“In the landscape of extinction, precision is next to godliness”
– Samuel Beckett
The history of modern farming has been punctuated by a series of technological advancements and sophistication of agricultural practices. The first wave of agricultural revolution most prominently met the farming industry with mechanized solutions in the early 1900s which reduced manual labour significantly and simultaneously improved the output. Since then, scientific innovation has been at the forefront of farming practices and has brought efficiency, higher productivity along with sustainability to the farmland and its produce.
The last wave of disruption was the green revolution which transformed agriculture into an industrial sector and furthered the efficient operation of farming practices by the adoption of various new technologies and methods such as, insecticides, pesticides, herbicides, tractors, irrigation systems, high yielding variety seeds and more. This boosted the productivity of the agricultural sector drastically and made it possible to commercialize farming on the scale we see today.
However, decades after the great revolution, there seems to be a new leap in innovation at the block, Precision farming. As of late, the productivity and efficiency of farming methodologies seem to have reached their plateau stage. The Indian agricultural sector is growing at less than four percent per annum and the current practices aren’t helping to improve that. With IoT disrupting nearly every sector today, the latest revolution in modern farming will seemingly be governed by a suite of technologies and modern tech equipment. This third wave of agricultural revolution has come in the form of precision farming.
What Is Precision Farming?
Precision farming or precision agriculture is the adoption of a farming model that focuses on improving crop yields and reducing inputs by the implementation of strategies such as measuring, observing, and mapping farmland for optimized and maximized productivity.
Fundamentally, precision agriculture makes use of data and map sensing to plan and execute strategies for better productivity and also ensures good soil health and sustainability of the farmland.
Why Precision Farming?
The investment in agricultural lands in the last decade has been rapidly increasing, however, the current techniques of production have come to a plateau with an annual increase in output of just 4 percent. Precision farming has become the need of the hour as it can optimize the production for better results along with providing improved sustainability of the land resource.
More Output, Less Input
The concept of precision farming revolves around the idea of making farming more efficient and easy while reducing costs where possible. Cutting down on pesticides, fertilizers, herbicides, and other inputs precisely on points where it least affects the output, not only helps in making necessary cuts but also wholly improves the profitability from the produce.
Reduces the use of chemicals
Unlike conventional farming where, pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers are sprayed without knowledge of soil type, nutrient levels, land composition, precision farming allows farmers, to know about their land in precise detail and execute farming techniques in a more efficient manner.
High-Quality Produce
Employment of precision farming techniques also leads to better quality organic produce with minimum waste. The techniques of soil assessment, strip-tilling, and better use of water in plantations help farmers not only produce better quality crops but also get a higher price for their produce as a result.
Improved Sustainability
Precision farming helps to read every aspect of the farmland with advanced mapping and works out detailed strategies that eke more output while maintaining soil health and improving land fecundity.
Challenges In Precision Farming
Like the previous disruptions in farming, precision farming has indeed brought higher productivity to the table but is still faced with a few drawbacks.
High costs involved
The costs involved in precision farming are quite high compared to the traditional forms of farming. An approximate cost of 2 lakh per hectare is said to be a challenge for adapting to this technology. It requires advanced farming equipment, internet facilities, and a cost for laying the setup.
Lack of Technical expertise
The technological model of precision farming is not a simple one. Global positioning systems, Geographical information systems, Yield monitors, Remote sensors, proximate sensors, soil mapping, and forecasting software are quite complex equipment of machinery for Indian farmers to operate. Plus it requires Indian farmers to take
Connectivity Issues In Rural Areas
Even as of 2021, the reach of high-speed internet across India is not readily accessible. Rural towns and cities might be able to get better connectivity due to the rapid development in tower technology but remote and distant farmlands are subject to extremely poor connectivity issues.
E-Waste
Although precision farming is set to minimize waste on various fronts, the use of technical equipment is indeed bound to create e-waste in farmlands. The discarding of older technology for upgraded tools along with broken parts will create challenges for the environment and might also run up emissions in rural areas.
Not feasible for Smaller Lands
In addition to the complexity of technical equipment, they are also not very feasible and practical for farmers with small landholdings. The cost incurred per hectare coupled with the low output from small lands does not make precision farming a profitable venture.
The conventional method of farming today are much in need of up-gradation with declining sustainability, plateaued productivity, and the need to meet goals of higher productivity. In this new normal epoch of the farming sector, the new opportunities for agriculture are not readily disseminated yet. But the initiative to a better way of farming is the need of the hour for farmlands in India.
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