The diversity of wild plants
44:56gives us a lot of potential
44:58to improve crops
45:00and to improve
45:02their genetic diversity.
45:04That means that,
45:06ultimately,
45:08we can eat potatoes
45:10for much longer
45:12than we could do
45:14if it wasn't like that.
45:16The Millennium Seed Bank
45:18is located in a network
45:20of more than 80 countries
45:22and receives wild seeds
45:24from the most diverse
45:26environments in the world.
45:28Part of the samples collected
45:30are kept in the country of origin
45:32and the rest are sent
45:34to the United Kingdom.
45:36When we receive samples
45:38in the Millennium Seed Bank,
45:40it's a collection of samples
45:42that come in a cloth bag
45:44and it's a dry plant sample
45:46that we then send to the United Kingdom.
45:52It's always nice
45:54to see parts of the plant
45:56and of the seed.
45:58Especially if it's a fruit
46:00or if it's a plant
46:02that you've never seen before.
46:04You see the details of the vine
46:06and the leaves
46:08and you immediately see
46:10why that plant is so important.
46:12When they arrive, the seeds follow a strict protocol.
46:17They are carefully registered and cleaned and classified manually.
46:26They go through X-rays to check their viability
46:29and only then are they dried and packaged before being stored.
46:33Once we've got the seeds clean and we're confident that they're in perfect condition,
46:46we'll put them in containers and they're ready to be placed on benches at less than 20 degrees.
46:56The idea behind the seeds is that they are a kind of natural time capsule.
47:02Many experiments have shown that many seeds can be preserved for hundreds of years.
47:12Maybe one of the seeds that we have today in hibernation
47:16might be a solution to feed the future population.
47:22But the story doesn't end when we put them on the bench.
47:25We want those seeds to be available so that people can use them in the future.
47:29So we do viability tests every 10 years.
47:36The germination tests are very important for us,
47:40not just to evaluate the viability of the samples and see how they've been able to survive the passage of time,
47:46but to know that we can get plants from those seeds.
47:50They're not good if we don't know how to grow them and how to make them grow.
47:55So we spend a lot of time actively working on improving the germination protocols
48:00and often that reproduces what happens in the natural environment.
48:09The seeds are fascinating, they have all kinds of shapes and sizes and they're very intelligent.
48:13Well, intelligent might not be the right word,
48:16but they've been flexing over time with different strategies to adapt to the environment they're in.
48:26Each time we see something new or exciting that you haven't seen before,
48:30you say, wow, they can do that?
48:33Yes, it's fascinating.
48:39We've got about 36,000 species.
48:42Without a doubt, we can say it's the place with the most biodiversity in the world
48:46because we're getting plants from all over the world.
48:49Right now, we have about 2,000 species.
48:53Right now, we have about 2,000 million seeds.
48:59Our aim for 2020 is to have 25% of all seeds in the world.
49:14Well, each of us is a seed.
49:16When you look at this seed, it looks insignificant,
49:19but when you put it in the soil and you let it grow,
49:23you realize how much it can create and how much potential it has.
49:27Each one of us has the potential to change.
49:31Each one of us can create a future that is better for all the people around us,
49:37better for us and better for the planet.
49:40Those three aren't antagonistic, they don't compete with each other.
49:49NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology