Internet of Things (IoT) Â and other related new and emerging technologies are set to change and improve Smart Cities. agriculture is using these technologies, deploying IoT for smart farming, creating what now we call Smart agriculture.
Mobile operators and 5G deployment, governments, and city councils are working on a new approach to implementing smart city solutions which contribute to delivering real, long-term benefits to businesses and citizens alike.
Smart Cities initiatives provide valuable resources which can assist governments, city planners, and digital service providers in deploying connected solutions, thus creating cities that are truly smart.
One of the most challenging questions the food and agricultural industry ponder is how to double food production by 2050 with less land available every year.
Moreover, according to the United Nations, the planet's global population is expected to reach 9.6 billion by 2050. Feeding this much population represents a challenge for the farming industry. By embracing IoT, food production could be increased by 70 percent, according to Beecham Research.
Other challenges, such as extreme weather conditions, rising climate change, and environmental impact resulting from intensive farming practices increase the demand for changes in food production.
Data and analytics have many benefits, and agriculture has more data than almost any other industry. Farmers around the world are using data and analytics to increase food production to help meet the ever-growing global demand.
With tractors having sensors and with sensors also on the fields, farmers can record real-time data on the condition of the soil, the soil moisture, and the amount of sun the plants have received. The analysis of the data collected give farmers the insight they need to keep feeding the world in a smarter way.Â
Smart agriculture denotes the application of IoT solutions in agriculture.
Similarly, Smart Farming is a farming management concept using modern high technology that sustainably increases the quantity and quality of agricultural products. In other words, data and IoT-based smart farming enabling the future of agriculture.
Farmers in the 21st century have access to GPS technology, soil scanning, water, light, humidity, temperature management, automatic water sprinkling, precision agriculture, data management, and IoT technologies.Â
With smart agriculture, farmers can monitor the field conditions from anywhere using their mobile devices. IoT-based smart farming is highly efficient. It makes farming precise and profitable when compared with the conventional approach.
The rise of more-efficient industries, connected cars, and smarter cities are all paramount components of the IoT world. However, the application of technologies such as IoT in agriculture could have the greatest global impact.
Smart farming based on IoT technologies will help farmers both to reduce waste and enhance productivity. This can be from the quantity of fertilizer utilized in the soil to the number of journeys the farm vehicles have to make to the field.
According to Beecham Research, smart farming can be structured in seven application areas:Â
Intelligent Connectivity enables increased crop yields, crop quality, and livestock management through enhanced monitoring of soil conditions, better use of pesticides and fertilizers, improved animal welfare, and more accurate prediction of weather conditions.
Big data platforms, assisted by Artificial Intelligence (AI) use multiple real-time data feeds to make more informed food production decisions. Connected drones are used for crop spraying, land management, and aerial surveillance.
Through machine learning and data analysis, AI-assisted agricultural platforms will continue to enable long-term improvements to production through enhanced understanding of the whole agricultural process.
