Agricultural IT Advancements
Modern farms and agricultural operations work far differently than those a few decades ago, primarily because of advancements in technology, including sensors, devices, machines and other information technology tools. Today’s agriculture routinely uses sophisticated technologies such as robots, temperature and moisture sensors, aerial images and GPS technology. Such IT advancements has modernized agricultural operations.
Sensors help agriculture by enabling real time trace-ability and diagnosis of crops, livestock and farm machine states. There are sensors, which could be used for testing diseases or pesticides in corps. Air and soil sensors would enable a real time understanding of current farm, forest or body of water conditions. Equipment telematics allows mechanical devices such as tractors to warn mechanics that a failure is likely to occur soon. GPS, RFIDand biometrics can automatically identify and relay vital information about the livestock in real time. High resolution crop sensors application equipment of correct amount of fertilizers needed. Optical sensors or drones are able to identify crop health across the field.
Farmers no longer have to apply water, fertilizers and pesticides uniformly across the entire field. Instead they can use the minimum quantities required and target very specific areas. This leads to decreased use of water, fertilizers and pesticides, which in turn keeps food prices down. Farming management based on observing and responding to intra-field variations gives high crop productivity. Further understanding of crop variability, geological weather data and precise sensors should allow improved automated decision making and complementary planting techniques.
Technological advancements in machinery used in the process of farming and in agriculture has made it a lot easier with saving a vast amount of time and reducing laborious work. It has increased the rate of worker safety by reducing manual or by hand work with the aid of recent advancements in the machinery used. Work load has decreased and production has increased, which eventually decreased the market price of various crops and they have become more affordable.With the agricultural IT advancements, we have more efficient field fertilizers at very affordable market price. Which made it a lot easier for a former to have more profit from a small piece of land as compared to old time. With modern advancements in the field of IT, a former is more aware of to use how much fertilizers or pesticides to make good profit. Which makes less runoff of chemicals into rivers and groundwater and hence have less bad impact on environment.
In addition, robotic technologies enables more reliable monitoring and management of natural resources such as air and water quality. It also gives producers greater control over plant and animal production, processing, distribution and storage, which results in greater efficiencies and low prices, safer growing conditions and safer foods and reduced environmental and ecological impact. Agricultural robots are used to automate agricultural processes such as harvesting, fruit picking, ploughing, soil maintenance, weeding, planting, irrigation, etc.
