Sustainability Aspects of Advanced Materials in Digital Technologies in Agriculture

The rapid development of digital technologies is shaping our daily lives, the economy and industry. They are also becoming increasingly important in agriculture in order to optimize operational processes, increase efficiency and boost yields. Innovative products such as mobile measuring stations, microclimate monitoring devices, security cameras, software solutions for field trials, drone image analysis and herd management systems demonstrate the diversity of digital applications. The digitalization of agriculture, also known as “precision farming”, “smart farming” or “digital farming”, shows a trend towards AI-based systems. These systems recognize patterns in large amounts of data and independently derive decisions and work steps. Digital technologies should not only increase efficiency and yields, but also make agriculture more environmentally friendly, for example by optimizing the use of fertilizers and reducing the use of pesticides. Despite these positive developments, the environmental impact of digital technologies is often neglected. Few studies deal with this topic. The production and disposal of digital devices is associated with considerable resource consumption, which poses a challenge for the circular economy. The use of advanced materials in sensor technology and other areas requires a critical assessment of environmental and health risks. Sustainability aspects, including material selection, energy consumption and disposal, must already be considered in the design process.