Precision Agriculture and How It Will Push Indonesia’s Farming Sector to the Next Level

The farming industry has seen a number of technological transformations over the years and has become more industrialized and technology-driven. In the next few decades, it will become more important than ever before. The UN projects that the world’s population will reach 9,7 billion by 2050, causing global agricultural production to rise 69% between 2010 and 2050. To meet this demand, agricultural companies and farmers alike are turning to the Internet of Things, including Indonesia.

In Indonesia, IoT in farming is nothing new and precision agriculture can be the main factor to push its future to the next level. Precision agriculture can help farmers deal with a number of challenges such as water shortages, limited land availability for crops, or livestock feed levels. More than that, IoT applications in precision agriculture can increase the quality, quantity, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness of agricultural production. Here’s how it will provide benefits for Indonesia’s agriculture industry.

Deeper Insight Into the State of Crops

IoT enables farmers to continuously monitor a wide range of metrics starting from rainfall levels, the nature of nutrients that crops need to grow to a peak level, soil samples, to fertilizer inputs. Smart and connected farms will provide a deeper insight into the state of crops to help farmers make informed decisions across all fields, which is vital to maximizing productivity, quality, and optimize cost.

Better Crop Protection

To protect farms from crop-damaging insects, farmers tend to go overboard with nitrogen usage. The problem is, excessive use of chemicals reduces environmental sustainability, is expensive, and causes high crop and soil pressure. With precision agriculture, farmers will be able to administer chemicals only when needed and protect crops more efficiently.

Livestock Health Monitoring

IoT applications in precision agriculture will help farmers collect data regarding the location, well-being, and health of their cattle. For example, IoT location tracker sensors provide farmers real-time insights on whether their animals are not sick or hungry. This information is useful to identify the condition of their livestock, helping them in preventing the spread of disease to the entire cattle and bringing down labor costs by a substantial amount.

Supply Chain Visibility

In Indonesia, the majority of agricultural commodities have to pass through long and complex supply chains. For example, the rice supply chain typically consists of wholesalers, provincial markets, and many other players before reaching retail stores. In this case, satellite connectivity used in the GPS system, monitored by IoT sensors, and connected as a whole through cellular connectivity, allow them to know where their assets are and the condition of the individual goods, enabling them to take early action to safeguard quality.

Identifying Developing Patterns and Trends

Precision agriculture enables farmers and managers to determine which risks or natural conditions are likely to repeat the next year by getting insights on all kinds of crops across all fields during the entire season. More than that, by analyzing the yield by crop type, farmers will also be able to predict which product will be lucrative in the years to come.

IoT-supported precision agriculture is transforming the way farmers and agricultural businesses increase efficiency, sustainability, and scalability. Eventually, IoT will become a requirement for Indonesia’s agricultural businesses that are eager to remain competitive. Start your free trial at https://telkomseliot.com/en/request-free-trial and create a promising future for Indonesia’s farming industry with the right technology.