Over the last two centuries, the nature of agriculture has changed drastically. Humanity has gone from small, subsistence farms to sprawling, industrial compounds. This evolution has made providing crops to meet the world’s demands far more efficient. A new wave of agricultural evolution is at hand. With agriculture IoT, farms and farmers stand poised to change crop production in a way that the world has never known. The end results look to change the world forever.
Data-Driven Farms
Agriculture IoT alters the way in which people interact with the food they eat, the clothes they wear, and the cars they drive. Sensors manage and measure crops down to the single plant. Previous generations planned for their farms through weather patterns and intuition rather than accurate, measurable data.
Tomorrow’s farms utilize data from many different sources. Farmers place sensors in their fields to obtain information on topography and resources. These sensors also measure variables such as soil acidity and temperature. Farm equipment such as tractors and plows contain sensors to track crop yields, fertilizer, and pesticide levels. These innovations become widespread and precise, ensuring the highest degree of accuracy.
Given the bevy of sensors and data available, farmers can constantly keep up to date with their crops. Connectivity allows for remote monitoring. Producers keep track of crops and equipment, stats on livestock feeding, and predictive analysis for potential yields. IoT, in an agricultural sense, streamlines the entire operation to ensure the highest efficiency.
Impacts of IoT Farming
There have been huge capital investments made to promote the adoption of IoT in agriculture. Companies, many of them IT giants, spend millions of dollars in the industry. These corporations invest in everything from food startups to weather-data analysis firms. As the industry continues to develop, those influxes of capital continue to grow.
Modern industrial farming offers many improvements with the help of the Internet of Things. The results of these innovations affect people around the world. The ideal result is that hyper-efficient farms become the norm. Moving into the future, that standard is more important than ever.
As more people around the world enter the middle class, efficient production is essential. Booming economic growth in places like China and India means that more people require more resources. As their status improves, people desire the comforts of stability. They eat more meat and wear nicer clothes. These need far more materials and crops. If improving the economic state of others is to continue, efficiency is key.
Managing finite resources ensures the lowest amount of waste in agricultural production. With the ability to track all resource consumption, producers approach a state of full sustainability. Efficiency increases crop yields which can help ease the burdens of food insecurity. Struggling nations can have equal, open access to basic food and clothing. Countries experiencing famine or drought no longer have to suffer as intensely.
Increased transparency comes along with the ability to monitor resource consumption. Today, people are more concerned than ever about where their food comes from. They want food free of harmful pesticides and herbicides. Their food should be sustainable, relying safe, efficient methods. Oversight is possible when agricultural institutions take advantage of the IoT.
Conclusion
Though it may seem surprising, agriculture now stands as an avenue for unbridled innovation. Like the development of industrial farming, agriculture IoT promises to be a monumental shift in human history. Methods and means of production improve to a point where food insecurity and waste become a thing of the past. The effects of climate change and the finite nature of resources challenges farmers. Into today’s world, innovation is more important than ever. Standing at the threshold, tomorrow’s farm offers a promising future for humanity.