Skip to main content

Satellite Farming, Food, and Human Wellbeing

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Changing our Environment, Changing Ourselves

Abstract

Imagine for a moment that human beings could take the same vantage point as God; up in the skies above, looking down upon farmers and the countryside, while coordinating human activities within a greater scheme of things. Through almost miraculous advances in modern science and technology, this has virtually become the case. Satellite farming means that different farming activities can now be calculated and coordinated from the skies above. Self-driving, self-regulating, and self-operating tractors, combines, and other farm equipment are increasingly becoming an everyday reality for more and more farmers in the UK.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Ashwood, L., Harden, N., Bell, M. M., et al. (2014). Linked and situated: Grounded knowledge. Rural Sociology, 79(4), 427–452.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beck, U., Bonss, W., & Lau, C. (2003). The theory of reflexive modernization: Problematic, hypotheses and research programme. Theory, Culture & Society, 20, 1–33.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benton, T. (1996). Marxism and natural limits: An ecological critique and reconstruction. In T. Benton (Ed.), The greening of marxism. New York: The Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Benton, T., & Craib, I. (2011). Philosophy of social science: The philosophical foundations of social thought. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blackmore, S. (2003). The role of yield maps in precision farming. Cranfield: National Soil Resources Institute, Cranfield University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cameron, D. (2015). Prime Minister: One nation government backs British farmers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Castells, M. (1996). The rise of the network society: Vol. 1. The information age: Economy, society and culture. Oxford, England: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dean, K. (2014). Capitalism, citizenship, and the arts of thinking: A Marxist-Arisotelian linguistic account. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Defra. (2010). Fertiliser manual (RB209) (8th ed.), The Stationery Office: 1–249. Retrieved from http://www.tsoshop.co.uk

  • Defra. (2013). Farm accounts in England 2012/13. Retrieved from http://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/farm-accounts-in-england-201213

  • Defra (2014). Agriculture in the United Kingdom 2014. Retrieved from http://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/agriculture-in-the-united-kingdom-2014

  • Dickens, P. (1996). Reconstructing nature. London: Routledge.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Dickens, P. (2004). Society & Nature. Cambridge: Polity Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dickens, P. (2009). Cognitive capitalism and species-being. In S. Moog & R. Stones (Eds.), Nature, social relations and human needs (pp. 107–127). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dickens, P., & Ormrod, J. S. (2007). Cosmic society. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Enzensberger, H. M. (1996). A critique of political ecology. In T. Benton (Ed.), The greening of Marxism. New York: The Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Foresight (2011). The future of food and farming: Challenges and choices for global sustainability (Final Project Report) (1–211). London: The Government Office for Science.

    Google Scholar 

  • Foster, J. B. (1999). Marx’s theory of metabolic rift: Classical foundations for environmental sociology. American Journal of Sociology, 105, 366–405.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Freeman, G. (2014). The UK as a global hub of agricultural innovation. Retrieved from http://www.ofc.org.uk/videos/2014/uk-agri-tech-strategy-uk-global-hub-agricultural-innovation

  • Frey, C. B., & Osborne, M. A. (2013). The future of employment: How susceptible are jobs to computerisation? (“Machines and Employment” Workshop). Oxford: University of Oxford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Giddens, A. (1990). The consequences of modernity. Cambridge: Polity Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harvey, D. (1992a). Capitalism: The factory of fragmentation. In D. Harvey (Ed.), Spaces of capital: Towards a critical geography. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harvey, D. (1992b). The condition of postmodernity. Oxford: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harvey, D. (2003). The new imperialism. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Home Grown Cereals Authority. (2013). UK weekly commodity prices. In Defra PT (Ed.). Retrieved from http://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/commodity-prices

  • Huber, J. (2004). New technologies and environmental innovation. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.

