SMART AGRICULTURE TECHNOLOGY

 

 

         

 

 

 

 

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements …………….………….…….……………………………………………………………………. v

Foreword……………………………………………….…….……….……………………………………………….vi

Executive Summary ……………………………………………………………….…………………………….…vii

1.0 Executive Workshop Summary.    .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  1

1.0 Introduction and Background   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  1

1.1 Specific Objectives of Using SAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..  . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

1.2 What is the Meaning of Agricultural Technology  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 2

1.3 Importance of Agriculture Sector  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..  . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

1.4 What are the Benefits of Smart Farming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 2

1.5 What are the Disadvantages of Smart Farming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1.6 Common Constraints Facing Agriculture  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2.0  IT Infrastructure and networks that facilitates SAT   .  .  .  .  .  . .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .3

2.1 IT infrastructure and networks in rural areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 3

    2.1.1 Challenges . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 3

3.0  Smart Technologies Enabling Agricultural Transformation.   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 7

3.1  Drones in Agriculture. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 

3.2  Robots in Agriculture. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 8

3.3  Sensors- Soil and Water. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . 8

3.4  GPS Technology in Agriculture. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . 8

3.5  Precision Farming in Agriculture. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . 8

3.6  Data Science and Soil in Agriculture . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . 8

3.7  Information Technology in Agriculture. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . 8

3.8  Nanotechnology in Agriculture. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . 8

3.9  Information Technology in Agriculture. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 8

4.0  SAT Skillset  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 8

4.1 Entrepreneurial and Innovation Culture in Agriculture   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 8

4.2 The Need for Digital skills in Agriculture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

4.3  How do I start a Smart Farm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5.0  Conclusions and Recommendations  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  14

5.1 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 16

5.2 Recommendation   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 16

0.0 Executive Workshop Summary

It is projected that the world population will reach 9.1 billion by 2050 and beyond as we move into the 21st century.  For developing nations in Africa, it is projected to be home to about 2 billion of these global citizens, therefore, farm productivity must accelerate at a faster rate than the global average to avoid continued mass hunger.  The Agricultural sector in Nigeria is the major employer in rural areas and hires about 70% of the Nigerian workforce.

First, what is smart Agriculture?  Smart agriculture refers to the use of sensors, drones, satellites and other farm assets to generate and transmit data about a specific crop, animal or practice to support agricultural activities. Smart farming solutions rely on connectivity between Internet-of-Things (IoT)-enabled devices to optimize production processes and growth conditions while minimizing costs and saving resources.   This workshop is timely in the present circumstances and I am sure that the outcome will improve our understanding of smart technologies and tools used in agriculture.

Fortunately, smart agricultural technologies can provide a solution.   AgricPreneurs can now deliver solutions to small-size African farms at cost models that farmers can afford. The barrier of entry into farming technology has dropped, as cloud computing, connectivity, open-source software, and other digital tools have become increasingly improved, affordable and accessible.  The improvement in technology and increase in population, and with other immerging issues such as digital divide, limited resources and, more significantly the degradation of the environment and with the state of the earth, I believe that we will need to change our way of life quite drastically.

While there are still obstacles to overcome, smart technologies open vast untapped potential for farmers, investors, and entrepreneurs to improve efficiency of food production and consumption in Africa.  To achieve this goal, small-scale farmers must step-up to smart farming strategies. The small-scale farmers have the highest population involved in agriculture but produces the least in terms of output.  A smart small-scale farmer is one who is in control’ and focused on technological solutions and digital tools to solve his agricultural problems.  It is imperative to state that future farms will be small and smart, in order to minimize space and environmental impact while maximizing crop yield. Therefore, small-scale stakeholder rural farmers must begin to integrate these smart technologies; Precision Farming technology, Sensors-Soil and Water technology, GPS Technology, smart-phones, remote-sensing services, Drones technology, Robot technology, Data Accumulated from Soil, Information Technology, Nanotechnology, Centre Pivot in Irrigation, cloud computing and distributed computing.

The aim of the workshop is to present the technologies in the field of smart agriculture that are applied globally, to describe the current situation at the local and national levels, to detect important problems and challenges in the field and to enable them to embrace and practice modern solutions. I would like to begin by presenting some general background on the topic.

 

 

1.0 Introduction and Background

Historically, agriculture has undergone a series of revolutions that have driven efficiency, yield and profitability to previously unattainable levels. Market forecasts for the next decade suggest that agricultural technologies (AgroTech) will be the newest shift which could help ensure agriculture meets the needs of the global population into the future.

