Soil, water and yield vary within a single field. Measuring that variation lets a farmer put seed, water and fertiliser only where they are needed — one of the clearest environmental gains in the subject.
The same field before and after measurement — and where the data goes afterwards.
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What precision farming changes
- Less fertiliser for the same yield, which is better for the farm's costs and for the water downstream.
- Water applied where it is short, rather than evenly across ground that does not need it.
- Problems found early, because a change in one part of a field is visible before it spreads.
- Machinery that works at night, which matters where the window for planting or harvest is short.
Why this is a strong example: Most environmental technology trades one harm for another. This one genuinely reduces an input while holding the output, which is rare enough to be worth naming in an exam.
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| What leaves the farm | Who receives it | What it is worth |
|---|---|---|
| Yield maps by square metre | The machine's manufacturer | Knowledge of land the farmer cannot prove |
| Machine performance data | The manufacturer | Repair pricing and design |
| Repair access | The manufacturer | Control over when the farm can work |
Real-world examples you can name
Precision agriculture and the right to repair — memorandum of understanding with US farmers January 2023
Tractors guided by GPS apply seed and spray field by field, cutting inputs. Because the software is locked, farmers could not repair their own machines; after years of pressure the manufacturer agreed to make tools and manuals available.
Who it affected: Farmers whose harvest window does not wait for an authorized technician.
Global Fishing Watch — launched 2016
Satellite tracking signals from vessels are processed to map fishing activity worldwide and published openly, so protected areas can be policed by anyone with a browser rather than only by patrol boats.
Who it affected: Coastal states without navies, and fleets that relied on not being watched.
How this is tested — this topic lets you argue that a genuine environmental gain and a loss of control arrived in the same package. It comes up two ways:
Paper 1 — structured question
- Part c: evaluate precision agriculture
- Part b: explain a farmer's concern about machine data
Paper 2 — source-based question
- Q4: synthesise sources on farming technology
- HL Paper 3: recommend a rule about who owns farm data
The trap: efficiency only: The efficiency is real. The question is who holds the data and the repair rights that came with it.
Explain one reason why a farmer may be concerned about data collected by farm machinery.
Model answer plan
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Evaluate the use of precision agriculture technologies.
Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.