Digital Technology in Agriculture Sector
We all know agriculture is one of the most critical sectors of the economy.
Agriculture is one the oldest & important sectors for the whole world.
To reduce poverty & hunger, we need to make sure that each human being is fed ‘nutritious food’ on a daily basis.
This requires that we should be able to improve crop productivity/acre, reduce crop wastage & maintain proper soil conditions.
Now, with help of digital transformation, we can look forward to achieving these goals, across the world.
Experts foresee the next generation of farming will rely on intelligent systems and machines to produce high-quality crops.
The agricultural industry is being disrupted by disruptive technology such as drones, satellites, chatbots, and virtual reality.
The current state of farming will be changed drastically and become more efficient.
How digital transformation is helping the agriculture sector?
From the last few decades, digital transformation has undoubtedly changed the traditional methods of agriculture. Digital Technology has helped in identifying new business models.
How is agriculture being transformed by Digital means?
This new concept, which is changing agriculture with the digital mode, is referred to as agriculture technology for AGRI-TECH.
It consists of the application of modern ACID (Artificial Intelligence, CLOUD computing, Internet of the Things & Data) technologies to modify agricultural practices globally.
The digital transformation has helped medium and large organizations to unleash the power and analyze large volumes of farming data, empowering the stakeholders to get more value for the stock.
It is possible to capture vital farm data information with the help of best mobile agricultural apps, drones, sensors, robotic devices, machinery, and farm implements.
As this information is processed with weather-based information and satellite, producers can monitor their crop growth from a single place.
They can estimate the output of crops from each plot with good accuracy.
AI helps the producers choose the best crop and varieties that suit their region and minimize the use of resources.
The communication between the stakeholders is strengthened the entire process is digitized from production and harvesting to warehousing and distribution.
How does Digital mode impact the agricultural sector?
1. Increased productivity using digital technology in the agriculture sector
As there are transformations in agriculture, the producers have been equipped with data management Solutions and farm automation tools, empowering resources and agricultural productivity.
There is a considerable transformation in the farms which had adopted technological innovations.
The processes are more advanced and cost-effective as well as less time-consuming.
A more sustainable and resilient agri-food system can be created globally with the help of digital agriculture, which will help the organization achieve sustainable development goals.
2. Better livelihood for farmers
Better crop yields can be obtained by understanding crop science and improving agronomic practices.
Now, farmers in an area will know in advance, the future weather condition, current soil condition & any future risk (adverse weather condition, pest-related issue).
The important thing to note here is, at a very small cost, a farmer can get this data, for his own farmland (and generic data about the soil conditions in the overall area).
‘This will help him in taking an informed & correct decision with respect to, which crop to sow in upcoming seasons.
Cost-efficient and scalable solutions also provide medium and large-scale enterprises to the farmers about the new methods, which would help in increased farm productivity and reduce losses of crops due to stresses such as diseases, pests, and unpredictable weather conditions.
As a result, farmers can have increased profit at the end of each season.
3. Better market linkage
Digital solutions aid the virtual integration of multiple stakeholders by providing producers with direct access to the farm and Agri inputs, commodity traders, and financial services.
Small farmers can overcome certain challenges such as lack of information on current commodity prices, lack of access to varied buyers in the market.
This price-related data will help farmers to decide, when & where to sell his crop. As of now, due to information asymmetry, farmers end up selling his crop at distressed prices.
So suppose, during a season, the farmer had good potatoes. He sells these potatoes in his local market, with whatever price prevailing there It’s quite possible that amount & type of potatoes, could have fetched better price, at a market, which is little far away from his local market.
4. Informed decision making
Accurate and real-time data is provided to the user to monitor this situation in the farms properly.
The resources can be utilized effectively by analyzing the data provided by satellite imaging; it would help in knowing the growing conditions and accordingly plan and manage the crops.
The farmers can also earn more significant profit by understanding the market needs and make the crop production accordingly.
Both Government and private entities can use this technique for improved crop management and mitigate risk so that there is minimal food wastage and crop loss.
Here is a list of digital combinations that have been proved beneficial in the agricultural sector.
1.Sensors and IoT in the field
The IoT has been proved beneficial in the agricultural industry. There is a huge potential for using IoT in the food sector.
As per Cisco reports, about $14.4 trillion is at stake with the emergence of IoT.
The IoT is streamlining and simplifying the inspection, collection, and overall distribution of Agricultural resources with the help of sensors on equipment and materials.
Farmers can view their crops from anywhere with the help of sensors placed strategically around the fields and image recognition technology.
2. IoT and sensors in equipment
Just as the sensors are used in the field, they are also used on agriculture equipment to monitor the health of the machines.
Some of the sensors are equipped with Navigation systems and the ability to sense the uneven terrain using GPS.
The monitoring of tractors for servicing can also be done.
