IT Enabling Industry 4.0 in Agriculture Sector

The traditional modes of farming and agriculture are getting faint after the introduction of IT based technologies such as AI, big data, IoT etc. in the agriculture sector. 

These technologies have provided farms an opportunity to optimize their yield by using smart sensor and high-tech systems to store and transfer data, to do smart contracts, to manage the crop production, and to optimize the financial aspects. These technologies are providing the real-time analysis and prediction based data to optimize the growth and lower the associated risks. 

Let’s have a look at these technologies being used in agriculture sector so far. 

Blockchain technology in Agriculture

Blockchain refers to the system used to create timeless, permanent and clear records of exchange and processing. The system uses digital technology in which data and information are recorded and exchanged quickly and securely in a decentralized manner.

Blockchain technology in agriculture, which includes smart contracts, makes it possible to store data from the beginning of process to the end consumer, ensuring the legitimacy and authenticity of every transaction which eliminates the risk of any dishonesty in the supply chain. Blockchain technology avoids potential fraud on product quality in order to control treatment across the chain to the point of sale. In blockchain technology, data is stored in the following ways.

Unencrypted data – This data is transparent and is read through every node in the network.

Encrypted Data – This data is available to participants. The decryption token provides access to data in the blockchain and also verifies the data contained in the system.

Hashed data – This data introduced the function. Hashed data consists of a small unit called soil base unit (SBU) in which historical records is continuously recorded using blockchain technology. The fourth revolution in agriculture, 4.0, created a blockchain that is used to store old records, and the decision made by analysts is being made on these SBUs. This SBU stores data such as data related to different types of crops, diseases, solids, nutrients required by the crop at the present stage.

 IoT technology in Agriculture

The potential growth of the IoT industry is in the agricultural sector. Internet of Things (IoT) technology opens up the possibility of deploying IoT devices in agriculture around the world, enabling data to be sensed remotely. Farming data collected through sensor-linked devices help in monitoring the crop growth and supply of essential nutrients such as fertilizer and water and hence optimizes the production. 

The use of IoT logic and cloud computing, by verifying every parameter in the supply chain network, improves the depth of the system in terms of marketing environment, processing and production in agriculture based on precision sensing.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution revolutionized the field of agriculture through the Internet of Things (IoT). Agricultural data is collected through the smart sensors under the supervision of IoT and this data is transferred to the big data analysis software which then is translated to the actionable form. IoT is a sensor-based technology that is used to improve the performance of existing systems so that the information collected from IoT is monitored by devices and action is taken to improve it. It is run by a high-tech system that use various sensors to measure data related to environment, soil structure, fertilizer intensity and its effects on plants. Once these parameters are monitored, the data is transferred to the decision-making system where it is necessary to follow the atomization of the process according to different agricultural applications. Farming techniques are analyzed by sensors through IoT and the farmer is being recommended to improve the traditional process.

IoT draws the line between virtual and real world. IoT has allowed the physical objects in the world to become intelligent through online communication. The system transitioned from machine to communication, machine to infrastructure and from machine to environmental communication.

Drone analytics

The agriculture sector is developed with Agriculture 4.0 technologies that use drone analytics to perform crop analysis through images and videos attached to big data analytics software to show how crops are growing and where potential improvements or repairs are needed. 

Using drones, farmers identify which parts of crop field needs more water or fertilizer, and which areas need anti-​weeding spray. Today these drones are used in agriculture as remote fertilizer vehicles to easily cover a specific area or individual plant.

Under the Fourth Industrial Revolution, drone technology is used to monitor various activities in the fields of agriculture through various sensors developed by high-tech systems. The data collected by the drone is forwarded through IoT systems for analysis.

Big Data Analytics

The use of various data collection techniques improves the development of the agricultural sector.

“Big data” refers to the large-scale processing of data collected from information and communications technologies (ICT) to obtain faster decision-making data to improve productivity. Since all data on crop production and rotation issues over the past decade are available in storage, it makes it possible for farmers to take precautions in advance using the predictive approach provided by Big Data and IoT. 

Artificial Intelligence

Recently, under Industry 4.0, the demand of a new machine learning technique called artificial intelligence (AI) increases in various activities. This artificial intelligence (AI) used pre-stored data for decision making and need of agricultural sectors while preparing the schedule for these activities in advance. This predictive approach has revolutionized the agricultural sector and has helped farmer in predicting a potential risk and take advance steps to avoid that risk.

IT is improving day by day and industries are implementing advanced IT based systems for optimization purposes. Yet there is a lot to be done in agriculture sector. Most parts of the word are still using the traditional modes of agriculture. There are very less examples of farms where IT based techniques have enabled agriculture 4.0. This needs to be improved in order to head towards the agriculture 5.0. 

Let’s see, what happens next!