Modern plantations and agricultural technology operations are carried out differently than those practiced a few decades ago. Initially, we can relate this leap in productivity and plantation management to the technological advances applied to agriculture.
Agricultural technology today includes the use of different types of sensors, the use of machines, and integrated systems. Currently, the routine of large plantations has implemented sophisticated technologies, such as the use of robotics and drones, which have revolutionized the most diverse types of agricultural processes, in addition to constantly using technologies already disseminated worldwide, such as temperature and humidity sensors, aerial images and GPS.
Check below the importance of technology in agriculture and how it has provided several advances.
Precision Agriculture
Precision Agriculture was primarily responsible for the search for new technologies and advances for plantations. This type of agriculture is based on observation, monitoring, and management of all necessary inputs, mainly the entire plantation.
New technologies have come to meet all these demands, achieve favorable results, and significantly increase production. They can be considered one of the most critical factors that made the successful use of precision agriculture in plantations worldwide.
Agricultural Technology
Several advances have been constantly used in agriculture, providing significant gains in productivity, facilitating management, and reducing various costs.
The first significant advance in agriculture was the use of GPS, which allowed the entry of other technologies such as the use of new machines guided by computer/satellite.
The use of integrated systems was another great innovation in recent years. The possibility of accessing all the data and viewing various KPIs through any computer, or simply through the smartphone screen, allowed managers to have complete control of the entire plantation.
The last major technological leap in the agricultural sector was the introduction of drones in various processes. These small unscrewed aircraft allow real-time aerial monitoring of harvesting processes and more accessible remote sensing when compared to satellites.
The Importance Of Agricultural Technology
Large farmers no longer need to apply water, fertilizers, pesticides, and some inputs evenly across the entire crop. With the use of technologies, it is possible to use the minimum amount required in each specific area and treat each plant in a unique and differentiated way.
Some of the benefits that agricultural technology provides are:
- Increase in productivity: with advances, it is possible to detect bottlenecks in production and increase the number of plants per hectare, thus increasing the productivity of the plantation.
- Reduction in the consumption of water, fertilizers, and pesticides, which, in addition to increasing profit, also reduces the product’s value.
- Decreased environmental impacts on the ecosystem and less flow of chemicals into rivers and groundwater, making the business more sustainable.
- It increased employee and process safety through highly reliable technologies that reduce the likelihood of failures and errors.
- Increase efficiency without needing more significant expenditures to maintain it — paying only for applying the technology is necessary.
- It detects the scarcity of nutrients in the soil and assertively presents the number of nutrients and fertilizers that need to be added to the ground (from the use of Drones).
In addition to all these benefits, the technological advances applied to agriculture allow for more excellent reliability of the plantation, monitoring of the entire field, and management of all the resources used.
Technology in agriculture allows complete control over production, processing, inventory, and distribution.
5 Top Technologies Today
Some of these technologies have stood out amid this period of significant evolution in agriculture. Among them, we will highlight those we consider the main and most impacting on the sector.
Sensors
The use of smart sensors has been applied in agriculture. This agricultural technology makes it possible to monitor the plants fully. These sensors can capture the crop’s health, the need for water, and the nitrogen content in the soil. These sensors aligned with 4G connection technology allow constant and real-time monitoring of the plantation.
Each farmer can search for the type of sensor that best suits their needs. There are different types of sensors on the market that can monitor various details of the plantation.
As they allow monitoring of the health of the plantation, they allow for the detection of diseases and contamination, enabling quick action by managers to solve the problem. The data from this agricultural technology can still be used to formulate KPIs, which make it possible to monitor the performance of the plantation as a function of time.
Drones
This small, remotely controlled aircraft is the last major technological leap that precision agriculture has undergone. Unscrewed Aerial Vehicles, as they are also called, can carry high-resolution cameras and the most diverse types of sensors, allowing this technology to be used in several applications.
Agricultural GPS
The Global Positioning System, or GPS, is a technology that has been applied on a large scale in agriculture for some years. This technology enables applications such as complete plantation mapping, virtual soil and field sampling, monitoring and inspection of agricultural processes, and complete production mapping.
Big Data
This term is used to describe an immense volume of data, extremely varied, that makes up the business. The most important thing is not the amount of information but what is done with it.
Big Data has been implemented in precision agriculture, enabling the best flow of information, faster and more effective analysis, and leading to better decisions and strategy creation.
Mobility
Farmers no longer have to worry about lack of access to some resources and the internet. With the emergence of 4G internet, work and access to information have become more straightforward and accessible in recent years.
This wireless and high-speed connection has allowed the introduction of numerous new technologies in agriculture. Farmers can monitor the farm in real-time, follow machines during work, manage staff, and access data, KPIs, and plantation information on their smartphone screens.
Also Read: Four Technologies That Will Revolutionize The HR Industry
