TEHRAN – Due to lack of natural resources, knowledge-based systems in the agriculture sector are the only way that secure food safety, an official with the Ministry of Agriculture has said.

Agriculture is one of the main principles for national development and steps should be taken to develop knowledge-based systems for it, Ali Akbar Moayyedi explained.

Instead of resource-based agriculture, the skills for innovation and research should be strengthened amongst the farmers, he said, Mehr reported on Monday.

Universities, research centers and the Basij should use their complete capacities to help knowledge-based systems in agriculture, he said.

Agriculture is one of the main principles for national development and steps should be taken to develop knowledge-based systems for it

There are 600 agricultural research plan are conducted by over 2000 academics in universities and research centers, he said.

Over 150 findings in the field of agriculture provides nationwide annually, which paved the way for knowledge-based agriculture, he added.

In early February 2019, the head of soil protection unit of the Forests, Range, and Watershed Management Organization Hooshang Jazi announced that soil erosion and pollution are the two major important environmental problems in the country, as some 16.7 tons of soil per hectare erodes annually.

However the Information and Communication Technology Ministry and the Ministry of Agriculture signed an agreement in July 2018 to boost smart irrigation in a bid to help deal with water shortage in the country and helps the farmers to protect their fields for pest control through space technology.

According to the agreement, it is projected that at least 20 percent of the agricultural economy to be linked with the digital economy over the course of four years so that the private sector’s contribution to smart agriculture would rise by 300 percent.

Besides, some startups in Iran have recently been launched providing services for farmers with some space-based data on meteorology and smart agriculture.-----

SB/MG