Digitalization will change every part of the agricultural food chain. Management of resources throughout the system can become highly optimized, individualized, intelligent and anticipatory. It will function in real time in a hyper-connected way, driven by data. Value chains will become traceable and coordinated at the most detailed level whilst different fields, crops and animals can be accurately managed to their own optimal prescriptions. Agricultural technologies will create systems that are highly productive, anticipatory and adaptable to changes such as those caused by climate change. This, in turn, could lead to greater food security, profitability and sustainability of life on earth.

1.1  The Specific Objectives of Using SAT

The objectives of this workshop on the Application of Smart Technologies in Agriculture are as follows:

z To enable the farmer to realize higher income and better profitability through access to right information at the right time, and from innovative services.  ie. through this strategy, farmers know whether to sell or store their produce, and when, where and at what price to sell.

z To enhance efficiencies in the usage of resources including land, water, seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, and farm mechanization by providing easier access to information. i.e., This will enable the farmer to take inform decisions on what crop to grow, what variety of seed to buy, when to sow, and what best practices to adopt to maximize the yield.

z To formulate and leverage a framework for realizing the ‘power of the smart agriculture where farmers get the benefits of innovative solutions and personalized services driven by emerging technologies.

z To build capacities across a range of digital agriculture and precision agriculture where the agriculture supply chain players plan their production and logistics on precise and timely information. 

z To provide location-specific and personalized extension services across agriculture lifecycle, with simultaneous protection of privacy of personal data.

z To give a boost to R&D and Innovations in agriculture through access to high-quality data.

1.2 What is the Meaning of Agricultural Technology

Smart Agricultural technology (or Smart AgroTech, - SAT) refers to the use of sensors, drones, satellites and other farm assets to generate and transmit data about a specific crop, animal or practice to support agricultural activities with the overall aim of improving yield, efficiency and profitability.

1.3 Importance of Agriculture Sector

Agriculture plays an important role in Nigeria

         i.      Higher crop productivity

       ii.      Decreased use of water, fertilizer and pesticides

      iii.      Keeps prices down

     iv.      Reduced impact on natural ecosystem

       v.      Provides safer growing conditions and produce safer food

1.4 What are the Benefits of Smart Farming?

Ø  Improved products

With high-quality control and experiments, nowadays many farming ‘companies’ produce crops with a certain taste that is different from other vegetables. The greens mostly are categorized as organic and pesticide-free

Ø  Precise data
Assisted with tools, predictions or actions can be made of accurate data. Because certain plants are better in high temperatures, crops rotation is easier to decide. The data can be saved and used as a reference in the future if there is a similar condition coming up.

Ø  Environmentally friendly
As farmers could minimize pesticide use, irrigate water sufficiently, manage waste efficiency, current farming damages are slowly getting revived. It is predicted that years from now, farmers could build a farm with varied commodities without removing the endemic flora and fauna.

Ø  Efficient management and cost-effective
As many labor works are done by the technology, the management costs can be reduced or allocated to maintain the technology. The farmers could also be away, but keep controlling the farm from far away.

Ø  Low risk
The technology could predict any disaster that might happen to the farm whether it is viral diseases, climate changes, or others. This helps farmers to be well-prepared for eventualities.

1.5 What are the Disadvantages of Smart Farming?

Despite the benefits above, smart farming also carries several potential risks. The biggest of them is prone to be damaged. Without any regular care, technology is prone to get broken by natural factors like heavy rain, strong wind, thunder strikes, and more. It could be a big loss for the farmer. Moreover, the maintenance cost is not cheap with updates and further research and development often needed.  And finally, high-level skills are needed to coordinate the implementation of smart agriculture.

1.6 Common Constraints Facing Agriculture

The main obstacles that hinder the development of the agricultural sector include;

         i.      Poor access and low use of improved seeds and fertilizers

       ii.      Under-investment in productivity enhancing technologies including agricultural mechanization;

      iii.      Limited access to financing for uptake of technologies

     iv.      Unreliability of rainfall in some of the regions

       v.      Limited use of available water resources for irrigated agriculture

 

2.1  IT Infrastructure and networks that facilitates SAT

In the era of digitalization, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) devices such as smart phones and computers have revolutionized how people access knowledge and information, do business and use services. These devices, smart phones and computers.

 Understanding digital infrastructure of Broadband network segments

2.1.1 Challenges

One challenge is that network coverage in rural areas remains limited. Despite 4G becoming the most common mobile connection globally and 90% of being able to access the internet through 3G or higher quality network, only around a third of rural populations in rural communities receive coverage by 3G networks.