    Google Scholar 

  • Institution of Mechanical Engineers. (2013). Global food: Waste not, want not, improving the world through engineering (London). Retrieved from http://www.imeche.org

  • IPF. (2015). Under the microscope: Understanding the benefits: An independent cost/benefit analysis of precision farming. ENews bulletin. News for IPF’s valued customers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jensen, H. G., Jacobsen, L. B., Pedersen, S. M., Tavella, E. (2012). Socioeconomic impact of widespread adoption of precision farming and controlled traffic systems in Denmark. Precision Agriculture, 13, 661–677.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kline, R., & Pinch, T. (1996). Users as agents of technological change: The social construction of the automobile in the rural United States. Technology and Culture, 37, 763–795.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Knight, A. (2006). Supersizing farms. In G. Ritzer (Ed.), McDonaldization: The reader (2nd ed., pp. 183–195). Newbury Park, CA: Pine Forge Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Knobeloch, L., Salna, B., Hogan, A., Postle, J., Anderson, H. (2000). Blue babies and nitrate-contaminated well water. Environmental Health Perspectives, 108, 675–678.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maillard, S. (2014). The small satellite market takes off. In S. Maillard (Ed.), New space. New York: NewSpace Global.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marx, K. (2007). Das kapital. Dubuque, IA: Synergy International of The Americas.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marx, K., & Engels, F. (1974). The German Ideology. London: Lawrence & Wishart Limited.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marx, K., & Engels, F. (1998). The communist manifesto. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • McKelvey, V. E. (1976). ERTS-1 A new window in our planet. In S. Richard, J. Williams, D. William, et al. (Eds.), Geological survey professional paper 929. Washington, DC: United States Department of the Interior.

    Google Scholar 

  • Meadows, D. H., Meadows, D. L., Randers, J., Behrens III, W. W. (1972). The limits to growth: A report for The club of Rome’s project on the predicament of mankind. London: Earth Island.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mol, A. P. (1997). Ecological modernization: Industrial transformations and environmental reform. In M. R. Redclift & G. Woodgate (Eds.), The international handbook of environmental sociology (pp. 138–149). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mol, A. P. J. (2003). Globalization and environmental reform: The ecological modernization of the global economy. London: The MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Monbiot, G. (2014). No wonder landowners are scared. We are starting to learn who owns Britain. The Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/dec/03/landowners-scotland-britain-feudal-highland-spring

  • NASA. (2012). Landsat data continuity mission: Continuously observing your world. Retrieved from http://landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/LDCM_Brochure_Dec20121.pdf

  • Newby, H. (1997). The deferential worker: A study of farm workers in East Anglia. London: Penguin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pace, S., Frost, G. P., Lachow, I. Frelinger, D. R., Fossum, D., Wassem, D., Pinto, M. M. (1995). The global positioning system: Assessing national policies. Retrieved from http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/monograph_reports/2007/MR614.pdf

    Google Scholar 

  • Padfield, E. (2013). Data delivers precision promise. Crop Production Magazine, 78–79.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pedersen, S. M., & Blackmore, S. B. (2008). Agricultural robots—Applications and economic perspectives. In Y. Takahashi (Ed.), Service robot applications .Retrieved from http://www.intechopen.com/books/service_robot_applications/agricultural_robots_-_applications_and_economic_perspectives

  • Smith, A. (2008). The invisible hand. London: Penguin Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Surrey Satellite Technologies Ltd. (2013). SSTL Earth Observation Brochure. https://http://www.sstl.co.uk/Download.

  • Szabo, J. (2013). Autonomy in agriculture. Stratford Upon Avon: The National Farmers Union Mutual Charitable Trust.

    Google Scholar 

  • The Farm Practices Survey (2012). 2.1: Proportion of farms using precision farming techniques. In Defra (Ed.). Retrieved from http://archive.defra.gov.uk/evidence/statistics/foodfarm/enviro/farmpractice/

  • Weber, M. (1964). The theory of social and economic organization. New York: The Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weber, M. (1998). The agrarian sociology of ancient civilizations. London: Verso.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weber, M. (2003). The protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism. New York: Dover Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Welsh, R. (2010). Vertical coordination, producer response, and the locus of control over agricultural production decisions. Rural Sociology, 62, 491–507.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wolf, S., & Wood, S. (1997). Precision farming: Environmental legitimation, commodification of information, and industrial coordination. Rural Sociology, 62, 180–206.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wolf, S. A., & Bonanno, A. (2014). The neoliberal regime in the Agri-Food sector: Crisis, resilience, and restructuring. Oxford: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolf, S. A., & Buttel, F. H. (1996). The political economy of precision farming. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 78, 1269–1274.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Copyright information

© 2016 The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s)

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Addicott, J.E. (2016). Satellite Farming, Food, and Human Wellbeing. In: Ormrod, J. (eds) Changing our Environment, Changing Ourselves. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-56991-2_7

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-56991-2_7

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-137-56990-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-137-56991-2

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics