What is meant by precision agriculture?

Precision agriculture can be defined as “the application of modern information technologies to provide, process and analyze multisource data of high spatial and temporal resolution for decision making and operations in the management of crop production” (National Research Council, 1997).

What is precision agriculture in simple words?

“Precision Agriculture is a management strategy that gathers, processes and analyzes temporal, spatial and individual data and combines it with other information to support management decisions according to estimated variability for improved resource use efficiency, productivity, quality, profitability and …

What is an example of precision agriculture?

One example of a precision agriculture practice is to evaluate the natural soil variability of a field. If the soil in one area holds water better, crops can be planted more densely and irrigation can be sparing. Or, if the plot is used for grazing, more cattle can graze than a similar area of poorer quality soil.

What are agricultural sensors?

Agricultural Sensors. A number of sensing technologies are used in precision agriculture, providing data that helps farmers monitor and optimize crops, as well as adapt to changing environmental factors including: Optical sensors have been developed to determine clay, organic matter, and moisture content of the soil.

What kind of data is needed for precision agriculture?

One developing area of precision agriculture involves monitoring and analyzing data related to the weather, soil, pest or hydration conditions of a specific farm, field or even plant to make exact and predictive farming decisions. Collecting and transmitting this data in meaningful ways has been a barrier, but innovators are working to change that.

What is the definition of a sensor network?

A sensor network comprises a group of small, powered devices, and a wireless or wired networked infrastructure. They record conditions in any number of environments including industrial facilities, farms, and hospitals. The sensor network connects to the internet or computer networks to transfer data for analysis and use.

How does precision agriculture affect the food system?

Lux Research predicts that within 10 years, “precision agriculture will be an industry of fully developed platforms that cover the entire cultivation process.” If so, the result could be a food system with less waste, using fewer chemicals, functioning at lower cost.

How are robots being used in precision agriculture?

Another promising technology for precision agriculture is robotics. From a small Rowbot designed to apply fertilizer precisely between rows of corn to a lettuce bot that pulls weeds, nimble robots are being developed to do the work traditionally done by hand or large machinery more efficiently.