It is well known that technological advances and the Internet of Things (IoT) are taking the world by storm. Particularly, the use of IoT technology has become more and more popular in manufacturing production lines, infrastructure facilities, industrial solutions, and many consumer products. What some don’t realize, however, is that the use of IoT technology is starting to impact the agricultural sector and greatly improve productivity and yields.
Increasing Agricultural Demands
It has been found that increased agricultural food production will be essential in the years to come. The United Nations (UN) has estimated our population could increase to 10.9 billion by the end of the century.
Who is going to feed all those people?
As the UN report puts it, “continued rapid population growth presents challenges for sustainable development”.
The Response
In recent history, the agricultural sector has shown itself able to substantially increase levels of production. We have seen it through the green revolution in the 1950s and 60s and we are seeing it today.
But to ensure that food production can keep up with demand, a range of responses will be needed.
These responses include new farming techniques being spread, notably in developing countries. This includes increased use of hardier varieties of crops and increased access to tools that enable greater productivity.
In some cases, this access to tools can mean access to farming equipment such as tractors or irrigation equipment. On others, it can include ‘smart farming’ equipment.
Smart Farming
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization summarizes smart farming as: “a farming management concept using modern technology to increase the quantity and quality of agricultural products.” Farmers in the 21st century have access to GPS, soil scanning, data management, and Internet of Things technologies.
In essence, smart farming is the deployment of advanced technology and IoT in agriculture.
Using PIPE AG technology in agriculture
Despite the images that many may have of agriculture being technologically limited, this could hardly be further from the truth. PIPE AG Technology is one example of how the agricultural sector has been keeping up with IoT development. PIPE AG technology and smart farming has been found to benefit individual farms in the following ways:
- Sensing (or observation) technologies,
- Software applications,
- Communication systems,
- Telematics and positioning technologies,
- Data analytics,
- Hardware and software systems.
Specific areas where PIPE AG IoT technologies are being rolled out include:
- GPS tracking
- Compaction mapping
- Address-less directions
- Integrations
- Elevator tickets
- IFTA Autolog
- Digital farming records
There is a wide range of uses within each of these areas. Application of PIPE AG and other smart farming technologies are being implemented daily. For more on how smart farming could continue to support your efforts and the future of farming, check out PIPE AG Today.