IoT in Agriculture 9 Technology Use Cases for Smart Farming (and Challenges to Consider)

In general, IoT in agriculture refers to the use of sensors and smart devices to monitor the agricultural process from planting to harvesting and, finally, distribution.

Farmers can use IoT sensors to collect environmental data (e.g., rainfall, humidity, pollution, etc.) and make data-driven choices to improve various aspects of farming.

Sensors are one example of monitoring the condition of soil. They enable farmers to determine the precise amount of fertilisers and pesticides they must inject into the soil to achieve the highest growth efficiency.

Benefits of IoT in Agriculture

Since farmers are frequently faced with issues like the effects of climate change, resource scarcity and the requirement to feed an ever-growing world population, instances of IoT in agriculture demonstrate how it's emerging as an effective solution to increase agriculture's efficiency, sustainability and profit.

In this section, we will examine the primary benefits of IoT for AgTech software development, which range from increasing efficiency and optimising resource use to encouraging environmentally sustainable practices.

Precision Agriculture and Resource Management

IoT and agriculture work in tandem to monitor the fields continuously using drones and sensors, making better decisions regarding soil conditions and crop health.

Fertilisation and irrigation are becoming more efficient with the use of SMPS (soil moisture sensor) and VRI (Variable Rate Irrigation) systems. This level of precision helps to reduce excessive resource use and, consequently, ensures the sustainability and financial viability of IoT in agriculture.

Cost Reduction and Increased Profitability

IoT can bring several benefits to agriculture, including reduced human involvement in tasks like watering and pest control and a reduction in the cost of operation. Analytical models help farmers anticipate situations like pest infestations or adverse weather conditions before they occur, minimising any negative impact on the farming process. Because of this efficiency improvement, farmers can increase their profits and lower the cost of the inputs.

Boosting Efficiency and Productivity

The Internet of Things smart farming method increases farm efficiency, as numerous processes are automated and resources are utilised efficiently.

For instance, irrigation systems can help manage the water supply to crops at the highest degree of precision to satisfy demand without wastewater. With automated monitoring of livestock, producers are aware of changes in their livestock's health at any time and can make the appropriate decisions faster.

Overall, IoT can make farming more efficient for farm workers by reducing the manual labor required and boosting agricultural output.

Real-Time Monitoring and Data-Driven Decisions

Agriculture IoT devices can record, store and process huge quantities of environmental data, such as temperature, humidity and soil quality.

This data can be accessed anytime, anywhere, via a mobile device or a farm computer and then, if needed, decisions can be made while on the move. From regulating the temperature of the greenhouse to applying fertilisers according to the requirements of the crop, this information improves crop management and decreases losses.

Promoting Environmental Sustainability

Precision farming does not treat the entire farm but only the areas that require treatment, which reduces the chemical contamination of waterways and the natural environment. Furthermore, the latest IoT devices, like smart greenhouses, help manage the climate, which results in energy savings and green farming.

Challenges of IoT in the Agriculture Sector

Despite the obvious advantages of IoT in improving agriculture, firms that are trying to use the technology could encounter unexpected problems when they're not ready.

IoT Solutions Are Expensive

Today, mainly large enterprises reap the benefits of IoT to improve farming efficiency since IoT solutions require capital investment. One of the biggest problems is that the implementation can be expensive and complicated.

If you run a small business and wish to implement precision farming, keep in mind that it could be expensive to set up and maintain several sensors. Instead, make a monitoring application and then use cloud-based solutions.

Limited Network Coverage in Rural Areas

In certain areas, mobile network coverage is inadequate. This could become a problem for farms across Africa and Asia. A mobile application must transfer massive amounts of data, which demands a reliable internet connection.

Data Security Issues

Businesses need to ensure they are not allowing unauthorised access to their information. If you have to work with sensitive data, it is crucial to make sure that other businesses cannot access it. This is why it's important to utilise the services of reliable companies that specialise in the Internet of Things and agriculture solutions.

Use Cases of IoT in Agriculture

IoT can change the way we farm in various ways. In this section, we will explore top use cases of IoT for on-demand agriculture app development.

Greenhouse Automation

Typically, farmers utilise manual control to manage the greenhouse's environment. IoT sensors allow them to obtain accurate, live information about greenhouse conditions, such as lighting temperatures, soil conditions, temperature and humidity.