Smartphones have become a major way for consumers to access internet. Falling handset prices and innovations such as pay-as-you-go plans mean that mobile devices are increasingly affordable and accessible, including for rural.  Among the world’s poorest households, 7 out of 10 have a smart phone and more households in rural communities. However, these are not always web-enabled smartphones.

Although the growth of smartphone ownership and use of mobile broadband has been faster in Nigeria than every other country in recent years, there are still twice as many mobile-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants in Nigeria.  Affordability is the main barrier to smartphone ownership in rural communities where a basic mobile broadband plan still corresponds to over 60% of gross national income per capita on average.

 

3.0Use of Smart Technologies in Agriculture in Nigeria

3.1          Technologies that more precisely target pests and diseases.

The need for medicines and pest control agents in agriculture is not likely to disappear any time soon, however. Technological advances in the science of pest control are expected to continue to produce chemical control agents that over time are at least as effective in controlling pests as the ones they replace, but which are also less toxic, less persistent and less mobile through the soil. The greater application of monitoring and knowledge-based systems, aided by reductions in the costs of electronic sensors and computers, should also enable farmers to be more economical in their use of pest control agents, especially insecticides: applying them only when and where necessary, rather than according to predetermined dosages and schedules. Eg. Using AI to detect pests and diseases.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.2               Technologies that administer nutrients more efficiently.

Farmers have traditionally relied on two main practices to supply nutrients to root zones: manuring and burning. Inorganic fertilizers allowed the separation of crop production from animal husbandry, restored fertility to depleted soils, and contributed to the development of livestock production based on grain and other feed ingredients. Research into the specific needs of particular crop-soil combinations and livestock have led over the years to more scientifically formulated fertilizers and feeds. Wider application of technologies that administer fertilizers only at the times and in the amounts needed can be expected to increase crop yields further while reducing leaching and runoff of nutrients.

 

 

Ø  Technologies that administer water more efficiently.

Many of the technologies still used for irrigating crops are as old as civilization itself. The problem — today just as in ancient Mesopotamia — is that conveying water through open channels and furrows is wasteful: much of the water evaporates before it reaches the root zone.  Water wastage occurs when excess of water has been used to the fields. Many technologies are improved to decrease the water consumption and human involvement in the particular task in an agricultural field.

In African countries that practice irrigation farming, much of the water used in agriculture is carried to fields by pipes; but technical efficiency could still be improved through greater application of technologies that, like precision fertilization, combine more accurate measurement of actual crop needs with means to deliver the water more accurately and in more precise dosages.

   

There are Smart Plant Watering System Ideas for Easier agriculture. They include;

a.       Automatic Drip Irrigation Kit for Potted Plants

b.      Outdoor Automatic Drip Irrigation Kit

c.       In-Ground Watering System

d.      Self-Watering Plant Pots

e.      Multi-Adjustment Lawn Sprinkler on a Spike

f.        All-in-One Oscillating Sprinkler Kit

g.       Customizable Garden Row Soaker System

h.      Sensor-Enabled Watering Kit

i.         Smart Sprinkler Controller

j.        Pivot irrigation

k.       Smart Irrigation Drone

 

3.3            Technologies that reduce wastage following harvesting.

Technologies used in African countries to harvest, transport, store, process and distribute farm commodities are very less efficient, and result in much higher levels of wastage. Virtually every part of most crops and animals can be recovered for some commercial use — e.g. for feed, fertiliser or energy.

The United Nations aims to halve global food waste by 2030, and technology solutions have shown promise in supporting that goal. Food can be lost early in the supply chain, during production and processing, or later, when restaurants, supermarkets and households throw it away. Rampant food waste worsens global hunger.  For example:

a.       Tap to save surplus food:  Around the world, dedicated smartphone apps offer options to re-allocate surplus food from supermarkets, restaurants, and homes – thus saving it, at the tap of a finger, from ending up in the bin.

b.      Helping at the source:  Producers sometimes discard food due to excess output, as well as unexpected crop spoilage. They may also throw out healthy fruits or vegetables that look slightly odd or misshapen. Some Restaurants in The Netherlands serves surplus food sourced from farmers, producers, packaging companies and brokers.

c.       AI to analyze waste:  Wasteless, meanwhile, uses artificial intelligence (AI) to maintain dynamic pricing on items with upcoming expiration dates. The objective is to help supermarkets and online grocery stores in Europe and the US reduce food waste and extend the value of their perishable food items.

d.      SMART DATA:  Food giant Cargill’s have been experimenting with blockchain technology to help track turkeys from farm to market and give both consumers and supply chain staff a better understanding of the providence of each bird.  Consumers can text an SMS message complete with a code found on a tag on their turkey to determine exactly where the bird was from. The information is held in the blockchain.

