Everyone in the world needs to eat. Food is such a critical part of society – going far beyond providing nourishment – creating countless jobs, integrating deeply into culture, and enabling businesses that support the ever-growing global appetite.
Although agriculture today is keeping up with demand in most developed nations, food production is not without its challenges. Some developing countries such as Haiti have huge issues with malnutrition, affecting more than 35% of the population[1]. Going forward, the world will require increasing production as the population continues to grow from 7 billion today to over 9 billion by 2050. At the same time, the industry must grapple with a declining labor pool as workers move into higher value industries[2]. Climate change provides yet another drag on agriculture. The World Food Program estimates that “climate impacts on crop yields will increase the number of malnourished children by around 11 million in Asia, 10 million in Africa, and 1.4 million in Latin America” [3].
For centuries, farmers have increased production using technology, ranging from irrigation in ancient times to the agricultural machinery of today. The next step for this industry involves deploying Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Internet-connected sensors can be used to radically transform how farmers track their crops and livestock.
The most significant impact involves two major areas of the value chain: production and storage
Production
IoT will have its most significant impact on the actual production process of producing crops and managing livestock.
Soil Sensors
Soil sensors are one of the major focuses within IoT in agriculture. Several competing companies have developed sensors to help farmers decide what to plant and how to best manage their crops. For example, Arable Labs, a startup based in the United States, created a solar-powered sensor that includes built-in Wi-Fi, 2G/3G, and Bluetooth connectivity to provide a continuous stream of data for everything from soil moisture to chlorophyll levels[4].
The data can then feed into Arable Lab’s digital platform to provide customized recommendations on how much water/fertilizer will produce the most yield, as well as the best time to harvest[5]. This technology will help growers produce more food while reducing water and fertilizer use.
Pest Sensors
A second type of sensor that has significant environmental implications are those that involve pests. For decades, chemical pesticides have been used to improve crop yields. However, their use comes with harmful effects such as cancer and damage to the ecosystem[6].
One solution that can reduce the use of pesticides comes from pest sensors. These sensors can detect when and where pests are in the fields. Instead of spraying the entire field, farmers can therefore use smaller doses of pesticides in targeted areas[7]. This technology would drastically reduce the use of insecticides, reducing costs and mitigating the effects of insecticides on both the environment and human health.
Distribution
Beyond production, distribution of agricultural products also benefit from advances in IoT. Food wasted due to improper temperature management during transport results in an estimated $17 billion in wasted food annually [8]. Companies such as ZestLabs, a start-up based out of Silicon Valley, have begun producing IoT sensors to monitor produce and meat during storage and distribution[9]. This data helps stakeholders in the supply chain ensure that food is not only properly temperature managed, but also delivered in time to provide adequate shelf life – thereby reducing food waste.
Effects
The impact of IoT on agriculture will span a variety of different stakeholders across the value chain. By allowing growers to reduce their usage of fertilizers and pesticides, manufacturers of these chemicals may see shifts in demand due to the advent of IoT.
For producers and growers, IoT’s main impact will allow them to accomplish more with less. Having various internet-connected sensors throughout the field to help monitor crops and field conditions will provide significant economic benefits for producers. Producers will be able to produce more from the same levels of assets and investments.
Distributors and retailers will similarly benefit from the application of IoT, primarily as a means of improving efficiency and product quality. Better data that is enabled through IoT sensors allow distributors to monitor product storage more easily, as well as make logistical improvements to ensure products are delivered fresh. Retailers can then receive better products that use fewer harmful pesticides/preservatives.
Finally, consumers and people benefit from fresher food that will hopefully be more available as yields improve. In developing countries where food is currently scarce, use of these technologies can hopefully improve yields enough to make food more abundant and readily available.
Environmental Impact
The introduction of IoT into agriculture produces a significant environmental impact both in the short-term and long term. Estimates on IoT-enabled reduction of water usage ranges from 10%[10] to an astounding 50%[11] depending on the crop.
Long term environmental impacts will result more from the reduction in pesticide and fertilizer use enabled by more targeted management of crops. Agricultural runoff of excess fertilizer creates drastic environmental effects such as through algae blooms that deprive rivers of oxygen. As these effects work their way up the food chain, they negatively impact biodiversity and the livelihoods of many who rely on a healthy ecosystem. By reducing the use of pesticides and fertilizers, IoT can reduce these effects and create a healthier environment over time.
Social Impact
On the social end, IoT can greatly aid the effort to end world hunger, which is one of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals for 2030[12]. As IoT devices become more mature and cheaper, the hope is that eventually these devices can spread to farmers in countries facing food shortages. IBM estimates that “by the year 2050, the Agricultural Internet of Things will increase food production by 70%” [13].
For those in need, the adoption of IoT in agriculture cannot come soon enough.
[1] https://www.wfp.org/content/hunger-map-2015
[2] http://www.momagri.org/UK/agriculture-s-key-figures/With-close-to-40-%25-of-the-global-workforce-agriculture-is-the-world-s-largest-provider-of-jobs-_1066.html
[3] http://www.businessinsider.com/effects-of-climate-change-2014-6?IR=T
[4] https://venturebeat.com/2016/06/07/arable-labs-introduces-pulsepod-solar-powered-farm-sensor
[5] https://venturebeat.com/2017/03/27/arable-labs-raises-4-25-million-to-bring-predictive-analytics-to-farming
[6] http://www.toxicsaction.org/problems-and-solutions/pesticides
[7] https://www.fastcompany.com/1679725/insect-sensors-target-crop-eating-bugs-for-death
[8] https://www.ecoarkusa.com/one-company-uses-internet-things-sensors-big-data-combat-food-waste/
[9] https://www.fastcompany.com/40424163/these-high-tech-sensors-track-exactly-how-fresh-our-produce-is-so-we-stop-wasting-food
[10] https://readwrite.com/2016/08/04/iot-agriculture-costs-it4/
[11] https://www.spirent.com/Blogs/Wireless/2016/June/Cutting-Costs-with-IoT-Connected-Avocados
[12] http://una-gp.org/the-sustainable-development-goals-2015-2030/
[13] https://www.ibm.com/blogs/internet-of-things/iot-agricultural-applications/
I love the direction IoT is going with farming. I’m also wondering whether ultimately this will only be practical and cost beneficial in the mega farms in Canada and Australia because the investment required to buy equipment that could for example place exactly the right amount of fertiliser on a field would not pay for itself in smaller farms elsewhere?
Great blog, addressing a very relevant topic. I think one more important contribution of IOT could be knowledge transfer and seamless exchange of information between farmers, experts and other stakeholders.
To minimise the risk of the technology being adopted only by mega-farms, one can use the concept of pooling wherein multiple smaller farms can pool in the resources to have IOT for their farms and thus reap the benefits of it. In my opinion, giants like Syngenta can take the lead in this direction and help create certain model farms which can act as references for further propagation and adoption of the tchnology.