Britain's favourite fresh produce magazine since 1895 By Michael Barker Monday 19th May 2014, 10:54 GMT Passion for Science TV science specialist Sarah Cruddas knows a thing or two about how technology can help boost the farming sector Sarah Cruddas strophysicist, weather forecaster, “There are products that tell you exactly weather patterns in space as an example of A science correspondent and where they need to spray so they use fewer how forecasting accuracy is being journalist – and all before the age pesticides. That’s creating less waste for improved, adding that it could allow of 30. farming and bringing down costs.” growers to time when to plant crops so as to avoid any severe weather patterns. Sarah Cruddas hasn’t taken her foot off the A passionate advocate of scientific gas in a career that has taken her from advancement and its practical application Cruddas’s interest in farming goes beyond a Nasa’s space centre in the US to North in industry, Cruddas says robotics has a big professional one – her great-grandfather, Korea via the living rooms of Britain, yet future, from machines harvesting crops to Sid Parsons, used to import fruit and veg the likeable 29-year-old is also uniquely artificial crop pickers. “Robotics has got a and sell it at Covent Garden, not to placed to give an informed view of how the great place in farming,” she enthuses. “It’s mention the fact that her first-ever job as a fresh produce industry can use technology never going to replace human beings, but I youngster was picking cherry tomatoes. to progress. think the way we farm has got to change.” The industry has changed somewhat since Cruddas presented a BBC Radio 4 show in The weather – and its unpredictability – is Parsons first made his way in the trade, and the Costing the Earth series, Robot Farmers, one of the constant headaches facing thanks to scientific advancement the way which outlined what the future of farm growers, and Cruddas is keen to emphasise people farm looks set to change radically in technology could look like – showcasing that science is helping there too. “Our three- the coming decades as well. http://www.fruitnet.com/americafruit/article/1474/parts-of-san-diego-quarantined-as-psyllid-count-mounts © Copyright Market Intelligence Ltd - Fruitnet.com 2014. The copyright on this article and all content published on Market Intelligence Ltd - Fruitnet.com is held by Market Intelligence Ltd - Fruitnet.com Limited, a joint venture between Market Intelligence Limited and Dr Rolf M Wolf Media GmbH. All rights reserved. Neither this article nor any part of it may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form, including print- outs, screen grabs and information retrieval systems, without the prior permission of the copyright owners. everything from self-controlled tractors day forecast is now as accurate as the next- Cruddas on... and satellite farming to biomimicry and day forecast was in the 70s, so weather robotics. “We’ve got a growing population forecasting is improving massively. We Farming and science: “People don’t really and we need to farm smarter, and I think need to understand more about our think about it or appreciate all the work science can have an excellent role in that,” weather to help farming in the future.” that farmers do, and how much science and she begins. “That’s everything from technology is helping to improve farming biomimicry to flying spheres monitoring She cites improving understanding of techniques and is going to help fields. Nasa is launching a new probe this significantly in the future. What year that will tell you where the best soil and water is, so farmers will know where to farm. I’ve learnt is that farming sadly seems to be : “Looking at recent history, the chances are : “Travel is my passion. North Korea is the an industry that people don’t want to go we’ll see more extreme weather events and most unusual place I’ve been to. My into, and we need to change that because we need to get used to that. The way we favourite place? South of France, Monaco, we take food and farmers for granted.” farm and the way we work the land needs and I go to America all the time.” to adapt to changes in the weather. It could Climate change: “You can’t just attribute be positive in the way of growing new Sarah Cruddas factfile one bad weather event to climate change. things in Britain.” Climate is seen over a long period of time, Sarah Cruddas studied astrophysics before so yes you could have the driest summer Robotics: “Yes, you’ll have a robot in place switching to broadcast journalism, where since records began but records haven’t picking the fruit, but you’ll have people she made her mark as a BBC TV weather been around for that long. The Earth’s working to design the robot, so you’re forecaster. From there she went on to climate does change naturally, we know creating new jobs in a different industry. become a BBC science correspondent, that for a fact. We naturally go through ice And you’ll always have a human there before going freelance for organisations ages and we are coming out of one at the checking the robot is doing its job.” including Sky, ITV and Channel 4. She also writes for a number of titles including The moment. All the scientific evidence points to the fact that climate change is happening GM: “From what I know it’s fine – the Sunday Times and New Scientist. The 29- as a result of human intervention as well, science stands up. We have a growing year-old has done a number of programmes population and we need to feed them. GM relevant to the food production industry, but you can’t say the weather is just attributed to climate change.” does offer a good solution, but the problem most notably Robot Farmers for BBC is you’ve got celebrity-backed campaigns Radio 4. Long-term planning: “One of the issues is going against it. But often with celebrity Want to know more? You can follow Sarah governments are only looking at short- campaigns you’ve got people who don’t Cruddas on Twitter @sarahcruddas or find term plans and we haven’t got a long-term really understand everything about it but vision for climate change yet. That’s an just hear all the demon words, and out further information via her website at www.sarahcruddas.com. issue that goes across the world. It will be celebrities have got a big voice. There needs one of the biggest stories of this century, to be a more open debate on both sides of and it’ll have a huge impact on farming and the story, with farmers getting a chance to the way we grow stuff.” give their voice about why they think it’s so important.” Extremes of weather Travel http://www.fruitnet.com/americafruit/article/1474/parts-of-san-diego-quarantined-as-psyllid-count-mounts © Copyright Market Intelligence Ltd - Fruitnet.com 2014. The copyright on this article and all content published on Market Intelligence Ltd - Fruitnet.com is held by Market Intelligence Ltd - Fruitnet.com Limited, a joint venture between Market Intelligence Limited and Dr Rolf M Wolf Media GmbH. All rights reserved. Neither this article nor any part of it may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form, including print- outs, screen grabs and information retrieval systems, without the prior permission of the copyright owners..