The agriculture IoT market across the globe is expected to grow from USD 11.4 billion in 2021 to USD 18.1 billion in the coming five years. It will cumulate a CAGR of approximately 9.8% from 2021 through 2026. These statistics clearly indicate the rise in the integration of technology-based services within the farming sector. Most farming organizations are catering to the A-to-Z requirements of their customers with the help of IoT-enabled devices and advanced tools to produce better quality.
The Internet of Things technology in farming is an advanced system specially built to enhance the efficiency of monitoring the crop fields via sensor devices and integrating automation with the irrigation system. It covers multiple aspects like humidity, temperature, crop health, light, etc., to provide better effectivity in plant growth. It can thus be considered that IoT is revolutionizing the future of agriculture with its advanced implementable terminologies and allowing the farmers to use the need-of-the-hour resources for improved crop management.
The BI survey predicts that the global smart agriculture market size will be tripled by the end of 2025. Smart farming based on IoT technology helps reduce waste and enhances the overall farm productivity like the fertilizer quantity or the number of vehicles used for product deliveries. It further provides effective utilization of natural resources like water, electricity, fuel, etc. But all this impacts the growth of plants in various ways. Let's understand these in brief.
Since technology has become one of the major means of our survival, it has also created a dependency on the growth of plants whenever required. This has significantly increased the production rate as per the demands. It is now termed agriculture 5.0, where the information offered by crops turns profitable only when they are effectively managed. With data becoming the key element in the current scenario, IoT technology is revamping the agriculture sector, enabling critical decision-making. Moreover, IoT is providing farmers to grow crops in a more controlled and productive manner. The use of a smart agriculture solution in the farming sector renders:
● Remote Management
A broader perspective towards using a smart farming solution includes better facilities, especially a data-driven approach to effectively monitor the fields. It is a remarkable advancement with field data being accessed through artificial satellites. These kinds of technical facilities are benefitting the farmers with precision agriculture through better spatial resolutions. In addition, it is improving the quality work of the farm managers and assisting them with better strategies to make informed decisions. This enables remote management through real-time monitoring of the fields via smart connected devices like smartphones. It further allows better functionalities for the managers to keep a live track of the field conditions and crop health, which further improves the quality.
● Use of Sensors → Real-time Field Monitoring
● Satellite Communication → Data-driven Crop Management
● Spatial Resolutions → Precision Agriculture
● Connected Devices → Remote Farm Management
● Real-Time Analysis
The data from multiple touchpoints is collected in the form of on-farm as well as off-farm data. It is then made useful by involving advanced algorithms like AI and IoT with the help of analytics, which enhances the working of the farming organization. The data is collected in the form of real-time insights where the managers can make data-driven decisions for improved productivity and grow their farming business at a larger pace. The use of IoT-based smart farming solutions in the agriculture sector enhances the field monitoring system where there's no need for the farmers to be present at the site at all times; rather, they can use remote monitoring and smart connectivity to keep a real-time check on the produce. This reduces the efforts and saves a lot of time & energy of the managers, without hampering the effectivity of the production.
● On-farm & Off-farm Data → Real-time Analysis
● Data-driven Decision-making → Better Output
● Smart Connectivity → Reduced Labor & Time-saving
● Smart Greenhouses
Smart greenhouses are the ones that bring together the traditional farming systems and new technologies for complete visibility of the fields and automating the functionality of the entire farm. The smart greenhouses are equipped with modern sensors that facilitate continuous data monitoring via predictive models. These models are designed to fetch relevant data regarding crop diseases or infection risks, which, when found early, can be mitigated to reduce the chances of field contamination. Such IoT models and smart farming techniques allow the farmers to minimize labor work, improve resource efficiency, and use chemicals. It further helps in optimizing yield rates and maintain the ideal climatic conditions required for the crops.
● IoT-based Farming Solution → Field Transparency
● Modern Sensors Installation → Continuous Data Monitoring
● Smart Greenhouses → Optimized Yield Rates & Ideal Climatic Conditions
Apart from the advanced services, the Internet of Things technology ensures that the quality of plants and crop growth is up to the mark by assisting in remote field management. Furthermore, it essentializes the type of crop growth according to the seasons and also supports the farmers in maintaining the required climatic conditions for the high-demand crops in off-seasons.
IoT technology also plays a vital role in developing plant morphology. The change in leaves, crop yield, appropriate photosynthesis processing, growth of the plant's roots and shoots, etc. All these small yet important details are well-monitored with the help of advanced sensor devices, and the information is shared via a connected dashboard on the user's smart screen. Starting from the process of seed germination to the flowering and fruiting of the crops, you as a farm manager can extract data and use the information to keep a close eye on the health of the field. It thus helps in generating better produce and allows you to take wise decisions.
conclusion
Therefore, using an IoT-based smart farming solution can uplift your farming business to greater heights and help maintain crop health as required. Even when the demands are growing too high with such a rapid population explosion, you can fulfill the requirements by growing your business. Hence, we can say that IoT affects plant growth through remote management, the use of smart greenhouses, and real-time analysis. With the use of IoT techniques, farm managers can finally resolve the challenges of putting less effort and getting maximum outputs.
