IT Enabling Industry 4.0 in Agriculture Sector
Use of smart phones for Monitoring
Smart phones are not meant to stay in pockets anymore, it is the fourth industrial revolution and IT techniques have brought the smart phones out from the pockets into the hands of the farmers.
Today, smart phones allow farmers to monitor and control irrigation system and operate the whole farm with his fingertips.
Smart phones can also be connected with the smart sensors to gather data related to level of moisture in the soil, amount of fertilizer and water needed at a certain part of field etc.
Smart phones are also used for storing records and managing bills. Financial management apps are available to help farmers manage their revenue in a better way.
Ultrasound Technology in Agriculture
Ultrasound technology has also got a place in the agriculture sector. Since the past few years, ultrasound technology was only used to examine the baby in the womb of animals but now it’s uses are getting evolved.
This technology is now being used to examine and predict the quality of meat of a certain animal before it goes to market. It also allows DNA testing to rank the animals according to their set of qualities. Hence helping the farmer to improve the quality of his farm.
Use of smart sensors
Use of smart sensors iss the backbone of agriculture 4.0. These sensors do a variety of job that a farmer could do spending a lot of time in the field.
These sensors can measure the moisture in the soil and tell the farmer where the levels of moisture are rising or dropping. They also help maintain the amount of fertilizers supplied to the crop by determining the exact need for a fertilizer ata certain part of the field. They also tell if there is leaching or runoff into ground water expected in any part of the field hence allowing farmers to take precautionary steps.
These sensors are also attached with the equipment such as fertilizer sprayers etc. and control the amounts of water or fertilizer being supplied according to the needs of crop.
Use of cameras in Agriculture
Use of camera systems is also increasing in agriculture sector for monitoring purposes. These cameras allow farmers to have a look at their livestock and examine if anything needed without visiting the farm every hour or so.
Farmers are using the camera systems to monitor the movement of their cattle from the farm to grazing fields and back. It allows them to sage their time that they once needed to spend in counting their cattle after they return back to the farm.
Camera systems are also a viable source of making the farms and fields more secure.
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!