Internet of Things Set to Scale up the Farming Sector

access_time October 24, 2019
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As with every  sector where the internet of things is playing a crucial role, the farming industry has also taken to the internet of things in a big way to achieve increased volumes and greater productivity. (IoT) has enabled farmers achieve greater income and brought the farming community together to share vital information on crop availability, market arrivals, best farming practices and future crop prospects etc. According to FAO, the world would need to produce 70% more food in 2050 than presently to feed the population, which currently stands at 7.6 billion. The report also highlights the concerns and difficulties the farming sector is likely to face over the years, such as climate change, limited arable land, soil acidity etc. Smart farming is becoming more commonplace among farmers who are using high tech farming techniques such as agricultural drones and sensors to remotely monitor their equipment, crops, and livestock as well obtain crop data, which can then be used profitably. Everyone has come to realize that becoming more connected brings in enormous benefits and that the future of farming is in collecting and analyzing big data in agriculture to achieve greater efficiency. IoT platforms can sense, process and communicate precisely – measured agricultural data such as crop yield information, rainfall, pest infestation, and soil nutrition etc to maximize yields and minimize waste. IoT also helps monitor quality of soil in real time and then decide the type and amount of fertilizer to be sprayed. Regulating water supply,  measuring humidity and temperature etc are also some of the benefits that IoT would provide farmers with. BI Intelligence, Business Insider’s premium research service, predicts that IoT device installations in agriculture would increase from 30 million in 2015 to 75 million in 2020, for a compound annual growth rate of 20%. This would result in increased farm production and greater income. The research service has also pointed out that the United States records the highest agricultural production of 7340 kilograms of cereals per hectare, as compared to the global average of 3851 kilograms due to their large-scale use of IoT technology. According to Markets and Markets, the smart agricultural market is expected to grow from $5.18 billion in 2016 to $11.23 billion by 2022, translating to a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13. 27% between 2017 and 2022. Let us have a look at how IoT applications will improve two primary agricultural sectors- livestock and farming. Livestock Using IoT for livestock maintenance helps improve the health of livestock and increase their productivity. IoT sensors help provide real- time data and offer an insight regarding their health, location and movement, their behavior, their fodder requirements, condition of sheds, their water consumption, in- heat condition etc. In addition, as for pregnant cows, a battery – powered sensor detects motion associated with oncoming labor and then sends an alert SMS notification to the owner. The sensors are also able to send alert if predatory animals or poachers are detected. Farming IoT implementation in farming helps collect data on weather, soil, air quality, and crop maturity, enabling to make smarter decisions. Using sensors, farmers can get deeper knowledge of soil conditions and then decide what type of crops will give maximum productivity and what type of fertilizers are needed for each patch of land at specific times. Farmers can also get a first- hand knowledge of the condition of plants through the use of drones and satellite imagery pictures and take remedial measures if some are affected by pests and fungus.

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