Precision-agriculture means using fertiliser+pesticides+water exactly where needed, based on soil and crop conditions detected by satellite or ground sensors. An exec student, Brian Evarts at Cisco, just completed a fascinating and very encouraging project on potential roll-out of PA across a farming sector. PA results in big cuts in these costly inputs, increases in yields and less environmental damage.

In essence, it’s an adoption problem – farmers have to move from being unaware of the opportunity, to being aware, to being ...