Farmers & farmland are the integral segments of India’s economy. We are proud of our agricultural heritage, but we often neglect to address the need for impeccable technology that helps to revive the dying lands and farmers.
People in India have always depended on agriculture. However, the unpredictability of the climatic conditions and the frequent price drops pose a threat to the industry. Other impending concerns of the industry include the lack of a seasoned workforce and the rapid population growth. In order to boost the sector and meet the demand for food, smart farming solutions enabled by the Internet of Things(IoT) have become a need of the day.
IoT enables a precision farming system that utilises the optimum amount of resources and reduces the cost of production. It also helps farmers to:
- Reduce the gap between supply and demand
- Increase the yield
- Overcome the hurdles before them
How can IoT reshape the Agriculture industry?
The Internet of Things(IoT) refers to the devices that are connected to the internet. These smart devices collect and share real-time data using wireless technology and do not require human interference. IoT makes the world smarter with its digital solutions.
The primary focus of IoT was on business and manufacturing. But the expansion in cellular networks and connectivity has helped IoT transform almost everything around us.
The intervention of IoT along with fast and reliable communication networks in agriculture has provided smart farming solutions for the industry. IoT embedded with sensors and automation helps farmers remotely control their farming and quickly adapt to changing environments as well as market conditions. The use of robots, drones, and computer imaging enable farmers to:
- Monitor soil quality and moisture
- Automate irrigation
- Sort and grade plants
- Predict weather
- Get updated market price and demand
- Decide chemical application
- Practice precision farming
- Optimise use of resources
While remotely monitoring farm conditions helps farmers save time and labour and reduce the cost of production, data analytics with IoT provides farmers insights about the value-chain and demand. As a result, farmers can make production effective and reduce the wastage of agricultural products.
Farmers can also use ground-based or aerial drones to keep an account of the growth of plants and map the field. These can also be used to monitor livestock along with tracking devices that let farmers find the exact location and wellbeing of the livestock.
Also, IoT-based greenhouses and hydroponic systems enable people in urban areas to form short food supply chains and meet their daily demand for fruits and vegetables. Thus the information provided by IoT enables farmers to monitor farm operations and make better decisions to improve productivity.
Exploring Smart Farming through IoT
IoT enabled agriculture has proved to be a threshold for farmers to reduce the gap between production and yield. The seamless opportunities offered by versatile data management systems and IoT not only boosts agriculture and makes farming easy, but also helps the farmers sustain themselves, the entire population and the future. With IoT and the support of government schemes, the agriculture sector in India has a smart and promising future.
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