In modern farming, technology plays a significant role in optimum profitability, sustainability, and land resource protection. It manages variability in the field by conducting crop production practice at the right place and in the right way. The massive adoption of technology in agriculture is not surprising anymore. Though farming is high land and labour-intensive work, most farmers implement technology to ensure better efficiency and manage expenses. This whole concept is well known as precision farming.
In this blog, we will discuss Precision farming, how it is essential for farmers
and how farmers can adopt precision farming in India. So what are we waiting
for? Let's start the blog.
What is Precision Farming?
Precision farming is a method of farm management that optimizes output by using modern technology. This farming practice is beneficial in improving productivity, quality, and profitability in agriculture. This practice uses sensors, drones, robotics, autonomous vehicles, GPS-based soil sampling, automated hardware, and software. It enables farmers to use crop inputs more efficiently, including pesticides, fertilizer, tillage, and irrigation water.
Why Should The Farmer Need To Adopt Precision Farming?
·
It
enhances agriculture productivity and prevents the degradation of soil, which
further results in sustained agricultural development.
·
This
prone to the reduction of chemical usage in crop production.
·
It can
increase the efficiency of irrigation efficiency when water resources are
low.
·
Nowadays,
tractors are equipped with these modern technologies, which positively benefits
the farmer. Massey Ferguson tractor is arguably the best for efficient farming usage.
·
It
provides opportunities for better resource management and hence reduce wastage
of resource.
· Farmers can use forecasts and mitigate problems like water stress, nutrient deficiency, and pests/diseases.
What are the Components of Precision Farming?
Generally, there are 3 significant components of precision agriculture. It includes information, technology, and management. Based on these three principles, we can define Precision Agriculture in different ways.
· Sensors
Sensors are the most commonly used component of Precision farming. They can detect a range of biological matrices, chemical, optical, thermal, biomolecular, radiation, to get an overall view on crop health. Moreover, health monitoring sensors are also used for the animal to track the state of livestock in real-time.
· Drones
Drones are the most advanced piece of hardware. In agriculture, drones are generally used for scouting and monitoring plant health. Apart from this, drones are also used for planting and seeding seeds. Mechanical drone seeders ensure the plantation without endangering workers. Some large drones come in handy for irritation and security purposes in the field.
· GPS Devices
Satellites are generally used to estimate the amount of water in the soil, crop biomass, and many other materials. The collected data is further used by crop insurance brands, government, policymakers, and scientists.
· IoT Solution for Precision Farming
Following are the most popular applications of IoT-derivatives applications.
1. Climate Monitoring: Weather stations help farmers to predict the weather condition. It collects insights from the environment, which farmers use for climate mapping and selection of crops
2. Greenhouse Automation: This IoT device regulates the temperature within the greenhouse to optimize or adjusts itself automatically. The lightning and irrigation systems within the greenhouse can be easily managed without any human supervision.
3. Crop Monitoring: Crop management devices are a vital component of efficient precision farming. These devices are generally placed in the field for monitoring water level, crop health, and other relevant biochemical. Farmers can proactively manage anomalies, build strategies to prevent potentially harmful diseases
Want To Know The Challenges in Adopting Precision Farming
·
Though
this farming practice ensures profitability, it requires a very high capital
cost, which may discourage farmers from going towards this farming
method.
·
It is a complicated task, particularly for the collection and analysis of data. For
your reference, it might take several years before the actual collection of
sufficient data to establish this system entirely.
·
Precision
farming is not well developed till now. It's still under development and
requires expertise before actual implementation.
·
The
adoption of precision farming in India is still evolving due to its unique land
holdings pattern. Another essential aspect includes poor infrastructure, lack
of farmers' inclination to take the risk, social and economic conditions, and
demographic conditions.
· In Indian agriculture, the small size of landholdings limits economic gains from currently available precision farming technology.
Hence, it is clear that precision farming is the future of modern agriculture. In the last few decades, mobile devices' adoption across high-speed internet at a low cost and reliable satellites has proven precision farming to be efficient and beneficial. For more information related to agriculture and other farming implements, stay tuned with us.
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