Modern technology will enable farmers to increase the quantity and quality of yield,
and also utilise resources more efficiently.

Precision Agriculture

Technological innovation in agriculture is nothing new but IoT is set to revolutionalise farming by opening new ways to cultivate soil and raise livestock. Low-costs sensors are used to measure rainfall, soil moisture content, acidity and temperature; monitor health of crops, livestock and equipment. The data collected can be stored on the cloud and accessed by farmers via internet-enabled devices. Farms of the future will use automated mobile robots and drones to automate processes, such as planting, weeding, pesticides and herbicides spraying, fertilisation, irrigation and harvesting. These will enable farmers to target specific areas of their fields with precision, reducing waste and increasing efficiency.

Precision Farming

Precision agriculture involve the integration of advanced technologies into existing farming practices in order to increase production efficiency and the quality of agricultural products. Nowadays, continuing decrease in the costs of sensors, drones and mobile devices, coupled with advances in big data and cloud-computing technology have made it accessible to small-scale farmers.

With smart technologies, farmers will not have to rely so much on instincts and hunches. Instead, data-driven decisions can be made based on detailed information about water, climate changes, soil quality, crops health and the conditions of their machinery. Fully automated processes such as irrigation systems can kickstart when water-stress level reaches a given threshold.

Precision Livestock Monitoring

Smart sensors and wireless networks are bringing new levels of monitoring into raising livestock. For example, real-time analytics of sensor data can predict the health status and well-being of livestock and send notifications to farmers, thereby preventing the spread of diseases and death. Sensors attached to grazing animals and cameras in the fields can help farmers keep track of their herds locations remotely.

Other solutions could help farmers detect animals that are on heat and observe pregnant animals that are about to give birth. This improves profitability by decreasing labour requirements, improve reproductive performance and minimise losses due to undetected heats, undiagnosed illnesses and general animal health.

Fish Farming Monitoring

Sensors for water salinity and temperature could be installed to help farmers track the conditions of ponds. These sensors will be connected to the pond system including the water controller, feeders, and aerator so as to inform farmers of when to release the freshwater to maintain optimal salinity and temperature levels. As long as the farmers have an internet connection and a smartphone, they can remotely control their ponds.

Automated and Connected Agriculture

When thinking about applications of connected sensors and automation, their industrial uses immediately come to mind. However, the greatest impact of digital technology will be in agriculture as global food production will need to rise by 70% to meet the projected demand by 2050.