The ultimate purpose of using any method of farming or technology in Agriculture is to increase the yield
The produce is mainly influenced by the climatic and soil conditions. Farmers and agricultural scientists are mostly aware of when to : sow , supply nutrition and water the crops. Just like how you would take care of a child with respect to the vaccines and nutrition that you need to provide to them in their growing years and beyond, each crop has it’s own cycle of supply and weather conditions that need to be taken into account.
Adhering to the schedule of growing crops and the monitoring weather at the same time is a tedious process, if it’s done manually. This is where IT and IoT can help the farmers in variety of ways. Due to the advancement in sensor technology and network availability , today it’s possible to provide the farmer with not only the soil / weather data but also integrate with existing knowledge base and provide valuable insights into predicting yield and taking corrective actions.
Choosing a suitable IoT and IT solution for the crop you are growing requires a detailed analysis of available sensors (Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Potassium, CO2, Soil Moisture, Leaf Wetness, Soil Temperature, Air Temperature, Humidity, Rainfall , PH, Electrical Conductivity etc) and having a sufficient budget to procure and install them. Apart from the sensors you also need to look at the network availability and power supply at the site. In terms of network, you can rely on Lora, Wifi and cellular technology depending on the site conditions and number of units you want to install. When it comes to power you can deploy Solar based solutions if there is adequate sunlight. As data is fed into the IT system, you can based on the schedule and plant growing phase decide to remote operate a water pump to supply water, get alerts on nutrient adequacy etc. You can also integrate IT Apps to online weather data and get forecast alerts for your crop growing needs.
As your needs vary and grow, you need someone who can provide you integrated solutions. This is where companies like Techuva , who build custom solutions come in to play. The team will identify your need , do analysis of the available sensors and also help you make a decision on power supply and IT application features. You also get the benefit of getting the solution implemented from a single IT and IoT partner. As your understanding of the technology and benefits grows you can keep adding more sensors and IT features to suit your needs.