Nowadays, more and more farms and agricultural professionals are adopting smart farming, or precision agriculture, due to economic and environmental issues. Although much research shows considerable benefits of precision agriculture, many small farms still worry if their initial investment is worth its benefits. In this article, we will explain what precision agriculture is, what benefits it brings and why you should adopt it.
What is Precision Agriculture (PA)?
In a simple form, precision agriculture, also known as satellite farming or site-specific crop management (SSCM), is the usage of modern technologies to optimize the management of farm operations while using minimum resources. It involves data-based technologies, including satellite positioning systems like GPS/GNSS, remote sensing, and the Internet, to manage crops and reduce the use of fertilizers, pesticides, and water. Using agricultural drones with real-time kinematic technology is one of the best ways to start adopting PA.
To learn more about Real-Time Kinematic for drones, read the article “Top Benefits of Using Real-Time Kinematic in Your Drone.”
What are the Advantages of PA in Your Farm?
- Lower costs-higher profits
Since precision agriculture enables farmers to know the exact needs of the crops, such as seeding, sowing, watering, treatment with herbicides and fertilizers, resources can be used just as much as needed, no less, no more. Thus, farmers can be free from the considerable cost of excessive and unnecessary usage of resources. Moreover, combined with higher yields and better qualities in the crops, lowered costs automatically cause higher profits.
- Higher yields-better quality
With PA, it is possible to detect the exact location of the crops, which may need extra care. Even in the same farming field, the state of the soil in different areas may vary, and the water or fertilizer needs may change among other crops. PA enables analysis of each crop’s situation with the high-precision location.
To learn more about the importance of precise location, read the article “Why High GPS Accuracy Is Important?”.
- Eco-friendly
Without the usage of smart farming techniques, thousands of tons of water waste occur, and soil and water are polluted with excessive and unnecessary use of fuel, fertilizer, and pesticides. PA prevents this from happening by helping identify the exact resources for those that need them. The efficient way of using these resources minimizes the negative impact of farming on earth.
- Easier Decision-Making Process
Due to the precise data PA provides, you don’t need to plan your work with guesses. Usage of IT gives information about where, when, and how to plant. It allows you to access real-time data about the moisture content and temperature of the soil and surrounding area, which makes the decision processes easier and faster.
Conclusion
Although you may worry whether adopting precision agriculture on your farm is a profitable solution or not, according to surveys and research, the future of PA seems to be bright both for economic and environmental concerns. There are many benefits of adopting it or new opportunities that you can create. So, it is the right time for you to invest in the future of your farm and the world.
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