230 take part within the First Convention on Digital Agriculture in Libya

Over 230 specialists participated in the First Conference on Digital Agriculture in Libya (5 to 8 March) today held at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tripoli, with its accompanying exhibition.

The event is held with the participation of the Libyan Centre for Remote Sensing, the Man-Made River Authority, the National Centre of Meteorology, local companies specialized in the field of agricultural investment and the technology of crop production and cultivation.

The conference dealt with the most important modern technologies in the field of agriculture, the role of soil and water sciences, informatics in achieving sustainable agriculture, agricultural meteorological data and outputs, the importance of using meteorological and climatic elements, and  scientific research in the service of sustainable development.

Explaining the concept of digital agriculture to Libya Herald, Dr Ezz Al-Arab Al-Rayani, Professor of Agriculture and member of the organizing committee of the conference, said “The organization of this conference, the first of its kind in Libya, and the exhibition accompanying it, is due to the great development witnessed by the world in the field of agriculture.

Today, the talk has become about the smart farm and the digital field, which relies in everything on advanced technology. This starts from studying the soil, the type of crops that can be grown in it, how to water it, determining the type of fertilizers and pesticides that crops need, and their quantities and hours of spraying – all the way to collecting the ripe crop’’.

Al Rayani said that automatic machines, robots, and drones have become the next future for determining crop types, quantities, and harvest dates. He stressed that digital agriculture is information and communication technology and environmental systems data to support the development and provision of information and services to make agriculture profitable and sustainable socially, economically, and environmentally, and to provide safe and nutritious food affordable for everyone.

Al-Rayani added that we are still in the infancy stage of this innovation, as there are some leading farms in the world that have adopted such solutions, but within a few years, it will become everywhere. He concluded by saying, “Get ready for the digital revolution in agriculture, because it means speed in agriculture and a reduction in water consumption, with ease and comfort, which means reducing human effort, increasing crop production, and providing food at the lowest prices and the highest standards.”

For his part, Mohamed Shalouf, General Manager of Al-Zaytouna Al-Khadra Company for Agricultural Materials, told Libya Herald that the current period is witnessing a technological revolution that has become inevitable. This revolution has become a fait accompli, as our lives have become closely linked to technology. Therefore, we must be ready for this development to deal with the variables around us, whether from climatic changes or unexpected changes such as strong winds, a decrease or a severe increase in temperature, humidity and rain.

Pointing out that his company is seeking, in partnership with the United Dimitra Company in Canada, which is a leading company in the field of advanced agricultural technology, to mechanize the agricultural sector in Libya through several axes covering all agricultural sectors.