agribusinessreview.comJUNE 202419An accomplished engineering management professional with a robust educational background, Diganta Adhikari is a seasoned professional with extensive experience in providing effective leadership and direction to achieve key engineering-related business goals. Skilled in developing and implementing strategies based on engineering best practices, innovation, and business intelligence, he is recognized for delivering impactful results in fast-paced environments. His expertise includes business solutions, engineering leadership, project management, compliance management, and strategic partnerships. Currently, Adhikari works as a Global Head of On-Farm IoT and Agronomic Data Platforms at Syngenta Group.Please share with our readers your career journey and current roles and responsibilities.I have been in the industry for over two decades, during which I spent 15 years in an R&D role at Fresno State Center for Irrigation Technology within the California State University system. During this time, I focused on incorporating technology into agricultural practices, which was quite different from today's emphasis on data collection. The advancement of technologies like IoT, edge computing, and telecommunications has made data collection more seamless and effective. Back then, the technologies were not advanced enough to facilitate this data collection.During my years at the university, we collected data by traveling 50 miles, which prompted me to ask the question, 'Why not automate these processes?' So, I started utilizing discarded computers to create our own farm data collection devices, paving the way for real-time data gathering. Over my 15 years at the university, I collected data related to agriculture and operations. This experience eventually led me to a private company in the soil moisture space, where I focused on manufacturing sensors and telemetry. insightscXoINTEGRATING TECHNOLOGY IN AGRICULTUREDiganta Adhikari, Global Head On-Farm IoT and Agronomic Data Platforms, Syngenta GroupDiganta Adhikari
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