engleski

Ozone as an innovative GreenTech solution in agricultural production

The global food market is growing from USD 5943.8 billion in 2019 to USD 6111.1 billion in 2020 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.9%. Agriculture plays a crucial role in the overall life of an economy. Apart from providing food and raw materials, agriculture also provides employment opportunities to a very large section of the population. In order to produce enough food, agriculture has to use new, modern technologies. The term "modern agriculture" means progress in the form of inventions and innovations, responsibility and meeting the ecological and global food challenge all in one. As reported by EFSA, WHO, the EU Commission, there is great concern about environmental pollution from pesticides used in agriculture and residues in food, water and soil. Negative impacts on human and animal health, environmental safety and biodiversity as well as development of pest resistance have led to the banning of a significant number of pesticides. With the implementation of the Green Deal strategy, Europe has committed itself to reducing the use of pesticides by 50% and fertilizers by 20%, and to increasing organic production by 25% by 2030. With the drastic decrease in the number of plant protection products available on the Croatian and EU markets, the production process is becoming increasingly difficult. Yields are decreasing, production is unprofitable, so many farmers are withdrawing from production. Although there is growing awareness among producers and consumers of the importance of organically produced food and an environmentally friendly lifestyle, the loss without plant protection products during the food production can be as high as 70%. Crop protection measures are necessary to maintain profitable production and ensure a sufficient quantity of food, and this opens up the possibility for the development of new technologies. The problem addressed by the Go Green Ozonator startup is the lack of affordable and easy-to-use green solutions on the market for both integrated and organic production and storage systems. The innovation is based on the application of ozone dissolved in water (O3) or as a biofumigant. Ozone is a powerful oxidant whose disinfectant properties are well known and have been used in the health, cosmetic and food industries for 20 years. The timing and exact concentration of ozone application will depend on the size of the greenhouse or silo, the type of crop grown, the prevailing conditions on site, and the situation with respect to pest pressure. In addition to the application technology itself, the development of unique machine learning software is planned in later phases. Its objective is to monitor conditions and adjust the optimal timing and concentration of ozone in accordance with the thresholds of the decision to control harmful organisms. The combination of the complex agricultural knowledge described above, the integration of new technologies and the sensitive approach to individual farmers' problems would facilitate the production process and provide decision support at all stages. Researching and promoting new green solutions is becoming the task of the entire scientific and entrepreneurial community. Recently, a Green/Blue/Clean-Tech startup ecosystem (GBC HUB) was established in Croatia. It is now a member of Infobip, a global leader in omnichannel communications. GBC HUB gathers more than 20 startups involved in the development of technologies for the reduction of carbon footprint, treatment and energy recovery of biodegradable materials and industrial wastewater, intelligent aeroponic gardens, sports nutrition products based on certified organic ingredients, digital platforms for agriculture and retail where consumers can learn about the origin of products, circular economy, energy savings, etc. The development of alternative green solutions that are more environmentally friendly and their synergy with technological achievements are undoubtedly the direction in which 21st century agriculture is moving.

green tech, ecological production, machine learning, ozone, pesticides

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