PRECISION AGRICULTURE: WHAT IS IT, BENEFITS AND HOW TO APPLY IT

Trends have changed to improve and adapt to new demands within agribusiness, and precision agriculture is one of the methods that have stood out the most in this area.

In order to take advantage of all that it can provide, it is important that you first know what precision agriculture is, what benefits it provides and how you can apply it. 

WHAT IS PRECISION AGRICULTURE?

Precision agriculture refers to a set of strategies and tools available to farmers to work more efficiently and increase soil quality and productivity.

This is possible only through using and properly implementing increasingly professional, user-friendly and advanced technologies. 

Precision agriculture is a management approach based on three fundamental pillars: observation, measurement and feedback, to know the real-time status of crops, fields and animals. 

Thanks to all the available tools, it is possible to act quickly at any time to respond to the demands of each crop and obtain better results. 

The technologies used in precision agriculture serve to:

• Gather information for decision-making
• Optimize production and cultivation
• Better analysis tools
• Better management 

WHY IS IT NECESSARY TO IMPLEMENT PRECISION IN AGRO-INDUSTRIAL PROCESSES?

It is called "precision" agriculture because the tools it provides to industries are part of the most advanced technology and, therefore, allow them to always act at the right time and in the right place, in order to respond to the demands of each crop and guarantee its quality.

By using information technology, it is possible to ensure that the crops and the soil receive exactly what they need to maintain an optimal state and raise productivity levels. 

Precision farming also helps ensure the profitability and sustainability of a precision farming enterprise and protects the environment, which is extremely important.

Using precision farming provides access to:

• Real-time data and information about conditions in plantations and crops so you know which fields to irrigate, when, and how
• Soil and air quality information
• Weather forecasts
• Optimal planting and soil management times
• Soil moisture and temperature data
• Better decisions, both immediate and future

With these options, agribusinesses can execute smarter and more optimal actions, reduce risks by a good percentage and boost their qualitative and quantitative results. 

Demands require ever faster and more innovative responses and this is only possible through digital transformation.

BENEFITS OF PRECISION AGRICULTURE

Precision agriculture brings many advantages and benefits to crops and agribusinesses. 

For this reason, it is very important to implement it as soon as possible and make the most of it.

1. COST REDUCTION

All companies are looking to reduce costs without losing quality or results and it is possible with precision agriculture.

You have the opportunity, through mapping and monitoring, to know exactly how to treat each lot or crop to reduce fertilizer, seeds, herbicides, and pesticides and generate good results. 

You will save money and products in areas where they are not needed, through precision agriculture. 

2. HIGHER YIELDS WITH THE SAME INVESTMENT

Yes, you can obtain a higher yield with the same investment in inputs, thanks to all the information that can be obtained quickly and accurately, by means of different technologies (drones, software, machinery) that are low or medium cost.

This data is perfect for acting at the right time and implementing actions before there are repercussions or major problems. For example, you can detect diseases or insects through photos taken by drones. 

In this way, you can act immediately and prevent the pest from spreading and the damage from becoming greater, causing ever-greater economic losses 

3. REDUCTION OF WORKING TIME IN THE CULTIVATION PROCESS.

When you have too many plots or too much land or crops, it is particularly complicated to monitor everything in person, so it is more likely that there will be errors in the long term or that you will have to spend a lot of time avoiding them.

With precision farming, you don't need to walk the fields daily to monitor them in real-time. Through state-of-the-art technology, you can walk them without even having to be present.

Not only do you save money in the long run, but also a lot of time, which you can use to continue growing your crops and your business. 

4. HIGHER QUALITY CROPS

Monitoring and treating each crop according to its needs helps to achieve better results and maximize its potential. Something as simple as using the right fertilizers can improve crop quality.

In horticultural crops, for example, pest control at the right times is key to avoiding crop damage and side effects, such as reduced size or color, affecting quality and price.

Quality is important in any type of crop, but some markets are more demanding than others, so it is very important to take care of all the details and even more the most relevant for each type of crop. 

With precision agriculture, it is much easier to understand crop nutrient levels, soil types, water water-holding capacity, among other key indicators.

Another key point is crop quantity. Precision agriculture involves using machinery that performs different activities to avoid losses in the field and prevent damage. 

5. POSITIVE IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT

Monitoring and controlling everything that happens in the crops in real-time favors the optimization and use of natural resources and respect for the environment, since the use of water, fertilizers, pesticides and fuel is reduced. 

It is also possible to increase production without expanding the agricultural area, reducing deforestation and the depletion of natural resources. 

Savings in fertilizers and agrochemicals have a positive impact on the reduction of greenhouse gases and soil contamination. 

In addition, water, one of the most depleting resources due to the exaggerated and unconscientious use of water, is also taken care of. 

