The emergence of IoT has disrupted different economic sectors. IoT has been able to streamline functionality, provide business continuity, raise security, and improve productivity across manufacturing, automotive, and healthcare industries.
And now, the craze of IoT has spread to the agricultural industry as well.
According to the stats by marketsandmarkets, the global market for IoT in agriculture will increase from $11.4 billion in 2021 to $18.1 billion in 2026, with a CAGR of 9.8% during that period.
The reason for this is that, among other advantages, IoT in agriculture can improve crop quality, simplify crop maintenance, and assist in reducing production hazards.
In this blog, we’ll examine the IoT in agriculture, its advantages, and how it’s transforming the agriculture industry.
So, let’s start with,
IoT in agriculture: what & why?
IoT in agriculture refers to the application of smart devices and sensors to track all aspects of farming, from seeding to farming to reaping to sales.
Also, farmers will be able to enhance productivity, manage inventories effectively, and eventually cut costs and waste by using IoT in agriculture. IoT solutions in agriculture use sensors to monitor crop and field conditions. You can foresee what the crops will require in terms of water, soil type, light, humidity, etc.
IoT in agriculture serves to integrate a cycle of monitoring, evaluation, and intervention into the farming process. First, networked sensors measure the health of a crop or a farm animal. This information is combined and transferred to a cloud platform, where it is examined, and suggestions are given based on predetermined criteria. The enormous volumes of data are distilled into a form that is simple enough for farmers or automated technology to understand.
Moving ahead, let’s talk about,
Top benefits of using IoT in agriculture!
There are many benefits of IoT in agriculture! Below, we’ve mentioned a few of them! So, take a look!
#1. Crop management
To gather information on the health of crops, the devices can be deployed in the fields. These IoT sensors can measure a wide range of crop health data, including precipitation, water retention in crops, and general crop health. This enables farmers to identify any sickness or infestation relatively immediately after it occurs, aiding in the containment of the problem. This significantly reduces crop loss due to pests or insects.
#2. Full utilization of resources
Using the information gathered from the sensors positioned in the fields, smart farming enables farmers to anticipate their needs for things like water, fertilizers, soil, pesticides, etc. Therefore, farmers can reduce waste by allocating a precise number of resources for farming. It stops soil and crops from being overloaded with pesticides and fertilizers.
#3. Data Analytics
Farmers may make sense of their data and make critical forecasts using data analytics, like when to harvest their crops, the likelihood of disease and pest infestation, the amount of output, etc. Farming, which is fundamentally very dependent on weather, is made more controlled and predictable with the aid of data analytics tools.
#4. Boost Business’s productivity & efficiency
Farmers may be able to keep an eye on their business with the aid of the analysis of the data gathered by drones and sensors. These data can be used to manage tasks like supply chain management, waste minimization, employee performance, market demand and supply, equipment efficiency, etc. Farmers can automate a variety of commercial activities, from production to market supply, by leveraging IoT software development services.
#5. Ensures better quality
While the Internet of Things (IoT) technology can assist with quick calculations, automation surrounding various procedures, and production, they have also demonstrated themselves in terms of increasing the quality of the output. Higher quality is assured throughout the whole production process because of better control over it, which leaves less space for error.
#6. Risk mitigation
Entrepreneurs can predict a variety of events thanks to a large number of data samples. Farmers can therefore estimate how much wheat they can harvest before actually doing so. Due to this fact, firms may forecast their revenue, modify their expenses, and reduce potential losses.
As you’ve seen, the benefits of IoT app development for agricultural businesses. Now, let’s move forward and discuss,
How is IoT transforming the agriculture industry? Top use cases of IoT in agriculture!
The top use cases of IoT in agriculture are: –
#1. Smart monitoring
A farmer can have access to data on weather conditions, soil moisture and nutrient levels, and the light the plants are receiving by placing a variety of sensors across their fields. This makes it possible to save money on irrigation and fertilizer expenses and ensures that the crop grows. Mobile App development can help in fetching the soil data and help in offering the precise solutions required for the same.
#2. Agricultural drones
With the aid of multispectral sensors and dedicated mapping software, agricultural drones can provide farmers with access to more sophisticated data, such as the quantity of chlorophyll produced, canopy density, or plant development.
By 2030, the market for drones used in agriculture will be worth approximately $1.75 billion. (Source)
Drones can create precise aerial maps of spaces as small as a single field. These maps make it simpler to locate risky spots in a field that may otherwise look fine and to identify potential irrigation system issues. They also assist the farmer in determining whether the crops are growing equitably and rapidly so well.
#3. Smart greenhouse
Smart greenhouses use pre-set factors, settings, and instructions to automatically modify the climate. Automation in greenhouses has reduced the need for human involvement, increased the efficiency and accuracy of the process, and improved the quantity and quality of production. Real-time data can be gathered and used to properly monitor the greenhouse through the use of sensors.
#4. Smart soil sensors
To give the farmer detailed information, from temperature and precipitation to the health of the crop, smart soil sensors can be positioned in the field where the crops are growing.
By 2030, according to Globe News Wire, it is anticipated that the market for smart sensor systems will be worth about USD 2.85 billion.
This would enable farmers to focus on more complex jobs in the production cycle while smart gadgets handle laborious and time-consuming duties like checking the health of leaves.
#5. Cattle monitoring
Animals can have sensors connected to them to monitor their performance and health, much like crops are monitored. Additionally, businesses utilize smart agricultural sensors to gather data on the herd as well as a wealth of informative information about the health, behaviors, and nutrition of each individual cattle.
#6. RFID sensors & tracking
Following the harvest of crops, food may be tracked from the farm to the store using RFID sensors. In other words, the consumer, or end-user, will be able to trace the products. This technology has the potential to boost consumer faith in producers because of their improved dependability and responsibility to deliver fresh goods.
#7. Farm management systems
The so-called agricultural productivity management systems might be taken as an example of IoT goods in agriculture. They often comprise numerous on-site sensors and IoT devices for agriculture, as well as a robust dashboard with analytical tools and built-in accounting and reporting functions. This enables remote farm monitoring and streamlines the majority of business processes.
#8. Climate condition monitoring systems
If you don’t understand climate, your crop will be of lower quality and yield because different crops require varied climatic conditions to thrive properly. You can find solutions that let farmers know about the weather in real time by contacting an IoT app development company. Farmers can choose the crop that thrives in particular climatic circumstances by using the data collected by the sensors placed in fields. These sensors can show you any notable change that can affect the health of your crop. The server will get notifications of the change, and you can take the appropriate action to boost yields.
#9. Harvesting robots
These automated systems are capable of handling the delicate picking of fruits and vegetables while functioning. These harvesting robots locate ripe fruits to pick by combining robotic arms with image analysis, maintaining quality control. These bots can be used to estimate the right harvest time for high-value crops grown in greenhouses.
Conclusion
A new era of farming is beginning to emerge as a result of IoT app development breakthroughs. Many large and small farms alike are using IoT in agriculture to control and supervise their linked smart harvesters and irrigation equipment, track soil moisture, crop production, and livestock feed levels, as well as swiftly evaluate operational data. The insights can further enhance decision-making when combined with data from third parties, such as weather services.
