Smart Farming in 2021

The World’s population is estimated to be 9.7 billion in 2050 and as such, the demand for more food for the growing population is a major interest in developing countries and the world at large.

As the farming industry is set to become more important than ever in the next few decades, technology is important for increasing productivity to meet demands in the growing world thus the need for Smart Farming.

What is Smart Farming?

Smart farming involves the use of and application of modern communication technologies in Agriculture in order to increase the quantity and quality of products while optimizing the human labour required.

Technological innovation in farming is nothing new; hundreds of years ago handheld tools like axes, diggers, etc were in use, and then the industrial revolution brought about the cotton gin. The 1800s brought about grain elevators, chemical fertilizers, and the first gas-powered tractor.

In the 1900s the use of satellites to plan work became popular.

Today, the use of IoT, robotics, drones, and AI has become popular in increasing the quantity and quality of products while optimizing the human labour required by production.

The technologies available for present-day farmers are:

• Sensors: This is useful for soil, water, light, humidity, temperature management.
• Software: Specialized software solutions that target specific farm types use case agnostic IoT platforms. The Internet of Things (IoT) has provided a better way by which we can measure and control growth factors like irrigation and fertilizer on farms. The driving force of smart farming is IoT — connecting smart machines and sensors integrated on farms to make farming processes data-driven and data-enabled.
• Location: The use of GPS, Satellite, etc makes location tracking possible
• Robotics: Autonomous Tractors, processing facilities, etc are emerging robotic technologies that make farming easier.
• Data Analytics: Standalone Analytic solutions, data pipelines for downstream solutions, etc

When armed with these technologies, farmers can monitor field conditions without even going to the field and make strategic decisions for the whole farm or for a single plant.

In Columbia, Libelium — a company specialized in IoT products installed several IoT kits to control the soil. This IoT installation enables the farmer to get information about the humidity, temperature, soil moisture, radiation, etc of the soil.

Data from the ambient temperatures indicates the biological activities (parasite, worm, etc) in the soil. The soil moisture content gives information on the dampness of the soil.

Bringing it home to Nigeria, there is a need for the proper deployment and implementation of smart farming in order to bridge the two major gaps facing agriculture in Nigeria which are the inability to meet domestic food requirements and production of products that do not meet the quality standards of the export market.

Use of Data Analytics in Agriculture

Big Data which is the application of IoT, cloud computing, mobile internet, and the use of sensor nodes for intelligent sensing and monitoring will go a long way in improving agricultural productivity in Nigeria and help to meet the demands of the growing population.

The ability to analyze large chunks of data is making it possible for accurate planting, visual management, and intelligent decision for agricultural production.

The application of big data goes beyond primary production, it influences the entire food supply chain.

For example, in farm management, big data is used in recording the source of seeds and types of seeds planted. With arable farming, the seeds can be planted on the farm, and data analytics can be used to apply precision farming.

The growth process of a plant can also be monitored along with other farming parameters that affect plant growth with data analytics. Such data can then be collected and recorded with the use of sensors.

Data analytics is useful in determining the quality and quantity of fertilizer use in a way that

does not affect the standards of the products.

Based on production, the amount of storage needed can be estimated and the Government can take timely decisions to avoid Waste.

In addition, the volume of products available for consumption and export can be accurately tracked with the help of data collection and Data Analytics.

The collected data can then be structured into two: conventional data that can be

indexed or unstructured data (data that cannot be easily stored

such as sounds, voice recordings, photos). Big data can also be used to provide predictive insights in farming operations, they also drive real-time operational decisions, and redesign business processes for game-changing business models.

Finally, big data analysis can be used by government agencies, monetary organizations, and investors to evaluate farmers’ field risks, based on crop, weather and growth stages for risk management purposes.

Third Green Revolution

Smart Farming and IoT-driven agriculture are paving the way for what can be termed a Third Green Revolution.

Following plant breeding and genetics revolutions, the Third Green Revolution is taking over agriculture. This revolution draws upon the combined application of data-driven analytic technologies, such as precision farming equipment, IoT, “big data” analytics, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs or drones), robotics, etc.

As the smart farming revolution rises, it is predicted that pesticide and fertilizer use will drop while overall efficiency will rise. IoT technologies will ensure better food traceability, leading to increased food safety.

Smart farming will also be beneficial for the environment because it encourages more efficient use of water and optimization of treatments and inputs.

Smart farming has a major potential to deliver a more productive and sustainable form of agricultural production, based on a more precise and resource-efficient approach It’ll feed our population, which is projected to explode to 9.7 billion by 2050.