Agribusiness is an area where tech innovations are not applied at such a rapid pace as in other areas. This is due to a number of factors, in particular, the high level of risk of many innovative projects, as well as insufficient funding. Nevertheless, new technologies are gradually being introduced into the activities of agro-industrial complexes.
And the core of any technology is data. It all comes down to collecting more volumes of precise data to make smarter, reliable decisions. And even though farming is not usually associated with big data analytics or data centers, it’s changing today. Modern tech already offers growers new opportunities for yield improvement and efficiency boost. Such technologies vary by the purpose of their application, the data sources they use, and the software or hardware used for data collection and analysis.
One of the biggest tech-powered solutions in modern farming is the use of farm satellite imagery for farmsite management. And according to a report by AgriFutures Australia, agriculture is the next frontier for space tech with space pictures enabling the evaluation of the state of crops and soil remotely and effectively. Let’s see how exactly modern agribusiness leverages the possibilities that advanced technology offers today.
Agriculture and Big Data
First, let’s define what big data means. Big data is not a specific milestone after which the data is considered big in volume. Large volumes of information have existed before. Big data is not just the data itself, but a set of analysis strategies that can help to pull out maximum benefit from this data.
There are three characteristics in the essence of big data technology:
- Data volume
- Speed of data collection and processing
- Data variety
The collected data alone will not be useful. The benefits will come only after correct sorting and subsequent analysis of the information. This allows for finding the bottlenecks in farm processes to solve them effectively and increase productivity. The use of big data in agriculture holds tremendous potential. Services are becoming affordable and available even for those who have not worked with big data before or couldn’t afford it. Here are some of the most widely used tech powered by big data.
Field Devices
Special devices collect various data from fields. For instance, they can be inserted into the ground to determine the soil moisture, temperature, and other critical parameters. Some devices can be attached to vehicles to help monitor their route, performance, and fuel consumption.
Weather Stations
There are remote weather stations for weather forecasting. They are also installed in the field to provide the most accurate weather forecast. This helps to predict related threats and to plan field treatment, especially irrigation.
Farming Software
There are technologies that do not require installation of devices in the field at all. Software programs collect data from different sources and analyze it with advanced algorithms. The sources of such data can be satellite pictures, drones, other devices, or open data sources. Having all the necessary data on one online platform, the farmer can make smart decisions on farm management based on accurate information, saving both time and money. An example of a company that offers such solutions would be EOSDA, which leverages satellite imagery analysis in its digital tools for agriculture and other industries.
Big Tech in Farming
Even one of the biggest tech companies of the world, including Amazon and Microsoft, have already stepped into the food sector. Microsoft, for example, is working on a digital farming platform Azure FarmBeats that operates via the company’s global cloud technology, Azure. The goal of this platform is to offer farmers access to real-time data and analysis on the crop and soil state. The value of such data highly depends on the volume and quality of information gathered and analyzed with algorithms. That is why the company builds partnerships with top producers of farm drones and sensory devices.
However, there are other examples of big companies entering the agribusiness game. For instance, the Japanese tech company Fujitsu has developed a high-tech farm where they produce lettuce on stacked shelves in a modern greenhouse managed by computers. Besides, thanks to cloud technology, these computers are connected to Aeron, Japan’s largest food retailer.
Ultimately, tech and agriculture go hand in hand in the modern world. It’s almost impossible to imagine a modern farm without any technology used at any stage of production. Especially, if the farmers are concerned about staying not just staying cost-effective but also sustainable.