3. Crop monitoring and drones
It used to be a tedious task for farmers to physically go to it every spot field to check the condition of the crops.
This same process cannot be performed with the help of drones monitoring the crop and also saving them from harmful environmental factors. Soil quality can be predicted with the help of 3D imaging in drones.
Spraying of chemicals in crops is also done with the help of drones by being careful not to penetrate groundwater.
Now with computer vision, it is possible to recognize more than 10,000 species of plants & animals (and this number is increasing each day). This will the drones (fitted with computer vision) to detect pest disease and crop damage.
This will allow farmers to monitor their acreage far more quickly and accurately than they ever have before, and to understand pest patterns over time.
Also, now, during winter or rainy seasons, farmers are forced to sleep near their farms. This is to protect & guard their crops from getting damaged/destroyed by animals.
Now, with these monitoring systems, farmers in a village can install cameras with night vision. By sitting in their homes, they can get altered in case , any animal or alien creature is detected near their farmlands.
4. Robotics and Farming
Just as using robots and artificial intelligence in other industries has been proved helpful, the use of Robotics agriculture would also improve productivity and result in faster and higher yields.
Various smart farm equipment has come into market.
This includes
a. Utility tractors; tractor loaders.
b. Cotton pickers, cotton strippers, and sugarcane harvesters
c. Harvesting front-end equipment; sugarcane loaders and pull-behind scrapers.
d. Tillage, seeding, and application equipment comprising sprayers, nutrient management, and soil preparation machinery etc.
Apart from helping farmers in doing day-to-day work, these smart tools are also capable of collecting data (related to soil, crop, pest, seeds..) in real-time.
Analysis of this data will help farmers in taking better decisions in the future.
Major Players in AGRI-TECH: Digital technology in the agriculture sector
1. John Deere
Deere & Company, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and distributes various equipment worldwide.
The company was founded in 1837 and is headquartered in Moline, Illinois.
2. AGCO
AGCO Corporation manufactures and distributes agricultural equipment and related replacement parts worldwide
It’s an American agricultural machinery manufacturer with its headquarters in Duluth, Georgia, United States.
3. Titan Machinery
Titan Machinery Inc. owns and operates a network of full-service agricultural and construction equipment stores.
Titan Machinery Inc. was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in West Fargo, North Dakota.
4. Kubota
Kubota Corporation manufactures and sells a range of machinery, and other industrial and consumer products in Japan, North America, Europe, Asia, and internationally.
It’s a world-leading manufacturer of agricultural machinery for both dry-field farming and rice farming.
5. Raven Industries
Raven Industries, Inc., provides various products to customers in the industrial, agricultural, geomembrane, construction, etc.
Raven Industries, Inc. was founded in 1956 and is headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
6. Origin Agritech
Origin Agritech Limited, through its subsidiaries, operates agricultural biotechnology and an e-commerce platform.
It specializes in crop seed breeding and genetic improvement, seed production, processing, distribution, and related technical services.
7. Crofarm
Founded in May 2016, Crofarm is an F2B (Farm to Business) venture. According to the website, it has over 10,000 farmers in its network and has large network of partners.
It focuses on streamlining the functioning of the unorganized agriculture segment in order to generate better trade relations between farmers, businesses and consumers.
8. Gold Farm
Gold Farm is an Agri-Tech start-up. It offers smart devise/mobile app-based tractor booking platform for farmers. It also provides solar water pumps for farmers working in power deficit regions.
9. Art’s Way
Art’s-Way Manufacturing Co., Inc. manufactures and sells agricultural equipment, specialized modular science buildings, and steel cutting tools in the United States and internationally.
Agricultural machinery manufactured by Art’s Way manufactures various agriculture-related machinery like feed grinder-mixers, manure spreaders, portable grain augers, forage boxes and wagons, forage blowers, rakes, mergers, balers, pickup reels, sugar beet harvesters and plows.
Art’s-Way Manufacturing Co., Inc. was founded in 1956 and is based in Armstrong, Iowa.
Conclusion: Digital technology in Agriculture Sector
With help of digital transformation, we can expect big improvements in agriculture…Agri-Tech.
This includes improvement in crop yield per acre, reduction in crop damage due to pest, etc., better utilization of fertilizer keeping in mind the soil condition, better price discovery for farmers.
Agri-Tech refers to smart farm equipment & tools that help farmers in doing various farming-related work. Also, these tools also collect, store, analyze the farm & crop-related data.
This data can be shared along the agricultural value chain. This helps farmers in taking better decisions, before, during, and after on-farm production
With help of e-commerce platforms, warehouses, cold storage, farmers are able to get a better price for their crops,
This way Digital Technology in Agriculture sector is setting up the future.
You may also like
How Digital Transformation in Education Industry is changing the Education System?
