How AI, IoT and mobile apps are driving the AgriTech revolution

India’s agricultural sector is on the cusp of a breakthrough. The Indian agricultural industry is going through a huge transformation, a revolution as we speak. The Green Revolution was a revolutionary initiative that brought agriculture to the forefront of the Indian economy. While the industrialization of agriculture and initiatives like the Green Revolution have brought agriculture to the forefront, a new wave of technological advancements and new-age startups are revolutionizing agriculture as we know it.

At present, agriculture and related industries contribute 17-18% of the country’s GDP. According to research, the population of India is expected to reach 1.6 billion by 2050. Therefore, it is pertinent that we take agriculture and related industries more seriously to boost production and sustain the needs of the population. growing Indian population.

Technological advancements and new-age startups are rapidly changing India’s agricultural landscape. Artificial intelligence, smart apps, mobile apps, and the Internet of Things (IoT) are now more accessible than ever and technology adoption in the agriculture industry is on the rise. These changes have many benefits by making agriculture more profitable and sustainable, helping to boost production, increase productivity and reduce waste.

How the IoT is redefining agriculture

IoT in agriculture can be divided into four broad categories based on their application and usage: waste management, drones for field management, routine monitoring machines, and soil monitoring sensors .

Here are some of the ways IoT is used in agriculture:

Agricultural sensors: IoT-enabled sensors today can give farmers a detailed analysis of the topography and resources in the desired area. Smart agricultural sensors can help farmers collect data on soil quality, temperature, humidity, ammonia concentration and other variables. It helps in real-time soil monitoring and provides data on moisture, temperature, electrical conductivity, soil ph and organic matter content. It is also essential in the livestock space to monitor the type of micro-environment available to the livestock.

Smart greenhouses: An IoT-enabled smart greenhouse automatically monitors and adjusts various parameters such as temperature, lighting, humidity and irrigation. It can be controlled and monitored using IoT and connected devices, eliminating the need for manual labor.

Water Management: Water management is a crucial part of agriculture. IoT-based devices can provide farmers with crop needs, weather conditions, and land moisture content, helping them improve their irrigation system.

Livestock monitoring and management: IoT-based sensors can provide detailed data points on animal health, welfare, temperature, activity and nutritional levels, helping to reduce the spread of disease.

Artificial intelligence and smart agriculture driven by mobile applications

Artificial intelligence (AI)-based data points will be a crucial game-changer for agriculture in the decades to come. AI-led precision agriculture and farm management, pest prevention, farm robots, automated weeding, and crop quality identification will help improve operational efficiency through a supply chain unified and to make agriculture smart, predictive and intelligent. AI also plays a crucial role in identifying symptoms in the livestock space and helps in faster diagnosis so that livestock are not affected by a significant factor and any major outbreaks can be stopped early. To take full advantage of AI-driven technology, India’s agricultural sector needs to address two issues: having better digital infrastructure in rural areas and having efficient data practices.

Smart apps are the next frontier of development in agriculture. As the number of agritech start-ups increases, there is a proliferation of smart mobile-based applications across the agricultural ecosystem. Mobile applications in the agricultural space are of different types: B2B agricultural stores that provide a platform for farmers to sell their products at good prices, GPS tracking applications that provide key performance indicators to optimize yields , peer-to-peer information for a closely-knit community of farmers. that facilitate information sharing and weather forecast apps that predict weather changes in advance.

With the fluctuating Indian climatic conditions, being climate proof becomes extremely important. Mobile apps provide farmers with smart forecasts and changing weather conditions. Mobile apps also help farmers monitor crops, water management, livestock management, better production and operational efficiency. Various apps also provide farmers with detailed data such as crop quality, pest control, livestock health and feed.

With internet penetration in rural areas and smart phone access, smart farming is now a reality. Digital agriculture enabled by mobile apps empowers farmers to make data-driven decisions with a farm management solution. These new era apps and start-ups provide farmers with crop reports and information, advice based on satellite inputs, and help maximize operational efficiency.

Ensuring last mile delivery

The success of agricultural transformation based on IoT, AI and smart apps will depend heavily on two things: digital infrastructure and last mile accessibility for farmers. With the rapid digital transformation occurring in agriculture, government, NGOs and the private sector need to make consolidated efforts to provide end-to-end farmer-centric solutions, including educating farmers on technology, building rural digital infrastructure and giving them access to the latest tools and technologies.