e.      SMARTER TRANSIT:   have developed sensors to monitor the state of fruit as it travels from farm to store. The sensor is designed to record the experience of the fruit in the pallet as closely as possible, so is the same size and composition as a fruit. The sensor provides constant feedback on the temperature in the container, because even minute changes are capable of significantly changing the speed at which picked crops ripen. This not only influences food wastage, but also creates variance in the use-by date on the produce.

f.        food waste mitigation technologies (AgroFresh):  in 1996, it developed 1-MCP (1-Methylcyclopropene) based technologies, which suppress ethylene development and its degrading effects on produce.

g.       Other applications that can help reduce agricultural wastage include; Smarterware Smart Storage, BluApple, Edipeel, Hyperspectral Camera, Edible Graphene Identification Tags, eFarmers.ng, farmsquare, Infosys smart agricultural solutions, circular agri-food system.

    

3.4            Technologies that disseminate knowledge.

Historically farmers relied on their own experience and that of their neighbours with regard to adopting “good farming practices”. Advice and information from publicly funded agencies and agri-food industries is increasingly focused on environmental effects. The Internet provides further developments in the dissemination of information on sustainable technologies. 19 more sophisticated medicines to some extent took pressure off of natural resistance. However, as consumers in AFRICA countries started demanding products that use fewer or none of these agents, a renewed stress on developing natural resistance can be expected. Eg. Deployment of Interactive Information Dissemination System like farmsio

 

 

 

3.0   Smart Technologies Enabling Agricultural Transformation

There are important enabling technological tools that facilitate agricultural transformation. Three key enablers are: the use of internet and mobile and social networks among farmers and agricultural extension officers, smart agricultural skills among the population and a culture which encourages smart agripreneurship and innovation within the society.

3.3 Drones in Agriculture

Drones have become a useful technology in the agricultural sector in the past few years. With the help of these, farmers now have access to analyze their crops’ status from a higher level. It helps them in defining their crop’s biomass, heigh, water saturation level, among many others. It also keeps a check on insect invasion, which can be prevented by spraying insecticides on insect-prone areas with the help of drones.

They provide valuable and accurate data that are often useful in preventing further damage to crops.

3.4 Robots in Agriculture

A robot is a machine that moves independently, imitates humans, recognizes the external environment, and makes independent judgments about how to handle different situations. Agricultural robots will operate in every area of the agricultural process, including production, processing, distribution, and consumption. They will recognize the service environment and autonomously provide intelligent work or services. Agricultural robots can be defined as “intelligent agricultural production systems that can minimize human intervention, control themselves, and maximize efficiency.” Traditional farming machines and unmanned aerial vehicles can be utilized by robots in the fields of agricultural product selection, automated distribution systems, facility horticulture, and automated livestock care.

Robot usage can be divided into three fields, depending on where they are used. These fields include open-field agriculture robots, facility agriculture robots, and livestock robots. These fields will aim to improve productivity through automation, unmanned farming, and the promotion of eco-friendly farming.

The tasks of these robots consist of processing the seeds till planting them. They are also capable of detecting errors and solving them without much problem.

The use of agricultural robots has no doubt increased the productivity of the crops and has lessened the need to employ more labor. However, the need for human labor is always a must in a field, though less in number. No amount of robots or automated farms can handle the daily chores of a farm better than human labor. It can be said that agricultural robots are the best helping hand when it comes to increasing the efficiency of the land

3.5 Sensors - Soil and Water

Soil and Water sensors are an economical option for farmers who cannot afford Nanotechnology, or other highly equipped and costly technological advancements. These low-cost sensors help detect the nitrogen level and moisture content in the soil and crops, among other beneficial and necessary conditions. It helps the farmers to plan and schedule their crops’ water requirements. When a crop lacks the necessary water requirement, this sensor identifies it and the farmer can then take the necessary actions to restore its water level.

 

These sensors also have an added benefit which has kept them in high demand in the market. Along with identifying the soil productivity and water requirements of the crops, these also decide the use of fertilizers. This gives the farmers the time to manage and distribute their fertilizers effectively.

3.6 GPS Technology in Agriculture

The use of GPS in the navigation sector has produced amazing results. It has been possible because GPS provides easy access to places that were hard to reach. The use of GPS systems in agriculture has a somewhat similar feature and benefit. It has contributed tremendously to Site-specific Farming and Precision Farming.

The main aim of this technology in agriculture is to allow the farmers in zero-visibility areas to continue their work. It has been a major issue in zero-visibility to monitor work when there is heavy rainfall, fog, or dust. GPS contributes to the daily functioning of farming activities when such situations arise.

