You may have heard the term “agtech” in the news lately. Agtech is a composite term that stands for “agricultural technology.” It’s a hot sector in its own right within the larger agriculture industry.
Precision agriculture is a parallel movement that utilizes cutting-edge agricultural technology to improve agricultural outcomes. Various technologies combine from automatic seedling transplanters to agricultural robots to make farming operations more efficient.
Precision agriculture and agtech work hand in hand. Precision agriculture is the objective; agtech is the market’s response to that imperative.
Precision agriculture employs automation, robots, sensors, GPS, the internet of things, mapping tools, and big data to increase crop yield while reducing labor and other inputs. The ultimate objective is to optimize food systems while minimizing environmental effects and costs.
Sensors and drones, for example, may broadcast photographs and data on specific plants and animals. Information about a cow’s feeding habits, a plant’s stem size or leaf shape, or data about soil quality and moisture may all be relayed using cameras and other sorts of sensors. Data-analysis tools can sift through massive volumes of data in search of patterns. An automated vegetable planter can reduce labor costs significantly while delivering a higher crop yield. These are just some of the many ways that precision agricultural technologies, or agtech, are helping growers feed the world.
Agriculture technology is usually used to solve one of several common agricultural problems, such as:
- Agricultural labor scarcity or cost
- Water scarcity
- Soil deterioration and erosion
- Depletion of resources
- Crop production
- Optimization of resources
- Controlling pests
- Issues with the supply chain
- Commodity pricing and capital markets
Agricultural advancements
While no single agricultural technology has been developed to address all of these fundamental concerns, or even several at once, several inventions address different elements of these issues. Many agricultural innovation trends indicate that sophisticated technology and tactics will be available to growers and farmers worldwide.
Remote sensing
The gathering of information about an object or phenomena without establishing direct touch with the thing is known as remote sensing. It’s a movement with various applications, including photography, surveying, geology, and forestry. Remote sensing has also found a lot of value in agriculture. In the agriculture industry, remote sensing has a wide range of uses. A summary of these applications is provided below.
- Plant identification
- Horticultural analysis
- Crop damage assessment
- Crop production forecasts
- Crop acreage estimating
- Pest identification
- Irrigation monitoring
- Crop yield modeling
- Soil moisture estimating
- Erosion monitoring
- Crop nutrient monitoring
Internet of Things (IoT)
Crop management equipment, such as soil monitors, is used in the internet of things for agriculture. These devices are commonly used to collect data on crop cultivation and are frequently distributed across fields. These gadgets monitor temperature, moisture, the presence of pests, and more and send the information to the farmer for analysis.
Big data
Farmers can use big data to get detailed information on rainfall patterns, water cycles, fertilizer requirements, and more. This allows them to make informed judgments about which crops to sow for maximum profit and when to harvest. Farm yields are improved when the appropriate selections are made.
All of these and more are part of the precision agriculture trend. It’s exciting to watch tech companies work together with growers and agricultural producers to solve some of the world’s most pressing issues.
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