World population is expected to grow to almost 10 billion by 2050, boosting agricultural demand. This is, however, challenged by the loss of biodiversity, the spread of pests and diseases in plants and animals, and most importantly, the challenge of agriculture competing with other industries for shared natural resources such as water and land. Hence, the question arises, can we scale up production when we are already facing a shortage of land and water resources?
Another crucial factor is, any more pressure on natural resources can have a cataclysmic effect on climate change as well.
Precision agriculture is the science of improving crop yields and assisting management decisions using technology. It is an approach that uses information technology to ensure crops receive exactly what they need for optimal growth and productivity. It relies on specialized equipment, software, and IT services.
In the agri value chain from soil to sale, there are multiple touch points where technology can be interfaced. Precision agriculture provides farmers with a wealth of information to:
Technologies used in precision agriculture
There is a myriad of technologies that are used across the agricultural value chain that helps in precision farming. But some of the key technologies and their usage are described below:
The penetration of these technologies on a large scale is yet to be seen in India, but there are high advantages to using technology in agriculture. Apart from higher crop productivity, and decreased use of water, fertilizers, and pesticides, technology can also change the mindset of new-generation farmers, and make farming more exciting and viable. Today, mobile apps, smart sensors, drones, and cloud computing makes precision agriculture possible for even small farms.
At Outgrow, we enable precision agriculture, through the deployment of IoT and AI-based technology that enables farmers to take proactive, preventive, and accurate decisions. This leads to a reduction of inputs and resource savings, leading to better crop yield and price realization for farmers.
References
When it comes to developing sustainable food systems, India is at the forefront even as other countries argue over who should bear the weight of climate change. We are on the verge of a seismic transformation fueled by technology, quite similar to the ‘Green Revolution’ that helped India recover from an agricultural catastrophe in the… Continue reading Precision Agriculture Using New Age Technologies
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