Smart Farming:

How Automation is Transforming Agriculture

When the concept of farming was first invented several thousand years ago, it was a remarkably novel idea that allowed our ancestors to settle in a single location and set up future civilizations. Since that point, however, the burden on agriculture has only continued to build with each passing year. Currently, traditional farming methods have moved past the point of sustainability as the enormity of the growing population has caught up with the industry. Novel new methods need to be developed to meet the challenges of the modern world, and one such solution is called Smart Farming. We look at the concept of smart farming in great detail in this article as we discuss the nature of farm automation technology and explore the various technologies associated with this method.

What is Farm Automation in Agriculture?

The process of utilizing various technological innovations to upgrade and automate the many processes of farming is known as farm automation. This technique is meant to ease the labor and time-intensive processes of agriculture that challenge farmers around the world. With the help of farm automated farming and agricultural technology innovations, farmers can acquire more time and resources to redirect into their properties.

The Different Technologies in Farm Automation

Over the last few years, various novel pieces of technology have emerged in order to assist farmers with their activities. We discuss the most noteworthy technologies related to agriculture automation in this section. The development and adaptation of various drone and robotic technology have helped farmers tackle the rigorous nature of their profession with greater ease. In particular, the following innovations have emerged in this segment:

1. Irrigation Drones

The irrigation of fruits and vegetables in farmlands is a crucial step to ensure the health and wellbeing of the produce across their various cycles. Although irrigation is a technique that's been in practice for several decades now, the technologies related to irrigation have stagnated. This is why drones are being sought after to help reduce the burdens of irrigation for farmers. Drones such as the Agras MG-1 are capable of carrying 10 liters of liquid in a single fill and they can cover over 6,000 square meters of farmland in just under 10 minutes. Such drones are capable of understanding and adapting to the various specifics of a farm such as altitude, types of plants being grown, and even the weather conditions. When combined with monitoring technology, these drones can identify specific sections of the farm that require greater attention and match these needs with immense ease.

2. Robots for Planting

Planting crops across large sections of farmlands usually takes several hours of hard labor. This task can also be executed with the help of robots and drones that are capable of planting seeds on the ground and even from the air. DroneSeed, for example, is a planting drone that's used to help reforest large spaces that have been affected by forest fires. This drone is capable of locating and targeting the precise areas on the ground that are ideal for seeding. They then use compressed air to shoot the seeds onto the ground without allowing them to scatter because of the wind.