Internet of Things (IoT) devices have penetrated every aspect of our lives, from health and fitness, home automation, automotive and logistics, smart cities, and industrial Internet of Things, just a few examples.
The Internet of Things (IoT), connected devices, and automation would inevitably make their way into agriculture, undoubtedly bringing immense benefits. When people regularly use technologies like driverless cars and virtual reality, relying on archaic tools like plows and horses seems absurd.
Over the past few decades, the farming industry has increasingly mechanized and relied on technology. Various smart agriculture gadgets give farmers more predictability and efficiency in their work with livestock and crops.
Smart farming technologies are becoming increasingly commonplace worldwide due to this and rising consumer demand for agricultural products. The agricultural Internet of Things market will be worth $14.76 billion by 2024.
This article will discuss how the Internet of Things (IoT) is applied in agriculture and the advantages it provides. If you are thinking about investing in smart farming or developing an IoT solution for agriculture, start immediately.
What Is Smart Agriculture?
Generally, “smart agriculture” refers to farmers using Internet of Things (IoT) solutions in the farming industry. What exactly does IoT-enabled “smart agriculture” entail? Internet of Things (IoT) sensors collect data that helps farmers better manage their operations overall, from raising livestock to growing crops.
The farming industry is rapidly adopting Internet of Things (IoT) solutions. COVID-19 has positively affected the percentage of the agricultural IoT market. Supply chain disruptions and a lack of skilled laborers have caused its CAGR to propel to 9.9%.
At the same time, projections indicate that the global smart agriculture market will triple its value by 2025, increasing from just over $5 billion in 2016 to an anticipated $15.3 billion in 2025. Businesses can still grow and flourish in this market because it is still in its infancy.
Let’s examine how the agricultural sector is utilizing various IoT solutions.
Challenges Faced By The Traditional Farming Industry
- Lack of workforce and manpower
- Environmental challenges and global warming
- Requirement of large manual intervention
- Lack of proper monitoring
- Challenges in analyzing the large scale unstructured data
IoT Technologies in Agriculture
Internet of Things smart agriculture products can aid field monitoring through sensors and automated watering systems. Farmers and associated brands can keep tabs on the state of the fields from wherever they may be.
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Use Cases of IoT In Agriculture
Robotics in Agriculture
Since the 1800s industrial revolution, automation has improved to the point where it can easily handle complex tasks and boost productivity. Farmers are gaining popularity in using agriculture robots, also known as Agribots, to solve the growing demand for food and the worldwide labor shortage. Experts estimate that labor shortages cause an annual loss of around 213 crores (approximately $3.1 billion) in US crop production. The development of sensors and artificial intelligence technology has brought robots to the forefront, enabling machines to learn from their environment.
Drones in Agriculture
Almost every industry, particularly the agricultural sector, is increasingly popularizing drones. By 2024, some estimates project that the agricultural drone market will reach $4.8 billion, increasing from the estimated $1.2 billion in 2019. Farmers, big and small, will soon use drones for everything from scouting to security. Farmers commonly use a system called “precision agriculture” to make better agronomic decisions by utilizing the data collected by drones on farms.
Large-scale precision farming operations all over the world are increasingly incorporating drones. Farmers find drone footage of fields invaluable in making informed decisions about planting and treatment to maximize crop yields. Precision farming systems have been shown to increase yields by as much as 5 percent, which is significant in a field where profit margins are typically low.
Remote Sensing in Agriculture
Like weather stations, sensors placed alongside the farms gather data for IoT-based remote sensing. The sensors then transmit the data to analytical tools for analysis, fundamentally altering how various farm nodes acquire data. Sensors detect any deviations from the norm with high sensitivity. Farmers can use the analytical dashboard to monitor their crops and make decisions based on the data.
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Advantages Of Iot In Agriculture
Here is list of advantages of IoT in agriculture by means of various IoT solutions:
Data Collection
Smart agriculture sensors gather lots of information about things like the weather, the soil, the crop’s growth, and the health of the cattle. With the information gathered here, you can monitor the overall health of your company, employee productivity, machinery utilization, etc.
Smart Greenhouse Solutions
People typically use greenhouses to provide a controlled environment for plants. Constant human attention and manual intervention are required for this procedure. However, an IoT-enabled greenhouse monitors and controls the climate intelligently, reducing the need for human intervention. Greenhouses that adopt IoT save money and improve accuracy by removing the need for human input.
Cattle Monitoring and Management
Internet of Things agriculture sensors can also track the health and productivity of farm animals, just like their crops. Monitoring and tracking livestock can help us gather valuable information about the animals’ location and well-being.
Farmers can use such sensors to separate sick animals from the herd and prevent disease transmission.
Soil Quality
A soil health analysis can determine the nutrient value and drier areas of farms, soil drainage capacity, or acidity. This analysis allows for fine-tuning the required amount of irrigation water and selecting the most beneficial type of cultivation. Analyzing data on soil health can provide insights into when and how to boost organic matter for better soil structure and, ultimately, a path toward climate-smart agriculture.
Lower Production Risks
Enhanced management of internal operations led to a reduction in production uncertainties. Predicting production output enables more strategic product distribution. Increasing your knowledge of the yield in advance increases the likelihood that a lack of demand will not cause your crop to go to waste.
Rate Controllers
Rate controllers maintain a constant input flow rate by tracking the movement of vehicles across the field and making adjustments as needed to maintain that rate. Rate controllers operate independently for the majority of the time.
Reduced Environmental Footprint
Automation also benefits the environment. Smart farming technologies can significantly reduce GHG emissions by allowing for more targeted application of fertilizer and pesticides. As a result, more money can be added up in the bank.
Precision Farming
Precision agriculture and farming are among the best-known uses of the Internet of Things within the agricultural sector. Smart farming applications such as livestock monitoring, vehicle tracking, field observation, and inventory monitoring improve the efficiency and precision of farming. Sensors help collect and analyze data with pinpoint accuracy for use in farming. Farmers use sensors in precision farming to collect data, which they can then analyze for quick, informed decision-making. Precision farming techniques such as irrigation management, livestock management, vehicle tracking, and many others greatly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of farms. Farmers use soil and environmental analysis to maximize productivity through precision farming. Additionally, you can assess the presence of water and nutrients by monitoring the operating conditions of the connected devices in real-time.
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Enhanced Product Quality and Volumes
Increased automation regulates production processes more precisely, improving crop quality and increasing yields.
Conclusion
We consider every item we can remotely manage online as an IoT device. IoT (Internet of Wearable Things) devices, such as smartwatches, and home management products, such as Google Home, have mainstreamed IoT devices in consumer markets.
IoT applications in agriculture focus on conventional farming operations to keep up with demand and reduce waste. Farmers can save time and money by remotely monitoring crops using robots, drones, remote sensors, and computer imaging paired with ever-improving machine learning and analytical tools with the help of the Internet of Things (IoT).