IoT In Agriculture: How Is It Revolutionizing The Sector?
Internet Of Things
The Internet of Things (IoT) is significantly changing the world we live in; advanced industries, connected vehicles, and smart cities are just a few examples of this technology’s advances. However, applying IoT to agriculture is more than a trend: it’s a necessity.
The global population is expected to reach 9.6 billion by 2050. In this context, to feed this amount of people, the agricultural industry needs to adopt the IoT to increase its efficiency in processes, reduce costs and, above all, increase production. This technology also addresses challenges such as extreme weather conditions, increased climate change, and the environmental impact resulting from intensive agricultural practices.
The Era Of Smart Farming
Based on IoT technologies, smart agriculture will enable farmers to reduce waste and increase productivity, from the amount of fertilizer used to the number of trips agricultural vehicles need to take.
But what exactly is smart agriculture? It is an intensive, high-tech system to grow food in a clean and sustainable way. It is the application of modern ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) in agriculture.
With IoT in agriculture, systems are built to manage the crop field effectively. With the help of sensors, you can monitor light, air humidity, temperature, soil moisture, etc. and automate the irrigation system, for example.
Thus, farmers can monitor field conditions from anywhere and have better natural resource management. IoT-based smart agriculture is highly efficient when compared to the conventional approach.
Check out some benefits of using technology in the field below.
The Benefits Of Using IoT In Agriculture
Technologies and the IoT have the potential to transform agriculture in many ways. Check out some of them!
Tons of data, are collected by smart agriculture sensors. Sensors used in smart devices can accumulate a multitude of valuable data for farmers. Some examples are climatic conditions, soil quality and crop growth progress.
This data can be used to track the state of your farm, in general, staff performance, equipment efficiency, etc.
Cost Management And Waste Reduction
Thanks to increased control in production, IoT in agriculture allows producers to manage their costs better. With the use of smart devices, it is possible to identify an anomaly in the growth of the crop, for example. Thus, you can effectively prevent any diseases or infestations that harm your yield.
Likewise, it is possible to obtain savings in the irrigation and fertilization process. With sensors installed in agricultural machines or greenhouses, it is possible to get a series of information about the soil. These data can guide different actions, such as acidity correction, increase or reduction of irrigation, insertion of new nutrients, etc.
In addition, you can count on sensors that notify you when the products are ready to be harvested. Thus, you can avoid waste in your farming.
Greater Efficiency Through Process Automation
Using smart devices, you can automate various processes throughout your production cycle. Some examples are irrigation, fertilization or pest control.
By eliminating manual interventions, you achieve greater accuracy, lower costs and even better product quality and volumes. This is how the use of IoT in agriculture ensures better control over the production process and helps maintain higher crop quality standards.
Also Read: IoT Advertising: What It Is And 5 Ways To Revolutionize Advertising