Smart agriculture is when farmers use fancy technology like smart sensors, GPS, robots, and machines to help them farm better. These gadgets can check things like how wet the soil is, how hot it is, and if plants are healthy. They can also help with jobs like planting and picking crops. The main goal is to make farming easier and produce more food.
Climate change impact on Agriculture
With climate change, the weather keeps changing, which makes it hard for farmers to grow enough food. This means more people might not have enough to eat, especially as there are more people in the world. Smart agriculture helps deal with these problems by using smart technology to adapt to the changing weather. It also helps to stop bugs and weeds from ruining crops, keeps plants healthy, and reduces harm farming can do to the environment. So, it helps make sure there’s enough food for everyone, even when the weather is not favorable.
How smart agriculture helps
Easy food production:
Smart farming simplifies food production by employing specialized solutions for plants or breeding crops that can handle tough weather.
Managing Pests and weeds:
It helps farmers deal with pests and weeds without using too many chemicals, which is better for the crops and the environment.
Healthier Crops:
Smart devices help farmers keep an eye on their crops and fix any problems before they become big issues.
Eco-Friendly Farming:
Using smart tech means farmers can use fewer chemicals and produce less pollution, making farming better for the people happier to buy it.
Better Products:
Food grown with smart farming is often healthier and tastes better, which makes people happier to buy it.
Smarter Land Management:
Smart agriculture helps farmers use their land better by giving them lots of data about things like soil and weather, so they can grow the right crops in the right way.
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Edge computing and Smart Agriculture
Edge computing devices act as the smart assistants directly on the farming practices. Given that many farms lack fast internet access and farmers may not possess all the necessary tools or expertise, these devices become invaluable.
They enable the use of smart devices and sensors to monitor crops, livestock, and equipment. By leveraging these technologies, farmers can increase food production while improving quality, all while conserving resources and minimizing environmental impact.
For instance, sensors can measure soil moisture to optimize water usage, while high performance computing allows for on-sight data analysis, leading to enhanced farming efficiency.
Edge Computing role in Smart Agriculture
In farming, smart technology plays a crucial role in various aspects:
- Soil Quality:Farmers can utilize mobile devices to assess soil moisture levels and its colour, indicating its health status.
- Livestock Health: Sensors attached to the animals enable farmers to monitor factors like temperature and heartrate, ensuring the animal’s wellbeing.
- Crop Health: Drones with specialized cameras can inspect crops health by analysing their colour and identifying any signs of damage caused by pests.
- Disaster Protection: Edge computing facilitate the prediction of natural disasters, enabling farmers to take necessary precautions and mitigate potential damage.
- Leaf Health: Drones are also capable of assessing leaf health, detecting signs of pest infestation or disease.
- Satellite Images: Accessing satellite imagery assists farmers in monitoring crop growth worldwide and understanding the impact of weather changes.
- Crop and Soil Monitoring: Smart technology can predict if plants are experiencing heat stress or if there are harmful microbes in the soil that could affect their growth.
- Predictive analysis: Advance models can forecast crop growth under different seasonal conditions and predict market prices, aiding farmers in making informed decisions.
https://www.xenonstack.com/glossary/edge-computing-agriculture
So, basically, edge AI helps farmers make smarter decisions and keep their crops and animals healthy, even in places where it’s hard to get help.
Components of smart Agriculture with edge computing
In smart farming, edge computing serves as on-site smart assistants. Here’s how it functions:
- Sensors: These act as the farm’s senses, collecting essential information such as soil moisture, temperature, and crop health.
- Edge Computing Device:These are like mini-computers located directly on the farm. Instead of sending data elsewhere, they process it locally, enabling faster decision-making.
- Data processing and Analysis: These mini-computers analyze sensor data swiftly to determine necessary actions, such as irrigation scheduling or identifying pest infestations.
- Actuators and Control Systems: Once decisions are made, these mini-computers control devices like sprinklers or drones to execute tasks, similar to having robots assisting on the farm.
- Connectivity Solutions: Despite being in the field, these mini-computers maintain communication with each other and sometimes with larger remote computers. They utilize WiFi, cellular networks, or satellites for connectivity.
