Cultivating Safety: How The Agricultural Sector Can Harvest IP From Far Afield

• Published date: 06 August 2021
• Subject Matter: Intellectual Property, Real Estate and Construction, Transport, Technology, Aviation, Patent, Land Law & Agriculture, New Technology
• Law Firm: Gill Jennings & Every
• Author: Stuart Arnott

Back in 1977, NASA published a paper entitled The Role of Aerospace Technology in Agriculture. The report summarised a study, the goal of which was to improve productivity of agriculture through aerospace technology.

The study included a review of the present state of agriculture, plant and animal culture, and agri-business, and led to recommendations for additional research and technology in the areas of aerial application of chemicals, remote sensing systems, weather and climate investigations, and air vehicle design. The report also considered in detail the social-cultural, legal, economic, and political results of intensification of technical applications to agriculture.

Slightly surprisingly (even with the benefit of 2021-hindsight), the report had nothing to say on what aerospace might be able to teach the agricultural sector aboutsafety.

Safety Records of Agriculture vs Aerospace

The aviation industry has a strong safety culture that has developed over the course of decades, and many of the safety technologies created for aircraft have found their way into other industries. More than a few of these were cutting edge in their day, such as anti-lock brakes which are now standard equipment in almost all road vehicles. Some of aviation's other safety innovations are more low-tech, but no less effective for it, both inside and outside of aviation. For example, healthcare professionals have applied the principles of pilot checklists to the regimens of their patients, with great success in terms of harm reduction.

Meanwhile, agriculture has fared less well. This year, the UK's Health and Safety Executive published a report stating that agriculture has the worst rate of fatal injuries of all the major industrial sectors. Furthermore, fishing remains one of the world's most dangerous occupations. There is therefore a clear need for safety improvements in the agricultural and fisheries sectors.

Solutions

One of the more obvious examples of how the aviation industry is helping to improve safety in agriculture is the replacement of piloted crop-dusters by remote-controlled drones. Not only does this avoid the hazards of low-flying, it can also reduce the exposure of personnel to harmful pesticides.

The space sector is playing its part, too. London's Inmarsat, a leader in global mobile satellite communications, has published a paper on the safety and wellbeing of seafarers. According to the paper, the effective use of data and analytics is key to improving our...