By Saurabh Gupta
As per Fact.MR- a market research, the precision farming market is anticipated to attain a valuation of US$ 6 Bn in 2022 and is expected to rise at a 13% CAGR between 2022–2032. In 2032, the worldwide precision farming market is expected to be worth US$ 20.36 Bn. Heightening labor costs, dearth of experienced personnel, and increased demand for agricultural goods have prompted agriculturists to invest in precision farming solutions in recent years.
What’s Precision Farming Agriculture?
Globally, the consumer trends reflect the increase in demand of plant-based and vegan diets, which is driving the farmers to cultivate more and produce more. But the generation old farming techniques have become trivial to guarantee the quality and health of the produce.
The use of chemical based fertilizers, poor selection of soil and planting materials, late detection of pests and illness in trees, and poor handling of water seepage and drainage water results in low productivity.
Precision farming is a scientific technique to collect critical parameters of soil, water, weather, and the farms. The farming practices evolve based on the data points and not on estimations. Not that this information wasn’t available before, but it is crucial to maintain the seamless flow and interpretation based on relevant parameters.
Precision farming calls for a change — the change in mindset to look at agriculture from tech-lens and an adoption barrier i.e. technology. Multiple variables in the chain and it becomes quite obvious to lose the control, thereby creating a chasm between understanding and execution of guiding principles of precision farming.
The role of Data
Data is collected via various channels — Drones, telemetry devices, and farm level data. This is real gold!
- Image-based advisory — Imagery data captured via drones can help with the visual inspection of farm.
2. Smart traceability — Soil, water moisture, and weather data can be analyzed to produce better and precise recommendations to mitigate the impact of sudden changes in the weather. This drives end-to-end traceability of critical parameters over time and also, the standardization of recommendations.
3. Smart Farm management — Many farm operations or management companies (farmers, operators, integrators) typically have many systems that require constant monitoring, making it problematic to manage. Growers need to gather all their data in one place to gain insights as to the relationships of this data. The unified view of data helps in labor management, time management, and workload management.
The Challenges
Every year, governments launch various consulting and awareness programs for the farmers. The point is not to assess the effectivity of such programs. Are the farmers receptive to such initiatives? Do they have the skills to appreciate the role of precision farming in their profitability? The farmers in emerging nations have little to no technical knowhow, which impacts the growth of the precision farming sector.