Case Study of Smart Agriculture
The study made in research paper “smart strawberry farming using edge computing and IOT” by Mateuscruz, Samuel Mafra, Eduardo Teixeira and felipe, presents a successful case study in utilizing innovative technology to enhance strawberry cultivation.
Strawberries are vulnerable to diseases and adverse weather conditions, often requiring significant chemical intervention for protection. To address this, the study developed a specialized system leveraging edge technology.
This system gathers and analyzes farm and weather data in real-time, including using cameras to identify strawberry diseases with 92% accuracy. Moreover, it utilizes LoRa communication for long-distance data transmission.
The system incorporates machine learning to detect anomalies in data and ensure accuracy. These advanced technologies work synergistically to assist farmers in maintaining the health of their strawberry plants while promoting environmental sustainability. Field trials demonstrated the effectiveness of the system in real-world strawberry farm setting.
Technology Used
Technology usedin the project includes wireless sensors, cameras, and computers, forming a comprehensive smart farming solution tailored specially for strawberry cultivation. The system enables data collection and analysis, communication over long distances without WiFi dependency, and affordability and ease of implementation across various farming scenarios. Data is stored both in the cloud and on a Raspberry Pi for accessibility and data security.
1. Wireless Sensors Network
A Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) functions similar to a network of wireless detectives spread across the field, monitoring parameters like temperature, humidity and soil moisture in real-time. WSNs are versatile and adaptable, capable of handling diverse farming conditions and transmitting data wirelessly over long distances.
Computer Vision
Computer vision is like giving machines the ability to see and understand images. It is very popular especially with the method called deep learning. Deep learning is similar to artificial neural networks but goes even deeper, providing a hierarchical way of understanding data through layers of processing.
In smart agriculture, CV is used to analyze image to understand what’s happening in the farm. For example, it can detect diseases on plants, analyze soil conditions, or even help with automatic irrigation. Researchers have developed systems using neural networks to detect diseases in plants with higher accuracy. They have also created robots that uses CV to detect diseases and apply herbicides autonomously.
Machine Learning
Machine Learning focuses on teaching computers to learn and gain knowledge on their own. ML algorithms can learn from data and make prediction about future events. They can also spot unusual behavior, like if something doesn’t fit the usual pattern.
In some research papers, researchers have been using ML techniques with IOT, which is about connecting devices and sharing data over the internet. They’ve used a model called isolation forest to detect cyber-attacks on small devices. This model can tell the difference between normal and unusual data, like if someone tries to hack into the device.
In agriculture, ML is used for predicting diseases. For example, there’s a system that uses ML to spot diseases early in grape farming. It uses a model called the Markov model to analyze data and classify it based on how the crop looks, catching diseases before they spread. Some researchers have even improved the Isolation Forest Model by adding a fuzzy method to make it better at spotting unusual data quickly and accurately.
Future Outlook on Smart Farming
Smart farming is a game-changer for farmers facing challenges like climate change and meeting the growing demand for food. Currently, agriculture is a major source of greenhouse gases, which contribute to global warming. However, smart farming offers solution by leveraging advanced technology.
The United Nations has set a goal to end hunger and ensure food security by 2030. Smart farming could play a vital role in achieving this goal by revolutionizing agricultural practices. It relies on technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and remote operations to collect and analyze vast amounts of data. This data helps farmers increase crop yields, reduce resource usage, and cut costs.
By adopting smart farming techniques, farmers can mitigate the environmental impact of agriculture while improving productivity. However, to fully realize the benefits of smart farming, it’s essential to ensure reliable internet connectivity in rural areas. Improving internet access is crucial for enabling farmers to access and utilize these advanced technologies effectively.
Conclusion
By the above study we can conclude that smart agriculture is like giving farmers superpowers to grow more food, save resources, and protect the environment. By using advanced technology like AI and smart sensors, farmers can make better decisions about their crops and animals.
This helps them produce more food, use less water and chemicals, and reduce waste. Overall, smart agriculture makes farming easier, more efficient, better for the planet.