How agri-tech and pharma-tech are nurturing human health

Human invention can be mapped through the invention of farming technologies. It was almost 6,000 years ago that farmers created the plough and technology to improve yields has continued in the same vein, albeit on a slightly more impressive scale.

Vertical farming is only 25 years old but already provides efficient, alternative methods to food supply challenges. For countries like Singapore, with a growing population but limited arable land, vertical farming removes dependence on food imports and reduces traditional agriculture's high water and space needs. IoT sensors keep these environments tightly monitored and adjusted for optimum production, proving that our global food security challenges already have a tech-powered solution. 

Another agritech innovation - precision farming - describes the use of technology to optimise water and soil, detect crop failure, improve yield and predict weather events. Farmers using this technology can reduce costs from water and pesticide use and increase the value of their land through proven high yields. 

The technology behind precision farming is specific to the agricultural output; what works for one crop isn’t necessarily game-changing for another. For example, farmers managing the large land area needed for livestock use IoT-enabled drones to observe animals and alert farm hands to ill health or unusual behaviour. A drone isn't much use for farmers waiting for crops to grow. Instead, they use moisture sensors to check for soil integrity and cameras for weed detection at the point of harvesting. 

These precise technologies optimise resources and significantly reduce labour and pesticide use to such an extent that US agricultural manufacturer John Deere has seen a reduction in herbicide use by up to 77%. The company’s See and Spray IoT camera technology attaches to the tractor and only targets the weeds the device can ‘see.’¹

Climate change impacts on crops and livestock make vertical and precision farming essential to the continued supply of food needed for survival and improved human health.

SD-WAN for IoT networks at scale

IoT deployment is all well and good for farmers at a single location, but for agriculture enterprises operating across multiple sites and countries, the complexity of deployment can begin to eat into the benefits. 

Deploying SD-WAN across these multiple sites allows for standardised configuration while being adaptable for region-specific templates. This allows for a consistent user experience and optimised network performance, as well as increased security on a single network.

For large-scale agriculture enterprises, the need to manage IoT endpoints and share data across sites shouldn’t be tricky and, using the single management portal of SD-WAN, it simply isn’t. Once the set-up is humming, deep data insights across locations give farmers a view of where the greatest sustainability benefits can be gained. 

And where from there? Singtel CUBΣ offer a unified suite of solutions that allow enterprises to use and scale their services through a single sign-on portal. For users with multiple locations, like large-scale farmers, Singtel CUBΣ allows multiple services and vendors to be managed without complexity.

Between 2020 and 2050 there will be a predicted additional 250,000 deaths a year due to the effects of climate change.² It is the pharmaceutical industry that will be the front line of mitigating this damage, and its ability to respond quickly will literally be a matter of life and death.

As a data-driven sector, pharmaceutical developers and manufacturers must crunch enormous volumes of information to find patterns for drug production. As the pressure for discoveries mounts, scientists are turning to AI to interpret this data and design new solutions, such as protein-based drugs.

This also plays out in the way drugs are developed. Data sharing at scale enabled countries to collaborate on building vaccinations for COVID-19, reducing the 10-15 years typically needed for development to less than one.³

These techniques contract the time between illness detection and drug production, reducing the impact of new diseases on global health. AI-powered machines used in manufacturing can seamlessly switch between product types without downtime. This means they are able to respond to demand without wasting raw materials.⁴

The human health benefit of these techniques extends far beyond the pharmaceutical sector. Since the sector aims to keep people out of hospitals, the climate benefits from the reduced emissions associated with operating medical facilities grow year on year.

Digital transformation virtualises the pharmacy

It is not just AI that is transforming the pharmaceutical sector. Leading healthcare solutions provider Zuellig Pharma has optimised storage and shipping operations by creating the first connected warehouse. The digital transformation of its operations included AR Vision Picking and Drone Inventory Management, all underpinned by Singtel 5G. This increased speed and inventory visibility improves efficiencies across all stages of warehouse operations. 

The resulting digitally enabled warehouse breaks apart the traditional pharmaceutical clinic by allowing drugs to be dispersed at scale and speed, increasing access to more people needing them.

Putting human health at the centre of agricultural and pharmaceutical sector growth ensures that people and planet are protected in our changing climate. Adding technology to the mix builds efficiencies in these endeavours by reducing waste and responding to data-driven insights.

5G-enabled IoT and SD-WAN ensure continuity for the agricultural industry, and 5G-powered AI in manufacturing is virtualising the pharmaceutical sector. These approaches build stability in the sectors for a fairer, healthier world.

The path to sustainability isn’t linear. It will require adjustments in the face of unpredictable and directional change when critical goals are achieved. But one thing will be persistent - tech will get us to true sustainability. 

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