Technology makes our lives easier in multiple ways, and one of those ways is in agriculture. Agri-tech, also known as digital agriculture, refers to the use of technology in agriculture, horticulture, and aquaculture.
The goal of this technology is to optimise production and improve farming efficiency. In this article, we’ll provide five ways agri-tech can help you boost productivity.
1. Efficient Planning for Farming
Planning is the foundation of any successful farm, and agri-tech makes it easier to make informed decisions. Modern tools like satellite imagery, data analytics, and farm management software help farmers optimise land use, monitor soil health, and plan crop rotations more effectively.
Navigation satellite systems like GPS and GIS play a crucial role in agricultural data, allowing farmers to map their fields, track crop growth, and optimise planting schedules. For instance, farmers use Google Earth for crop identification, which cuts down the extra time they spend when it’s time to conduct manual land inspections.
Another tool is Farmonaut. Farmonaut is a satellite-based crop health monitoring platform that gives farmers real-time insights into their fields.
Agri-tech tools also assist with:
- Soil health analysis
- Weather forecasting
- Precision planting
2. Reduce Risks
Risk mitigation is an essential part of agriculture, as farmers face various challenges and uncertainties, such as pests, unpredictable weather, and changes in the market. Agri-tech enables farmers to manage these risks.
Within the scope of agri-tech, you’ll find climate monitoring systems that provide real-time weather updates. There’s also remote sensing, which detects risks such as pest infestations and crop diseases before they get out of control.
3. Pest Management
Pest infestations are a farmer’s worst nightmare. Fortunately, agri-tech offers solutions for pest control. One of the ways agri-tech does this is through AI-driven pest detection, where machine learning systems can identify pests from the onset, which prevents potential outbreaks.
Farmers can also use automated pest traps equipped with sensors to monitor insect populations and either capture or eliminate pests automatically.
Farmers can also implement biological pest control. With this method, data-driven insights allow farmers to implement environmentally friendly pest control by introducing natural predators or beneficial microorganisms, which minimises chemical use.
4. Reduce Resource Wastage
When you’re starting out in the agricultural sector, you might not know much about how to avoid resource wastage. Luckily, the integration of technology in agriculture has made that easier. In farming, there are massive amounts of energy, water, and fertiliser being used. Agri-tech helps reduce waste by making resource use more efficient.
Agri-tech tools reduce resource wastage through:
- Drip irrigation systems deliver water directly to plant roots in the right amounts, reducing water wastage.
- Soil moisture sensors prevent overwatering by ensuring the measurement of moisture in the soil is accurate.
- Variable rate technology (VRT) reduces labor costs and enhances productivity by optimising the application of seeds, pesticides, and fertilizers.
5. Real-time Monitoring to Control Production
With real-time monitoring, farmers are aware of changes as they occur and can react to them quickly. This minimises losses and ensures production levels are consistent. The data from monitoring makes it easier to change the production demand.
For example, GPS-enabled tracking on FarmTrack tracks farm vehicles, ensuring that the operation of tractors, harvesters, and other farm equipment is optimised. This helps in reducing fuel consumption, avoiding missing rows through missed-row detection, and reviewing the habits of your drivers.
IoT-based livestock monitoring helps improve livestock management. This is achieved through wearable sensors that track animal movement and changes in their behaviour. This data allows farmers to identify health issues or distress in animals early on.
By addressing these problems quickly, farmers can prevent losses and ensure that livestock remains productive. For example, reducing the spread of an illness among livestock can prevent food shortages, which would otherwise reduce supply.
Future-Proof Your Farming Business With Agri-Tech
Traditional farming knowledge is still effective, but not on its own. By combining agri-tech with traditional farming practices, farmers can enhance productivity while ensuring there’s sustainable land.
Agri-tech makes farming practices more efficient by enhancing productivity, reducing costs, and maintaining good relationships in the supply chain.
