Hi-tech is increasingly becoming part of agriculture. The use of Industry 4.0 in agriculture increases productivity, quality and profits. It eases the analysis of data and automation in order to achieve the highest productivity.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), in order to meet the global demand for food in 2050, the amount produced in 2006 needs to increase by 70% .
While the agricultural lands remain as they are, the only way to increase production is to increase productivity. Therefore, it is essential to use hi-tech in agriculture.
Research conducted by the McKinsey Global Institute suggests that the agricultural sector has the smallest share in digital transformation. Even though technology develops at a high speed, its application in agriculture takes time.
Recently, Bosch came up with an important innovation based on the internet of things. The company developed an iron stick with censors that can measure the soil's temperature and moisture levels. This data is then transferred to the Cloud and farmers can follow the information on their smart phones. This technique is used in growing asparagus because it is crucial to know about the optimum levels of temperature and moisture in order to achieve high productivity.
Agriculture 4.0 also relies on robots. Abundant Robotics has developed a robot that collects apples. The robot which is already on sale can detect apples that are ripe using cameras and censors.
Swiss-based EcoRobotix developed a robot that decreases the use of chemicals in agricultural lands. Equipped with GPS, camera and censors, the robot removes weeds and applies insecticides directly to the plant only if it is necessary. Thus, the robot uses less insecticide than humans and causes less damage to the products.
In conclusion, in order to increase productivity in agriculture the data needs to be analyzed. Robots and automation are the best way to do this.
Source: Hurriyet (Burcu Kesayak)