Smart Agriculture is one of the reasons why the internet of things will accelerate adoption in commercial and local farming. By collecting data from a wide variety of sensors that monitor vital farm activities and conditions, the farmer can use the data to make better decisions to improve the health of crops and productivity. The adoption of IoT technologies will be increased in the agricultural industry, leading to an increase in productivity and quality.
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The 10 Benefits of implementing a Smart Agriculture solution
(1) Enhanced Production Rates
A Smart Agriculture System enhances production rates. Using the smart system lets you maximize your output while minimizing your input. For example, using your smartphone to monitor soil moisture, plant health, and weather conditions allows you to decide when to apply fertilizers, water, and pest control products. This has the effect of reducing the number of chemical inputs needed to enhance your crop yields.
(2) Water Conservation
Water use is limited when and where it is needed using weather predictions and soil moisture sensors.
No matter how well you think you know your landscape, it’s hard to beat Mother Nature. What if the weatherman gets it wrong? What if it doesn’t rain when you need it most?
Or what if you’re watering when it’s not necessary? The answer is easy: You can use a rain gauge to measure the rain that falls on your garden and use that data to make decisions about when and how much to water. A rain gauge measures rainfall by weighing drops of water that fall onto a particular collector. Some gauges work in conjunction with a soil moisture sensor, which is a device that measures how wet the soil is.
Thus, a rain gauge sensor that can send data to the IoT cloud will enable data to be collected and displayed from anywhere.
(3) Real-Time Data and Insights
Farmers need to visualize production levels, soil moisture, sunlight intensity, and more to make timely and intelligent decisions. They can do this with the aid of the IoT, which enables them to make decisions about their operations and resource allocation in a fraction of the time it used to take.
(4) Reduction in Operation Costs
Fungicides are wasted when they are applied in excess. Growers can adjust their applications based on real-time data by using an automated system that measures fungicide concentration in the soil at intervals during the growing season. Automating processes can significantly reduce the number of resources consumed, human errors, and overall cost.
(5) High-Quality Production
The goal of any farming operation is to produce a consistent product of high quality. A study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture has shown that farmers can improve their products by up to 20 percent through proper management.
For example, suppose a farmer has a problem producing a high-quality product, such as low protein wheat. In that case, the farmers can apply certain fertilizer combinations that have been proven to increase protein content.
(6) Accurate Farm and Yield Evaluation
To successfully manage fertility, the farmer needs to measure the nutrient levels within the field accurately. Production rate charts allow farmers to track production by area and understand each field’s yield potential. By implementing proper field management strategies, the farmer increases the efficiency of the field’s output, which results in more profit for the farmer.
(7) Improved Livestock Production
Farmers can use sensors and machines to detect reproduction and health events in animals earlier than was previously possible.
Geofencing location tracking can also improve livestock monitoring and management. Behavioral biosensors can be used to determine the animal’s emotional state and can alert farmers to potential problems.
Farmers can use biometric sensors to detect foot-and-mouth disease, avian flu, swine influenza, and others. Biometric biosensors can also be used to detect when an animal is stressed, sick, or injured.
Biosensors have many applications in healthcare. They can use them to help diagnose and treat various health problems in humans and animals.
For example, blood pressure cuffs can be attached to livestock to help identify and treat high blood pressure.
(8) Reduced Environmental Footprint Impact
Conservation efforts, such as reducing water usage and increased production per land unit, positively affect the environmental footprint.
Agricultural and forestry activities have a more significant impact on climate change than industrial activities. Increasing production per land unit can be achieved by more efficient use of agricultural land, improving land, labor, and energy. The farmer can reduce water usage by using more efficient equipment, improving irrigation systems, and increasing rainwater harvesting.
Agriculture, forestry, and rural areas have the potential to make the most significant contribution to adaptation to climate change. This is because of their ability to absorb climate change impacts through agricultural practices, forest management, and land use. These sectors can also play an essential role in reducing agriculture, deforestation, and forest degradation emissions.
The report highlights the following key findings: Food and water security are significant drivers of climate change. Agricultural and forestry activities contribute significantly to climate change and other environmental problems such as soil erosion, biodiversity loss, deforestation, desertification, and pollution.
(9) Remote Monitoring for Easy Management
A farmer can now make farming decisions from anywhere in the world. He can make these decisions while riding in a car, watching his favorite TV show, or even while running a mile up a hill. He no longer has to wait until he gets to a meeting or the office to make these important decisions. With remote monitoring, he can make these decisions from the field and take immediate action.
This is the future of farming. Monitor up to 100 different locations across the globe – all from one simple web-based user interface or a mobile app. Get alerts when problems occur to react immediately and take remedial action. Easily manage your entire business from a single location – wherever that might be.
(10) Expensive Asset Monitoring
Monitoring and maintaining farming equipment according to production rates, labor effectiveness, and failure prediction are essential aspects of successful farm management.
The Internet of Things is an innovation that will impact all industries as it provides data collection, real-time insight, and process automation through low-cost sensors and IoT platform implementation. This innovation can help the agricultural and farming sector. As seen in the above benefits, the farming and agriculture industry can benefit from such a solution or platform.
[Source: The Benefits of IoT in Agriculture]
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