HOW TO APPLY PRECISION AGRICULTURE

Ideally, farmers should monitor and control each crop in real-time, so if you are not using precision agriculture, it is time to consider doing so. The results will surprise you.

To start applying precision agriculture, just follow these steps.

1. SET OBJECTIVES

The starting point of any plan is the setting of objectives. The farmer must decide and delimit what he wants to achieve and why, i.e., what are the main problems currently being experienced with the crops and the land. 

He must also consider possible solutions to increase the yield of each crop, always from a realistic perspective. There is no point in setting overly ambitious but unattainable goals. 

2. DETERMINE THE RESOLUTION AND FREQUENCY OF MONITORING

Farmers must choose the resolution and frequency of data to be collected.

A resolution has to do with the level of detail that can be obtained, taking into account the information and the means of collection. It can include region, area, field, plant, etc.

On the other hand, there is the frequency with which the collected data will be updated, in order to know the real status of each crop and to be always one step ahead and avoid some risks or dangers. It can be every season, monthly, weekly, daily or in real-time.

3. CONSIDER KEY METRICS

What are you going to measure? The main objective of precision agriculture is to know each field and crop in depth in order to make better decisions, but for this, you must know exactly what you are going to measure. 

Some sources of data and information can be drones, satellites, sensors and weather stations. Depending on what you want to monitor, you will need to implement these technologies. 

Among the data that can be obtained at the agribusiness level are:

• Air temperature
• Air and soil humidity
• Soil and crop type
• Crop nutrition level
• Soil temperature
• Level of radiation, evaporation and precipitation
• Wind speed
• Crop stress
• Climate forecast
• Crop growth
• NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) - helps estimate plant health

4. ORGANIZE AND INTERPRET DATA

When you have decided what data to collect, you need to choose the best platform and technology to collect, synchronize and organize the information in a meaningful and schematic way.

You also need to analyze what kind of technology you need, what for and why. There is no point in making investments that you are not going to take advantage of and that will become an expense.

For this, it is better to count on professionals specialized in detecting needs and implementing innovative and functional solutions. Obtaining a consultancy could be an excellent tool to make the most of your resources. 

5. IMPLEMENT DECISIONS

The last step is to take action, implement changes and make decisions based on the data obtained. 

If, for example, there are areas that are drier than they should be, the ideal would be to irrigate more in that space and so on with each situation that is detected through precision agriculture.

Everything will work better with these innovative and up-to-date measures and implementations. It is only important that the data is always kept up to date to act accordingly. 

6. MONITOR TO MAKE THE MOST OF THE IMPLEMENTATIONS

Finally, it is very important to follow up on the implementations so that you can get the most out of them to achieve greater efficiency and productivity. 

Study the results and if they are not as expected, look for experts in Operational Excellence, who will help you to really make the most of all the technologies used and installed by suppliers and to ensure a correct implementation of precision agriculture in your company. 

TOOLS AND TECHNOLOGY FOR APPLYING PRECISION AGRICULTURE

Within the process of applying precision agriculture, there are some tools and technologies that companies should consider in order to obtain better results during its implementation.

1. GPS-GUIDED MACHINERY

Currently, there is technology that allows machines to cover specific areas or plots pre-established by farmers. 

In this case, drivers only have to monitor that the tracking is as indicated through GPS and thus have concrete information on the working time of each machine. 

2. MONITORING AND SATELLITE IMAGES AND DRONES

Through the implementation of satellites and drones, it is increasingly simple and practical to obtain aerial images of crops, facilitating their monitoring and the observation of elements that may go unnoticed by the human eye.

In this way, it is possible to obtain accurate, real-time information on the state of crops and make the relevant decisions, depending on the scenario. 

These two technologies, in particular, are gaining momentum in the application of precision agriculture.

3. PROXIMITY SENSORS

There are different types of sensors, but the most commonly used in precision agriculture are temperature and humidity sensors. 

This technology is very functional for farmers because it makes it possible to detect crop stress and the level of humidity they have in order to undertake irrigation actions or adjust them, according to what is found. 

In other words, it makes it possible to detect and solve problems more easily and with fewer resources. 

ConclusiOn

The constant fluctuation of prices within agribusiness makes it even more important for this sector to be at the forefront of technology in order to have a good level of competitiveness in the market.

This is much easier through technology that allows maintaining the quantity and quality of crops at an affordable but profitable price, and this is possible with precision agriculture.

In the near future, everyone involved in agricultural production will have to implement these tools to obtain greater profitability, so it is better that you start at once. 

Do you need advice for this process? Let yourself be guided and helped by experts. At London Consulting Group we know how this sector works and we can find innovative and effective solutions for your business.