How the Internet of Things is Revolutionizing Agriculture

 

First coined by Kevin Ashton, the Internet of Things (IoT) refers to any device connected to the internet, whether that’s your refrigerator, your smartphone, or even your heart rate monitor. But what does this have to do with agriculture? Well, IoT has started revolutionizing farming in a lot of ways that you may not realize. Here are just some of the ways the Internet of Things is revolutionizing agriculture today and how it will continue to do so in the future.

IoT Makes Farming Efficient

Agriculture, like most industries, has been slow to adopt technology. But these days, farmers are changing their ways. They're turning to the Internet of Things (IoT) to make their farms more efficient and profitable. Whether it's monitoring soil quality with sensors or using predictive analytics for watering crops, IoT offers many practical applications for improving crop yields. As a result, we may be seeing a huge increase in production: one report estimates that IoT will add $7 trillion to global GDP by 2025 . That's good news for anyone who eats food...and bad news for anyone who wants to invest in that kind of growth!

Smart Irrigation Systems Save Time, Money, and Water

A smart irrigation system can help automate and optimize watering schedules to ensure you're only irrigating when it's most needed. This can save time, money, and water by reducing over-watering. In addition, an automated system can eliminate overwatering by responding to real-time weather conditions and soil moisture needs. A traditional irrigation system also requires significant labor on your part; but a smart watering system responds almost instantaneously to changes in weather and soil conditions so there's no need for manual labor from you or your staff. Smart Irrigation Systems Save Time, Money, and Water: A smart irrigation system can help automate and optimize watering schedules to ensure you're only irrigating when it's most needed.

Connected to Better Seeds

New seed varieties are more resilient, grow more quickly, and produce greater yields than older versions. But creating a new variety takes years of testing and breeding—that’s where a networked garden comes in. By collecting data from different farms, farmers have access to better seeds at lower costs. The Internet of Things doesn’t just make farming easier—it makes it cheaper and more productive too. The same technology that allows your phone to connect to your car or home can do even better work when applied directly to agricultural practices. Farmers now have an unprecedented amount of real-time information on their crops and soil, helping them plant smarter and harvest sooner.

Sensors Help Grow Healthier Crops

Sensors are a part of everyday life. From smartphones and wearable tech to smart homes, there’s no telling how we might be using them in five years or even two. But how can sensors play a role in agriculture? A growing movement around smart farming could be just what’s needed to ensure that food crops grown today will not only be as healthy and plentiful, but also safer for us to eat. For example, sensors are now being used on farms worldwide to monitor soil quality and crop health, which helps farmers get better yields from their fields.

Monitoring Budgets and Profits

Imagine if you could have instant access to your company’s profits and losses, along with information on how much money each department was spending at any given time. Now imagine that data came in live and real-time. Today, companies can use technology to make all these pieces come together. For example, a recent smart garden product allows users to track everything from soil temperature to plant growth to water quality—in real time! And companies are learning that good business management starts with having access to relevant information about their operations—information that simply wasn’t available until now. That kind of high-level awareness makes it possible for everyone from CEOs down to front-line managers and vendors to make more informed decisions, resulting in a stronger bottom line.

Smart Farm Equipment Automates Tasks

The internet of things makes it possible for farm equipment to take in information and make intelligent decisions based on that data. For example, a smart tractor could tell a farmer when and where fertilizer should be spread across fields. Equipment can also monitor soil health so farmers don’t have to guess how much and when to add fertilizer. The internet of things makes it possible for farmers to improve their land and increase efficiency with minimal effort—ultimately improving crop yields.

Other Ways the Internet of Things is Changing Agriculture

It’s common to think about how IoT can revolutionize smart homes, smart devices, and technology in general. But what about agriculture? IoT is changing agriculture in several ways: increased food safety, data analysis for soil health, more efficient farming methods and an end to GMOs.