The National Strategy for Enhancing Planning and Coordination of Sustainable Development for Greenhouse Projects through Smart Technologies.
-
Prepared by:
Dr. Hassani Mohamed Abdelbaki Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering - Institute of Agricultural Engineering Research Consultant for Export Vegetable Farming and International Lecturer
-
Introduction :
The global population is increasing, our climate is changing, and natural resources are becoming scarcer and more expensive. Simultaneously, there is a growing demand for sustainability from governments, markets, and users. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, the world’s population is expected to exceed 9 billion people by 2050. How do we feed the world by 2050? To achieve this, food production needs to double while using only half of today’s available resources. The demand for fresh and healthy food is also rising. Greenhouse management can play a crucial role, but finding skilled personnel to manage crop production remains a challenge.
The world increasingly requires smarter and more sustainable solutions for food and agriculture. With the global population moving toward 9.7 billion people by 2050, innovative ideas are more critical than ever. Solutions that significantly contribute to smarter and more sustainable agriculture include developing innovative cultivation methods, introducing new crop varieties with higher yields or lower environmental requirements, and applying smart agricultural technologies (such as Internet of Things, IoT) – the fourth agricultural revolution (Figure 1).
-
!Figure 1: The Fourth Agricultural Revolution :
Methodology
The Golden Triangle of Projects
The project’s development relies on internal and external studies and expertise related to greenhouse and new agricultural city projects. The Golden Triangle of projects consists of collaboration between government, academia, and the private sector.
Foundations of Improvement Strategy:
These three pillars are hardware, orgware, and software. They encompass infrastructure, organizational work, programs, individual capacity, and education, including smart programs.
-
-
!Figure 2: The Golden Triangle
Choosing Sustainable Development:
Sustainable development is the cornerstone of our operations, organization, and strategy. For us, sustainable development means meeting present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainable growth everywhere ensures sustainable food production for future generations.
Key Principles for Innovation in Smart Digital Greenhouses:
Four key principles guide innovation:
Efficient resource utilization
Sustainable development
Integrated vertical development
Integration of the three improvement strategy pillars
Elements of Sustainable Development for Prioritizing Smart Programs:
Integrated smart programs achieve more with fewer resource inputs (Figure 4):
Higher production with better returns
Reduced land use in any environment
Water savings (25-82% reduction)
Reduced fertilizer use (15-25% reduction)
Energy efficiency (15-30% reduction)
Lower carbon dioxide emissions and pollution
-
-
!Figure 3: Strategic pillars
-
-
!Figure 4: Impact of Smart Programs
Factors Influencing Smart Programs:
These factors include:
Minimizing waste (zero crop loss)
Facilitating trade through smart logistics services
Leveraging external partnerships for reputation enhancement
Building individual capacity
Ensuring product safety and security
Improving infrastructure planning and coordination
Market regulation
Providing sustainable employment opportunities for youth
Contents of Smart Programs for Greenhouse Management:
After evaluating available greenhouses, technological levels, and development requirements, smart programs are selected and assessed. Key evaluation elements include:
Number, dimensions, and area of greenhouses
Structural composition
Irrigation systems used
Crop cultivation systems and environmental conditions
Cooling and heating systems
Energy sources
Computer systems and software used
Technological level of greenhouses (low, medium, high)
Based on this assessment, components of smart programs are chosen, along with their levels and the necessary development requirements for greenhouses and infrastructure.
-
-
!Figure 5: Elements of Greenhouse Evaluation
Components of Smart Programs for Greenhouses:
The advanced functionalities include:
(List advanced functionalities here)
The basic functionalities include:
(List basic functionalities here)
-
