The Internet of things (IoT), which is the ability for technology in every day objects to send and receive data, will revolutionize how we do everything from transportation to communication. Agriculture also stands to benefit greatly from integrating this technology into simple electronics : IBM estimates that IoT will enable farmers to increase food production by 70 percent by the year 2050. In addition to better pest management and weather forecasting, IoT could save up to 50 billion gallons of water annually, as sensors can better help farmers optimize water usage. Being able to better optimize crop management will have a transformative effect on agriculture in the following years.

THE CHALLENGES FARMERS FACE TODAY

AVAILABLE SOLUTIONS FOR FARMERS AND LANDOWNERS

Sigfox partners now offer IoT solutions by providing affordable sensors that monitor soil humidity/moisture levels and soil/air temperatures and automatically report it directly to the Internet without needing any Wifi, GSM or regular Internet connection. This helps farmers know what is best for their crops without having to manually estimate or make an educated guess. With better data being fed to them live from their own crops, farmers can be the best possible decisions for planting, watering, and pest control.

Sigfox IoT enabled sensors allow farmers to instantly know several agricultural data points about crop

Having real-time data can help landowners and farmers reduce manpower, water usage, and other maintenance costs, thus reducing costs and environmental impact. IoT soil condition monitoring solutions allow farmers to:

• Vary in sample collection times and frequency: farmers can choose and change whenever they want the number of samples per day
• Review historical measurements, which allows farmers to track patterns and what has worked in the past. Some technology partners even generate interactive charts for easier data analysis
• Review instant data through sensor mapping and smart dashboards
• Set up automatic reminders: Some technology can send farmers an alarm alert through SMS or e-mail if farmers’ crops need to be checked
• Back-up data: back up data securely so it won’t be lost, no matter the device farmers use to access it
• Integrate other data sources: Work with other data (like weather forecasts) to determine proper soil and water levels
• View data from almost anywhere: Wherever farmers have internet or data access, farmers can look at data from a phone, computer, or tablet
• Diagnose issues: Run diagnostics to determine device errors or issues
• Provide better calibration for reporting and data analysis: Run cloud calibration to ensure data is always up-to-date and relevant

Soil condition monitoring can help farmers collect a wealth of data that many landowners may not even know they have. Business Insider estimates that the average farm will generate over 4 million data points daily by the year 2034. It is up to the landowners to harness this data and use it to their advantage. By using Sigfox-enabled sensors to use existing land’s data to decipher trends, farmers can predict crop growth and better optimize resources.

THE BENEFITS OF USING IOT SOLUTIONS FOR SOIL CONDITIONS MONITORING

In addition to monitoring the above data points to find out more about crops, Sigfox-powered sensors have a wide variety of benefits for soil monitoring, including:

Better water conservation

According to the World Wildlife Fund, agriculture and farming consumes about 70 percent of the world’s fresh water supply. Conserving water can ensure we don’t deplete ground water reservoirs or cause excessive soil runoff into rivers and other bodies of water.

Less likely to over or underwater crops

Overwatering crops can affect how much oxygen gets to the roots, which prevents them from growing normally. In some plants, overwatering can also cause root rot, which may cause the crop to eventually die. Underwatering crops usually has the same outcome as overwatering: without proper irrigation, crops may not grow properly or could end up withering up and dying.

Save time and resources

Less trips out to the crop field parcels to manually check soil humidity levels and temperature means more time can be spent on other parts of the business, like bookkeeping or meeting with customers. Saving time and resources often leads to greater profits, often with reduced costs and time spent on crop monitoring. By using the Internet of Things to better monitor soil conditions, farmers will find that:

• There is better management of the land through data (which is more accurate than human testing)
• Farmers can combine outside data (like weather forecasts) with their own land parcel data to optimize crop watering and maintenance
• There are less costs for employee time, water, and crop care
• Farmers have healthier crops by optimizing water and soil care

Source: Sigfox