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Sustainability:

The Number-One Challenge Across Agricultural Markets

By Joe Monahan

Every year, Meister Media Worldwide conducts in-depth scan sessions across the markets we cover with a goal of understanding the challenges and opportunities for each segment. The results provide information to help our readers navigate threats and build on new market growth. In the past, we found the challenges and opportunities were market specific. Not until recently did we witness that across our markets of fruit, vegetable, controlled environment/horticulture, cotton growers, and crop input dealer markets — all seemed to be grappling with the same challenges centered around sustainability. The issues of water, labor, soil health, plant health, biological crop protection, and climate came to the forefront for each market segment. For 2023, our Global Insight Series will focus on these sustainability issues and the ag technologies that enable them to improve. You’ll also find a new home for this series located on our Global Ag Tech Initiative (GATI) website. GATI’s mission is dedicated to advancing technological solutions to create sustainable and socially responsible world food production and distribution. On the site, you’ll not only find Global Insights, but also articles by ag tech experts, details on industry-leading events, and the Global Ag Tech Alliance. For this issue, we’re tackling the topic of sustainability and water. Water is one of the most basic elements of agriculture, and this precious resource is under more stress than at any time in our history. From a changing climate and drought to regulation and increasing expectations for sustainability efforts, the development and adoption of technologies to use water more efficiently and effectively is paramount. 

In this report, you’ll learn about:

California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act and the questions the state continues to struggle to answer
Technologies that are helping agricultural producers address drought, as well as the opportunities and obstacles for adoption
How water regulations and technologies are affecting the greenhouse/CEA industry
New strategies for cotton growers dealing with drought across the US
Digital modeling and how close it is to becoming a reality for helping growers to anticipate and be proactive about conditions for weather, water, and soil
A worldwide market view from companies on the front lines of water and ag and what technologies are forwarding the optimal use of water resources

This interactive digital platform allows you to read analysis and information provided by our expert contributors, and also to hear directly from them through video insights. And we’ve included a quick guide to help walk you through the ins and outs of navigating this digital report — just watch the brief "How to Use this Report" video at the beginning of this article. This report is our first of 2023. We also invite you to catch up on our previous Global Insight Series Reports on Biological Crop Protection, Agricultural Technology, Soil Health and Plant Health. We appreciate your feedback on these reports and your suggestions on future topics you’d like to see covered. We look forward to hearing from you!Joe Monahan
President/Chief Operating Officer
Meister Media Worldwide