Alongside sourcing information from the environment, weather stations can automatically alter the weather conditions to conform to the parameters. In particular, greenhouse automation systems follow the same principle.

Precision Farming

Also called precision agriculture, precision farming is about efficiency and making precise, informed decisions based on data. It's also among the most widely used and efficient applications of IoT in agriculture.

Utilising IoT sensors, agriculturalists will be able to gather a wide array of indicators on each aspect of the field microclimate and ecosystems: temperature, lighting, soil conditions and CO2 levels, humidity and pest infestations. The information can help farmers determine the optimal amount of fertilisers, water and pesticides required for their crops, decrease costs and grow healthier and better crops.

Predictive Analytics for Smart Farming

The precision of agriculture, as well as predictive analytics, go hand-in-hand. Although IoT and smart sensors provide a wealth of relevant data in real-time, data analytics can help farmers understand the data and formulate important forecasts, such as harvesting times, risks of pests and disease yield, etc. Data analytics tools farmers make their farming process, one that's heavily dependent upon weather, easier to manage and more predictable.

For instance, the Crop Performance platform allows farmers to access the quantity and quality of their crops in advance, as well as their vulnerability to weather conditions like droughts and floods. It also allows farmers to maximise the amount of nutrients and water for each crop and select traits that improve yield and quality.

Robots and Autonomous Machines

Robotic technologies also allow autonomous machines to be used for agricultural purposes. Certain farmers are already using automatic harvesters, tractors and other vehicles and machines that can be operated without a person controlling them. These robots can perform difficult, repetitive, work-intensive and demanding tasks.

Agrobots, for instance, comprise automated tractors that operate on designated routes, issue notifications and begin work according to planned times. They are also driverless, which can reduce labor costs for farmers. Bear Flag Robotics is one company working on this technology right now.

Additionally, smart farming employs robots to plant seeds, weeds and water. The tasks required are demanding and labor-intensive, but robotics like those from Eco Robotics can detect the presence of weeds and plant seeds through computers and artificial intelligence. These robots for agriculture work with care and effectiveness, minimising harm to plants and the surrounding environment.

Monitoring of Climate Conditions

Perhaps the most well-known smart agricultural gadgets are weather stations, which combine several smart sensors for farming. They are situated across fields and these sensors capture different data from the surroundings and transmit it to the cloud. The data they collect maps the weather conditions, selects the best crops and implements the appropriate measures to enhance their capabilities (i.e., precision farming).

Crop Management

Another type of IoT product used in AgTech software solutions are devices for managing crops. Similar to meteorological stations, these need to be put in the field to gather data that is specifically relevant to farming, from precipitation and temperature to the potential for leaf water and the general health of the crop.

You can monitor your crop's growth and any abnormalities to prevent pests or diseases from harming your crop yield.

Monitoring and management of cattle

Similar to monitoring crops, there are IoT sensors for agriculture that can be connected to farm animals to track their health and record their performance. Livestock tracking and monitoring can help collect information on the health of the stock, its well-being and its physical place of residence.

For instance, these sensors can detect sick animals so farmers can remove them from their herd and prevent contamination. Utilising drones for real-time cattle tracking helps farmers cut down on staffing costs.

Agricultural Drones

One of the most exciting technological advancements in agriculture is using drones to assist farmers in their farming. Also called UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), drones are more equipped than satellites or airplanes to gather data on agricultural production. Apart from monitoring, drones can also perform numerous tasks that previously required human effort, including cultivating crops, fighting pests and diseases, agricultural spraying and monitoring crops, among others.

End-to-End Farm Management Systems

A more complicated method of using IoT devices in agriculture could be represented through the farming productivity management systems, also known as the farm productivity system. They typically comprise a variety of agricultural IoT devices and sensors installed on the premises and a robust dashboard with analytical capabilities and built-in accounting and reporting features.

This provides remote monitoring capabilities that allow you to simplify most of your business processes. FarmLogs and Cropio offer similar solutions.

Alongside the previously mentioned IoT agricultural applications, There are many other opportunities to use IoT technology, including car tracking (or perhaps automation), storage management, logistics, etc.

The Key Takeaway

The significance of IoT for smart farming is predicted to rise in the coming years. AgTech, along with precision agriculture, is crucial in addressing the food crisis and the increasing consumer demand for agricultural products. Agriculture will also gain from blockchain technology.

Adopting IoT in agriculture is essential to streamlining processes with automated data collection and analysis.