How Agriculture Sector Can Leverage IoT

Technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), the Internet of Things (IoT), and Deep Learning allow humans to get their work done with the least effort.

FREMONT, CA: Agriculture's adoption of IoT was akin to a second wave of the Green Revolution. Not only does IoT-based smart farming assist in modernising conventional farming methods, but it also targets alternative agriculture methods such as organic farming, family farming (complex or small spaces, unique cattle or cultures, preservation of rare or high-quality varieties, and so on), and promotes highly transparent agriculture.

Smart farming enabled by IoT also benefits the environment. It can assist farmers in making more efficient use of water and optimising inputs and treatments.

Below are the primary uses of IoT-enabled smart farming that are transforming the agriculture sector.

Precision Agriculture

Precision farming, alternatively referred to as precision agriculture, is anything that makes farming more precise and controlled, particularly when it comes to rearing livestock and growing crops.

The critical component of this farming technique is the incorporation of information technology and a variety of other technologies, including sensors, robots, automated vehicles, control systems, automated hardware, and variable rate technology.

Precision farming is defined by manufacturers' utilisation of high-speed internet, mobile devices, and reliable, low-cost satellites (for images and positioning).

Precision farming is one of the popular IoT applications in the agriculture sector, with numerous businesses leveraging it globally.

Drones for Agriculture

In the last few years, technology has advanced dramatically and at a faster rate. Agricultural drones are an excellent illustration of this trend. Drones are being utilised in agriculture to improve a variety of farming operations.

Drones, both ground-based and aerial-based, are utilised in agriculture for a crop health evaluation, crop monitoring, pesticide spraying, irrigation, planting, and field analysis. During their flight, these drones acquire multispectral, thermal, and visual imagery.

Drones have numerous benefits, including crop health imaging, integrated GIS mapping, time savings, ease of usage, and increased agricultural yields. Combining drone technology with sound strategy and planning based on real-time data collecting can transform agriculture into a high-tech industry.

Farmers can derive insights about plant health indices, plant counting and yield prediction, plant height measurement, canopy cover mapping, field water ponding mapping, scouting reports, stockpile measurement, chlorophyll measurement, nitrogen content in wheat, drainage mapping, and weed pressure mapping, among other things, from the data collected by drones.

Monitoring of Livestock

Large farm owners use wireless IoT applications to monitor their cattle's whereabouts, health, and well-being. This information enables them to identify sick animals and, in the future, segregate them from the herd, care for them, and also assist control disease spread among other animals. Additionally, it helps owners save money on labour expenditures by allowing them to locate their cattle using IoT-based sensors.