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AR1K - SMART FARM RESEARCH CONSORTIUM

The Next Frontier In Soil Health And Agricultural technology
Recent NewsResearch Team

AR1K - SMART FARM RESEARCH CONSORTIUM

The Next Frontier In Soil Health And Agricultural technology
Recent NewsResearch Team

AR1k – MISSION

Sustainable, Profitable Agriculture Through Research

The AR1K Solution And Objectives:

Scientists at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, working with the University of Arkansas and Glennoe Farms, are bringing together molecular biology, biogeochemistry, environmental sensing technologies, and machine learning, to help revolutionize agriculture and create sustainable farming practices that benefit both the environment and farms. If successful, we envision being able to reduce the need for chemical fertilizers and enhance soil carbon uptake, thus improving the long-term viability of the land, while at the same time increasing crop yields.

Through its pilot project in 2017, the team established a large-scale field research site which has produced extensive datasets and actionable insights for future land management strategies. The role of microbes in the health of the soil is at the center of this research.

Decreased Economic Risks

Revolutionize agriculture and create sustainable farming practices that benefit both the environment and farms.

Reduction of Inputs

Diminish the need for chemical fertilizers and enhance soil carbon uptake, thus improving the long-term viability of the land.

Improved Value of Crops

Provide farmers with methods for tracking sustainability practices that can lead to increased marketing opportunities.

Auxiliary Value Streams for Farmers

Data-driven farming practices allow farmers to quickly attribute positive and negative factors and uncover additional opportunity.

Our Challenge

Improve the livelihood of farmers by optimizing soil amendments with biology and data science and managing the crop cycle to enhance soil fertility.

The world’s population is expected to rise to 9.8 billion by 2050, requiring a 70 percent increase in food production.  Implementing farming practices that promote soil organic matter accumulation and biological diversity will be beneficial to soil health, enhance soil water and nutrient storage, reduce atmospheric carbon emissions from soil, reduce the rates of inorganic fertilizers needed to optimize crop yields, and perhaps reduce the economic risk associated with farming.  Practices that promote soil organic matter accumulation and biological diversity include, but are not limited to, reduced tillage, application of organic amendments, and use of cover crops.  Documenting and demonstrating that these practices are sustainable and can be effectively incorporated into highly productive farming operations will aid in their widespread adoption and help redefine modern farming.

The Arkansas Farm Bureau Visit AR1K’s Advanced Research Farm

“Our farmers are dependent on a heavy prescription of genetically modified seeds, fertilizer, chemical herbicides, and pesticides to render a profitable crop. For the farmer this dependency raises their input costs and increases their economic risk. For the landowner depleted soils and chemical regimes represent risks for both economic and environmental sustainability.” Jay McEntire

Manager, Glennoe Farms

The Opportunity

AR1K is a community of researchers dedicated to advancing profitable and sustainable agriculture. By bringing farmers and top-notch scientist together, we seek to understand current farming practices and discover how new technologies and advances in biological research can be applied to achieve a better risk-reward economic model for the farmer and a more environmentally sustainable and long-term profitable outcome for the landowner.

Come join us.

OUR AREAS OF FOCUS

  • Microbes to Biome
  • Effective Remote Sensing
  • Drone Flight Protocols
  • Advanced Image Analysis
  • Intelligent Systems and Systems Optimization
  • Machine Learning
  • Enhanced Soil Assessment and Interpretation

GET IN TOUCH

AR1K

Field Site
52 Crum Lane
Humphrey, AR 72073 

Press Inquiries
Julie Chao

General Inquiries
info@ar1k.org.