The Industrial Internet of Things, or IoT, has affected a lot of industries including agriculture, and that’s the reason we are going to go over the importance of IoT applications in agriculture in this article. The connected agriculture market stood at around $1.8 billion US in 2018 and is expected to grow to somewhere around $4.3 billion US within the next couple of years with a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 19.3%.

We have IoT technology to thank for wearables, automated machines, connected devices, and driverless cars, but this technology has also impacted agriculture, making IoT applications in agriculture an emerging priority.

The latest statistics show the global population by 2050 could very well reach 9.6 billion. The agriculture industry has no choice but to adopt the Internet of Things if it is going to be able to feed so many people. Challenges including climate change, extreme weather, and environmental impact can be overcome using IoT to help meet this demand for extra food.

Tractors and harvesters are just some of the mechanical innovations introduced to agriculture operations in the past few decades. Because of the ever-increasing demand for food, innovative ideas are crucial to support the industry.

Using IoT in smart agriculture can help save water and make the irrigation process simpler and more efficient. With global warming and water shortages being a fact of life, the incorporation of IoT into farming is rapidly becoming a necessity.

Upcoming Trends for IoT Applications in Agriculture

Industrial IoT has been a marked presence behind this higher rate of agricultural production at a reduced cost. It is a certainty that IoT applications in agriculture will increase in the coming years.

Actually, some recent reports show that the installation of IoT devices will increase by some 20% in this industry. The number of connected agricultural devices is set to increase from 13 million in 2014 to a huge 225 million by 2024.

IoT solutions providers, as well as business owners, have been facing implementation challenges in less developed and remote areas, caused by the lack of reliable, constant communication network infrastructure. However, several network providers are expanding cellular networks and introducing satellite connectivity to make it possible.

Sensors have been used in agriculture operations for years now but the issue with traditional sensor technology is that we could not get live data from these sensors. The sensors would log the data in their memory and then we could use it later. The data was still useful but the delay in reporting was not.

When new technologies like LoRaWAN (Low Power, Wide Area (LPWA) networking protocol) were introduced, the result was better, more advanced sensors connected to the cloud using a satellite or cloud network. This enables us to receive real-time data from these sensors so it is easier to make decisions based on live data.

Another useful IoT application has enabled farmers to monitor the levels of water tanks in real-time, thereby making irrigation more effective. IoT applications in agriculture have introduced sensors to each step of the farming process, including data for how long and what resources are required to grow a seed into a ready-to-harvest vegetable.

Farmers using the Internet of Things are experiencing a welcomed, second green revolution. Famers can now increase yields and decrease costs thanks to more accurate data leading to better decision-making at every stage of the growing process.

What is Smart Farming?

 This effective and hi-tech method of growing food in a sustainable manner is known as smart farming. Connected devices and innovative technologies combine in the agriculture industry to make smart farming a reality. This type of farming relies heavily on IoT reducing the number of physical work farmers need to do, which in turn leads to an increase in productivity.

The Internet of Things has introduced important benefits such as input optimization, efficient water use, and so on. The benefits of IoT applications in agriculture have revolutionized the way food is grown and led to a sharp increase in efficiency.

IoT-based smart farming monitors the fields in real-time, using interconnectivity and sensors to reduce water and electricity usage as well as the farmers’ time. Temperature, humidity, soil, and other factors are monitored constantly and this data may be accessed in real-time whenever the farmer or grower chooses.

4 Ways in Which IoT Applications in Agriculture are Beneficial

#1 Climate Conditions

One of the most important factors in farming is the climate. If a farmer cannot access real-time data about the climate, this can lead to a decrease in both the quality and quantity of crop production. IoT applications in agriculture enable accurate real-time weather condition tracking.

Sensors go inside and outside the fields and will then collect environmental data. This helps the farmer determine which crops to grow and how to sustain them based on this data. The IoT ecosystem is a collection of sensors able to detect rainfall, humidity, temperature, and so on, with high accuracy. Various sensors track different parameters and they can be configured according to requirements.

If the sensors find any weather conditions which could be a cause for concern, an alert can be sent. This technology means less physical presence is required during unfavorable weather conditions, meaning farmers can reap more benefits and productivity increases.

#2 Smart Greenhouses

 The use of IoT means weather stations can automatically adjust climate conditions according to their programming, in order to make greenhouses smart and eliminate human intervention. This both increases accuracy and makes the process of growing more cost-effective.

The use of solar-powered IoT sensors in a modern greenhouse collects data that is transmitted in real-time. This helps monitor every aspect of the state of the greenhouse. Monitored SMS alerts or emails can be used to keep an eye on what is happening in the greenhouse and automatic smart irrigation is undertaken with IoT’s help. Sensors like these can help provide up to the minute information on humidity, light levels, temperature, pressure, and more.

#3 Precision Farming

 This is one of the best-known IoT applications in agriculture. Precision farming or precision agriculture makes farming better controlled and more precise by using smart applications such as irrigation management, vehicle tracking, livestock monitoring, inventory monitoring, and field observation.

This data is then analyzed and the systems can be programmed to act accordingly. Precision farming allows soil conditions to be analyzed as well as other parameters to improve the farm’s operational efficiency. It is also possible to detect the real-time working conditions of various connected smart devices to examine nutrient and water levels.

#4 Data Analytics

 An end-to-end IoT platform and cloud-based data storage are a critical part of smart agriculture, as conventional database systems do not have the amount of storage needed for the data collected from the sensors. Sensors are the main source of data collection on a large scale.

Once collected, the data can be analyzed and converted to useful information with analytics tools. This makes it possible to look at livestock, crop, and weather conditions in real-time. IoT devices capture data from sensors to offer real-time crop status.

Predictive analytics can give farmers an insight into how to make better harvesting decisions based on IoT devices collecting and reporting data as well as predictive analysis converting it into meaningful and easy-to-understand information. IoT applications in agriculture have improved product quality and volume by helping farmers maintain land fertility and crop quality.

Ground and Agriculture Smart Drones

Agriculture operations have been revolutionized with innovative technological advancements such as the use of sensors and agricultural drones. Both ground and aerial drones can be used for crop monitoring, crop health assessment, crop spraying, field analysis, and planting.

When using planning based on real-time information and choosing a good strategy, drone technology has radically improved many parts of the farming process. Thermal or multispectral sensors on drones can help identify areas that need less or more irrigation. Sensors can show the current health of growing crops and calculate the vegetation index.

Smart drones have helped reduce the impact on the environment allowing a much lower amount of chemicals to reach the groundwater.

Importance of Smart Farming in the United States

 Did you know it takes 74 gallons of water to grow just one pound of avocados? California produces some 95% of avocados in the country but is in its fourth year of drought, making it critical to not only save water where possible but to maximize efficiency during every step of growing.

Higher density planting is one way to deal with this issue but over time the best solution is to invest in IoT agriculture applications to maximize productivity while eliminating wasteful over-watering.

California is not the only region to suffer from serious water issues and global warming, but it is one of the hardest hits, making IoT a very important factor in dealing with these concerns.

A Final Word

 It is fair to say that IoT applications in agriculture have helped combine time-tested farming knowledge with modern innovative solutions, thereby bridging the gap between production and the quantity and quality of the crop harvested.

Sensors monitoring and reporting accurate data to ensure less crop damage and swift action when applicable. These intelligent and seamless operations and better business execution mean produce will be grown faster and better and better and be on supermarket shelves as swiftly as possible.

Agriculture applications are only one part of the global warming and water crisis solution but emerging IoT technologies are undeniably helpful in many aspects of farming and are likely to go from strength to strength in the future.