70% of people in India rely on agriculture for their livelihood. And because of this, it is essential to encourage and strengthen the agriculture industry. Both are possible with technology. Agriculture’s primary sector has reached a completely new level thanks to technology. Technology is assisting with repetitive tasks that would take longer to complete if done by humans.
Technology helps farmers make better and more informed decisions about their products while also saving time and offering better marketing and pricing options. Better production as a result of all these advantages boosts the agriculture industry. Below is a discussion of the top ten technologies that contributed to this.
1. Drones
The agrarian community is now using drones after the military. In order to control crop health, treatment, examination, and irrigation, drones are used to gather data from the field. By using drones to monitor the fields, time that could be used elsewhere is saved. In order to avoid using manual labour, pesticides are also sprayed on farms using drones.
2. Internet of Things (IoT)
The physical world and computer-based systems are connected by the Internet of Things. IoT aids in crop monitoring, surveying, and data collection with the help of robots, remote sensors, and drones. Real-time data provided by IoT allows for the effective decision-making in agriculture. The automation and tracking of the fields increase labour productivity and free up resources for fertilisation, irrigation, and other uses.
3. Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence in agriculture enables farmers to organise their data, monitor soil health, control pests, and produce healthier crops. AI and agriculture can work together to analyse market demand. It can pinpoint the crops that will produce benefits for the farmer. Because AI improved rather than replaced human workers, it has been enthusiastically embraced by farmers.
4. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)
Radio waves are used in radio frequency identification technology to passively identify tagged items. RFID is used in agriculture to track livestock, crops, and the environmental factors that affect yields. The RFID tags can save information such as the production date, the field from which it was harvested, the temperature, weight, moisture content, and nutritional data.
5. Robotics
Robots are typically used for repetitive and boring tasks that humans find boring. This includes cutting, seeding, spraying, independent mowing, trimming, harvesting, and weed control. When there are labour shortages, heightened consumer demands, and high production costs in agriculture, robotics can help. Precision is a key factor in robotics’ popularity in the agricultural sector.
6. Geographic Information System (GIS)
Farms can be more profitable with Geographic Information Systems because a knowledgeable farmer can increase crop yields and decrease waste. Land is analysed using GIS, and field data is visualised on a map and used for various purposes. With the aid of soil analysis, it is possible to identify the type of soil, the plants that should be grown there, and the best ways to preserve the nutrients for the benefit of the plants.
7. Big Data
Farmers can learn about changes in the weather, rainfall, soil moisture, and other factors that affect crop yield thanks to big data. The planters make sound decisions based on all of this information. The end goal of using Big Data is to increase farm yields, which is what happens as a result. Crop failures have decreased as a result of knowledge about changing weather patterns.
8. Digital Mandi
Thanks to big data, farmers can gain knowledge about changes in the weather, rainfall, soil moisture, and other elements that affect crop yield. Based on all of this knowledge, the planters choose wisely. Farm yields are increased as a result of using big data, which is the intended outcome. Because of our increased understanding of changing weather patterns, crop failures have decreased.
9. Controlled Environment Agriculture
With the help of technology, farmers can control the environment of a crop to meet their needs through controlled environment agriculture, or CEA. Crops grown in this way include leafy greens, tomatoes, peppers, strawberries, herbs, and medicinal cannabis. The output of traditional agriculture is disrupted by climate change even though consumer demand for the products is high. In these circumstances, CEA is crucial to preserving a steady supply of nutritious food.
10. Esagu
The International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Hyderabad created eSagu. It directs farmers from planting to harvesting and offers them individualised solutions to their problems. It is an efficient technology that gives farmers access to expert farming knowledge. Farmers who want expert advice on their farms must send pictures or videos of their fields.
All of these innovations have the potential to revolutionise the agricultural industry. Many farmers, however, are still unaware of these technologies and do not get to take advantage of them. What ideas do you have for educating farmers about these technologies?
