THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE SPACE ECONOMY TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF AGRICULTURE

The growing importance of the space economy is reflected not only in space exploration but also in its contribution to the development of key sectors on Earth. One of the most significant examples is agriculture, which faces the challenges of climate change, a growing global population, and the need for sustainable resource management. The paper examines the application of space technologies in agriculture, encompassing satellite navigation, remote sensing of the Earth, meteorological satellites, communication systems, and microgravity experiments. It is shown that these technologies lead to an increase in yield by 10–15%, a reduction in production costs by 15–20% and a rational use of water and fertilizers by 20–30%. Through examples from the EU, India, Africa, and Serbia, the paper highlights both concrete economic and social benefits and challenges, including high costs, limited digital literacy, and institutional shortcomings. It was concluded that integrating the space economy into the agricultural sector represents a strategic direction for sustainable and competitive agriculture, with particular importance for Serbia, where agriculture is a key economic sector.

KEYWORDS / KLJUČNE REČI: 

Space economy, agriculture, precision agriculture, satellite data, sustainable development

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT / PROJEKAT:

REFERENCES / LITERATURA:

• BioSense Institute. (2021). AgroSense Platform. Novi Sad
• European Commission. (2021). Copernicus for Agriculture: Economic Benefits in the EU. Brussels.
• European GNSS Agency. (2019). EGNOS and Galileo for Agriculture. Brussels: GSA.
• ESA. (2021). Copernicus Programme: Agriculture Applications. European Space Agency.
• FAO. (2022). Space Applications for Agriculture. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
• ISRO. (2020). Satellite Applications in Agriculture. Indian Space Research Organisation.
• ITU. (2020). Satellite Solutions for Digital Agriculture. International Telecommunication Union.
• Maksimović, L., Pajić, M., & Popović, D. (2018). Precizna poljoprivreda – stanje i perspektive u Srbiji. Zbornik radova Instituta za ratarstvo i povrtarstvo, Novi Sad.
• Ministarstvo poljoprivrede, šumarstva i vodoprivrede. (2022). Strategija digitalizacije poljoprivrede u Beograd.
• NASA. (2021). Earth Science and Applications: Agriculture. NASA Publications.
• OECD. (2019). The Space Economy at a Glance 2019. OECD Publishing.
• Republički hidrometeorološki zavod (RHMZ). (2020). Primena satelitskih podataka u meteorologiji Beograd.
• Republički zavod za statistiku (RZS). (2023). Saopštenja i baze podataka o Beograd.
• World Bank. (2020). Agriculture and Satellite Data for Development. World Bank.
• Zabel, P., Bamsey, M., Schubert, D., & Tajmar, M. (2016). Review and analysis of plant cultivation technologies for controlled environment agriculture (CEA) with respect to their applications in space. Acta Astronautica, 118, 215–236.