The process of utilizing various technological innovations to upgrade and automate the many processes of farming is known as farm automation. This technique is meant to ease the labor and time-intensive processes of agriculture that challenge farmers around the world. [1] With the help of farm automated farming and agricultural technology innovations, farmers can acquire more time and resources to redirect into their properties.

Figure 1. The Automation Farming

Figure 1 As robotics and drones are relatively new inventions being adopted for agriculture, it’s perfectly understandable that the current cost of acquiring these tools is high. This is also one of the biggest challenges of farm automation as a vast majority of farmers cannot currently afford such techniques.

It comes down to governments and corporations working together in order to make these technologies more affordable for farmers. The research and development that needs to go into this segment are on the higher end for now, but it can have profound implications on the future of our planet.

Managing a farm is a complex activity involving dozens of operations the implementation of which is conditioned by numerous factors. These factors influence the farmers’ decisions as to the choice and application of seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, and contain information about the weather conditions, expected rainfall, air, and soil temperature, etc. This data is provided by sensors that trigger certain software algorithms that optimize corresponding agricultural processes at automated farms.

Another potential domain for agricultural IoT application is related to resource tracking and management. [3] By employing respective software farmers will be able to register all field applications with the subsequent tracking of these resources to storage locations and elevators. As a result of such optimization, food, and beverage manufacturers can excel at creating marketing value for their businesses.

Modern farming technologies greatly benefit from employing IoT in storage safety. For example, equipping silos and elevators with OPI Systems’ sensors enables to monitor the inside environment conditions and warn people about excessive heat or moisture that can be detrimental to the stored grain or send alerts if a fire is imminent.

Automation in farming isn’t limited to the ushering of state-of-the-art technologies. It encompasses upgrading conventional and introducing modern agricultural tools and machines.

Several years ago, seeding drones were only a phantasy of several brave developers – and look where we are now. [4] Robots and drones work together, creating connected smart farms. They exchange information, send signals to each other, and help agriculture to be ten steps ahead and feed milliards of people.

But any IoT solution has software instruments that stand behind and support the farm, no matter how complex it is. Every drone or automated tractor needs a brain to make the right decision about the plants in the field. 

References:

1. https://stories.pinduoduo-global.com/agritech-hub/how-smart-farming-automation-is-transforming-agriculture
2. https://nuwrld.org/adoption-of-automation-in-large-scale-agriculture/
3. https://www.progressiveautomations.com/blogs/how-to/automation-in-agriculture-new-solutions-to-eternal-challenges
4. https://easternpeak.com/blog/smart-farming-how-automation-is-transforming-agriculture/#benefits-of-agriculture-automation

Cite this article:

Vinotha D (2022), The Technology Development of Farm Automation in Agriculture, AnaTechMaz, pp.123