5 Applications of IoT in Agriculture | Analytics Steps
We all need food to survive. From humans to animals, we are all a part of the food chain. No matter how far we progress in terms of technological inventions, we will still rely on our farmers to get fed. This makes blessing or better say equipping our farmers with the latest technology a general advantage which will offer collective benefits.
We have a lot of examples of modern technologies being leveraged in different sectors and these uses are showing promising results. Technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), the Internet of Things (IoT), and Deep Learning are helping humans to get their tasks done with the least effort. The Internet of Things has helped us build our smart homes. It has brought all electronic devices in one place that makes it easier to control their functioning.
Some of the examples we have observed include IoT’s role in disaster management, IoT in the music industry, IoT in E-commerce, and IoT in the manufacturing industry.
In this blog, we will learn about the role of IoT in agriculture- the biggest source of livelihood for the Indians. We will try to understand the applications of IoT in farming.
How IoT entered the Agriculture sector?
The introduction of sensors in agricultural operations is a talk of the past. However, the problem with this traditional approach of the sensor technology was that it did not give live data. These sensors used to store the data in the attached memory and were later utilized.
With the introduction of industrial IoT in Agriculture, modern-day sensors are now available for use. These sensors are connected to the cloud via a cellular/satellite network. This system helps us to obtain live and real-time data and make effective decisions.
The application of IoT has helped the farmers in a lot of activities such as monitoring the water levels in tanks. This all is done in real-time which increases the efficiency of the whole process of irrigation. One more thing that has been made possible with the advancement of IoT technology is the tracking of seed-growth. Farmers can now track the consumption of resources and the time taken by a seed to fully grow into a plant.
The introduction of IoT in Agriculture was like a second wave of the Green Revolution. IoT has provided twofold benefits to the farmers. They can now perform the same amount of tasks in a lesser amount of time and also increase the crop yields with the help of accurate data obtained from IoT.
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Applicability of IoT in Agriculture
The Internet of Things has made smart farming possible. Now, you may wonder what exactly is smart farming? Smart farming is a capital-intensive and hi-tech method of growing food cleanly and sustainably. We can also call it the application of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) in Agriculture.
When we talk about IoT-based smart farming, we are looking at a system built to monitor the crop field with the help of sensors. These sensors track every essential for crop production like soil moisture, humidity, light, temperature, etc., and automates the irrigation system. This system allows farmers to monitor the field conditions from anywhere. IoT-based farming is way too efficient when compared to conventional farming.
The IoT-based smart farming not only helps in modernizing the conventional farming methods but also targets the other agriculture methods like organic farming, family farming (complex or small spaces, particular cattle and/or cultures, preservation of particular or high-quality varieties, etc.), and enhances highly transparent farming.
IoT-based smart farming is also beneficial in terms of environmental issues. It can help the farmers to efficiently use water, optimize the inputs and treatments.
Now, having understood the concept of smart farming, we will look at the major applications of IoT-based smart farming that are revolutionizing the agriculture sector.
1. Precision Farming
Precision farming, also known as precision agriculture, is anything that makes the whole process of farming accurate and controlled when it comes to raising livestock and growing crops.
The key component of this farming technique is the use of Information Technology and various other technologies like sensors, robotics, automation vehicles, control systems, automated hardware, variable rate technology, and so on.
The key characteristic of precision farming is the adoption of access to high-speed internet, mobile devices, and reliable, low-cost satellites (for imagery and positioning) by manufacturers.
Precision farming is considered one of the most famous applications of IoT in the agricultural sector and it is being leveraged globally by several organizations. One of the examples is CropMetrics. It is a precision agriculture organization that focuses on ultra-modern agronomic solutions. Moreover, it specializes in the management of precision irrigation.
2. Agricultural Drones
Technology has progressed significantly and at a higher rate in the past few years. Agricultural drones are a prime example of this development. Drones are being used in the agricultural sector to enhance many farming practices.
The two types of drones- ground-based and aerial-based drones are being used in agriculture for crop health assessment, crop monitoring, spraying pesticides, irrigation, planting, and analyzing the field. These drones capture multispectral, thermal, and visual imagery during their flight.
The use of drones offers many benefits such as crop health imaging, integrated GIS mapping, saving time, ease of use, and also increasing crop yields. When we combine drone technology with proper strategy and planning based on real-time data collection, we can give a high-tech makeover to the agricultural sector.
From the data collected from drones, farmers are able to draw insights regarding plant health indices, plant counting and yield prediction, plant height measurement, canopy cover mapping, field water ponding mapping, scouting reports, stockpile measuring, chlorophyll measurement, nitrogen content in wheat, drainage mapping, weed pressure mapping, and so on.
Referred Blog: How is AI integrated with IoT?
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Originally published at https://www.analyticssteps.com on December 23, 2020.
