Modern technology and the industrial IoT(internet of things) have changed a lot of conceptions. The impact of the technical applications makes a significant mark in the gradual development of the Smart Agriculture System. Agriculture industry is growing leaps and bounds. Experts in this field have predicted that it will grow up to USD 4.3 billion by the end of 2023 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 19.3%.
The network of physical objects, embedded with software, sensors, and other technologies, has brought several developmental opportunities for agriculture. With the world population assumed to hit 9.6 billion by 2050, there is a real-time need for the agriculture sector to flourish. The basic need is to feed the enormous population for which the agricultural industry requires steady technological resources.
With IoT in farming, it has been possible to combat practical difficulties and challenges like-
- Extreme weather conditions
- Climate changes
- Environmental adversities
IoT is Transforming the Future of Agriculture Industry in India
India is a huge nation with a rapidly growing population. In 2021, the population will be approximately 1.39 billion, which creates a humungous demand for feeding necessities. IoT-based Smart Agriculture System has truly enhanced the Indian farming sector. The agricultural applications have amplified productivity, reduced expenses, and waste and brought an overall enhancement.
As India has a diverse topography with different climatic conditions in every part, the farming constraints are also distinct. With the improved techniques of testing various environmental components with artificial intelligence, there has been a positive impact on the current condition of the agricultural industry.
With the systematic implementations of IoT application plans and supporting welfare schemes, the future is certainly bright. Digital advancement of the agricultural system will boost India’s agricultural sector and its economy.
How IoT is helping Agriculture Industry to make a Smarter Environment
IoT and technology hold a lot of potential in changing agriculture. It has already reflected several transformations with the updated techniques. Primarily, IoT has enhanced the overall farming industry in the following ways-
- Better data collection: Smart agricultural sensors have helped in the collection of farming data related to soil quality, weather conditions, crop growth progress, and others. All the data collected through smart technologies helps in tracking the overall farming performance.
- Better controlling to mitigate risks: IoT has enabled the farmers to predict the weather conditions and take measures beforehand. A smarter approach to combat environmental challenges generates better productivity. It lowers production risks and helps in planning the harvest.
- Cost management: The enhanced ways have helped the farmers to gain overall control over the production. They can identify the waste reduction measures by predicting the output of production. As they can detect irregularities in farming and crop growth, the risks have lowered and improved cost management.
Real-time monitoring with the help of agricultural sensors and interconnectivity saves a lot of time for the farmers. With better predictions of climate, weather, and soil that are actually accurate, it is truly a smarter environment.
Best IoT Application in Agriculture for Smart Farming
You can find the use of IoT and other technologies in agriculture for helping the farmers in the following ways-
- Precision Farming
Precision agriculture or farming makes the complete process of harvesting more accurate and controlled. It is concerned with raising livestock and harvesting crops. The prime component of this farming process is information technology (IT) and other technologies like robotics, sensors, automated hardware, control systems, etc.
Most are gradually adapting to the technological process for easy access and low expenditure. It holds the leading position among all the applications practised globally.
- Agricultural Drones
You must have seen drones and know the primary uses of this gadget. Agricultural drones have enhanced farming practices and developed the agricultural sector. The two types of drones are – Ground-based and Aerial-based. They help in making a Smart Agriculture System in the following ways:
- Crop health imaging
- Real-time data collection
- Thermal imagery during flight
- Spraying pesticide
- Field analysis
Through all the collected data and field analysis, the farmer gets a profound insight into the complete condition of the harvest. Plant health indices and yield prediction mitigates the possible risks and helps to take preventive measures. Canopy cover mapping, stockpile measuring, chlorophyll measurement, nitrogen content, weed pressure mapping, and much more is possible to comprehend through the collected data from drones.
- Livestock Monitoring
Large farm owners employ wireless IoT applications for managing their cattle. Location, health tracking, and overall well-being of the cattle are possible through the updated technologies. With the new and improved techniques, they can identify sick animals to separate them from the herd.
It curbs the spread of contagious diseases among other animals. IoT-based sensors help in cutting labour costs for farms.
- Smart Greenhouses
Greenhouse as a concept is common to most people. But a smart greenhouse holds multiple sensors. These significantly play a role in amplifying the production. Here you can control environmental factors without any manual intervention.
The distinct sensors in the smart greenhouse assess the plant’s suitability and make changes as per the needs. It eliminates the necessity of continuous monitoring. The cloud servers monitor data and implement controlling actions inside. The smart greenhouses hold critical information like temperature, light levels, humidity, and more.
Benefits of IoT in agriculture and smart farming
- Accurate predictions for the weather change
- Extensive data collection to gather insights about real-time harvesting conditions
- Easy to control options for distinct environmental factors to generate production.
- Take preventive measures beforehand.
- Mitigate risks in farming and cost management.
- Reduced labour cost for livestock management.
- Better crop assessment and soil evaluation.
Using Smart Agriculture System with IoT
Technology advancement certainly has made everything smarter. As the smartphone you have in your pockets, farming has also emerged as a Smart Agriculture System. But what is it actually? Only linking the term smart does not truly make it smart. The ability to make the aspects related to farming easier and more controllable is the key. IoT has made this possible with the ever-growing possibilities to improve production.
What is Smart Agriculture?
To answer this question precisely, it is still a growing concept and refers to those farming systems that include technology to ease operations. Robotics, IoT, and AI are the three prime pillars making it smart. It optimizes human labour and enhances the quality of production in several ways.
What are the Advances of Smart Farming Systems?
With a smart farming system, you get to optimize the cost and labour in so many ways. Predictive analysis through data collection has helped the farmers in more than one way. They now have an upgraded idea of the changing weather conditions. Soil reports, water conditions, and all other environmental aspects that play a part in crop harvesting make the farming process easier. The farmers now have a clarified idea about the health of crops and the possibilities related to the season’s harvest.
Green Revolution: The Future of Agriculture
The green revolution that happened earlier was in no way a door to the smart farming system that you are witnessing today. The future of farming depends purely on technology. IoT, AI, and evolving IT is making the ground for the green revolution. The way you see the farming system is already changing and will get only better with time. Technology will combat environmental adversities with smarter solutions.
Smart Farming and IoT-driven agriculture are paving the way for what can be called a 3rd Green Revolution.
As the world is progressing with more agricultural demand, IoT-driven techniques will evolve more. Smart farming will reduce the efforts of farmers and manage the overall cost to bring in better agricultural solutions.
Also Read: HOW IOT APPLICATIONS IMPROVING AGRICULTURE?
With meaningful data collection, analysis, and planning for smart farming methods, there is truly a Third Green Revolution awaiting. People are acknowledging the potential that the IoT and other technology-based solutions have in farming. It will only prosper more in the coming times.
