IoT in agriculture

Money and time are the two most important factors when it comes to cultivating crops. Farm equipment, crops and livestock don’t come cheap. Keeping eyes on them at all times seems like an impossible task, but it is made possible with IoT-enabled surveillance systems. These systems also inform farmers of any suspicious activity, sending them alerts in real-time. The alerts are customisable too, meaning farmers can set their own parameters of what events will alert their IoT security system. You don’t want a notification every time a cow moos!

Planning crop rotations is dependent on multiple factors, such as weather and soil conditions. By collecting information from IoT sensors, farmers can plan the most optimal irrigation, crop rotation and harvesting times. Smart farming sensors measure specifics like soil moisture, temperature and pH levels. NB-IoT can scale up these operations, making it possible to have sensors communicating from 10km apart. LPWA network sensors are low energy and low bandwidth, with batteries that can last a decade before needing a replacement.

When equipment fails or gets stolen, it can put farmers yields and livelihoods at risk. With telematics and smart agriculture systems, vehicles and equipment locations can be tracked. If predefined perimeters are put in place, notifications can be triggered when a vehicle leaves a certain area. The paths that vehicles take can be mapped too, meaning the most optimal seed planting distribution and depth can be found. What’s more, with self-driving vehicles becoming a reality, it might not be long before farmers won’t even have to touch a seed. From sowing seeds to harvesting crops, the whole process is becoming more automated by the day.