There are some uses of GPS and GIS technologies that we should know about. They are farm planning, field and yield mapping, variable rate planting, variable rate lime and fertilizer application, variable rate pesticide application, crop scouting, tractor guidance, soil sampling, among others.

GPS Benefits in agriculture include; precision and soil sampling, data collection, and data analysis; accurate field navigation, ability to work through low visibility conditions; accurately monitor yield data and environmentally responsible.

Apart from these, other technologies are also being used in the market. Let’s take a look at some of the other technologies.

3.7 Precision Farming

Maximum profit can be obtained in each zone or site in a field by balancing precise amount of farm inputs (seeding rate, variety, herbicide, and insecticide) as per crop needs, which can be determined by weather, soil characteristics (nutrient availability, texture, and drainage) and historic crop performance.

Different crops have different requirements when it comes to soil and weather conditions. Thus, growing a random crop in a random soil will not only affect the yield of the crop but also, the quality of the soil after the harvest (if at all). Smart-day technology can overcome such challenges and ensure that the farmers are perfectly sure which soil is suited for which crop.

Thus, Precision Farming is a new technique that uses satellite maps and computers to boost crop yields and reduce waste by creating and analyzing a match between crop, fertilizer, and crop protection applications to local soil conditions. It helps in increasing productivity, efficiency, profitability and keeps malnutrition of the crops under check.

ResearchGate: Information process flow of Precision Agriculture.

3.8 Data Science and Soil in Agriculture

With the agricultural soil quality getting contaminated and depleted by the day, the farmers need to understand the quality of the soil. But how would they do so with the traditional method of farming? It is where the smart-day technology of accumulating the data from the soil and producing them as actionable information for the farmers comes into play. For farmers to make informed decisions, it is necessary to understand the nature of the soil. The capacity of land and soil to yield productivity depends on its sustainability and availability. Thus, to understand the land and to analyze its future productivity, the farmers need to learn more about the past and present state of the land.

For this, the soil data is accumulated, and soil maps are prepared, to provide access to various farmers and agriculturists to study the soil capacity so that sustainable agriculture can be initiated.

 

3.8 Information Technology in Agriculture

The entry of Information Technology has sparked the progress of the agricultural sector. The most important contribution of Information Technology has been the weather forecast reports. It has helped the farmers be better prepared and gives them a heads-up if any natural calamity or heavy rainfall is to occur in the near time. Information Technology also gathers information and keeps track of the market prices, seasonal changes or drifts, local demand for goods, cultivation tricks, and useful techniques, among many others that have proven useful in the past.

The use of Information Technology have not only proven useful for agricultural fields but farmers too. It has helped them stay updated with the latest trends and techniques used in farming. They are aware of new applications that have been developed to help make farming easy, which is one of the most positive signs of Information Technology. Examples of such apps include; …

  

3.8 Nanotechnology in Agriculture

The advent of nanotechnology is a great success in the entire field of science. It has made several discoveries and inventions possible. The study of nanotechnology has produced amazing results in the field of agriculture too. Right after it entered into the agricultural sector, the results are improving at a tremendous rate. Nanotechnology works with nanoparticles to produce effective results.

In agriculture, nanotechnology has made tremendous progress and is used for several reasons. They make the crops healthier than before. They involve a scientific approach that has to be analyzed by biological experts only. They require a certain amount of skills and knowledge to be administered. The nanoparticles used in farming are sprinkled across the field as pesticides and fertilizers at appropriate times.

They are released into fields after conducting thorough research about the land and are responsible for growing healthier crops and disease-free for consumption. With the help of skillful professionals with thorough knowledge of nanotechnology and its use in agriculture farmers can grow better quality crops that are not just good for selling to the customers, but also, are great for the wellbeing of the customers.

 

 

4.0 SAT Skillset

The rise of high-speed internet connections, web-enabled smartphones, mobile apps, social media, VoIP and the smart technologies discussed in the previous chapter, have significant potential to create Smart farmers. However, many small-scale farmers in developing countries remain isolated from digital technologies and lack the skills to create entrepreneurial and innovation culture in agriculture.

4.1 Entrepreneurial and Innovation Culture in Agriculture

Digital entrepreneurship in agriculture involves the transformation of existing agricultural farms and businesses through novel digital technologies and the creation of new innovative enterprises characterized by: the use of Smart technologies to improve farms or business operations, the invention of smart (digital) business models and engaging with customers and stakeholders through new (digital) channels.  Globally, there are an increasing number of initiatives to foster digital agricpreneurial activity related to the creation, development and scaling-up of ‘digital start-ups’ in agriculture and food sector.

The Smart farmers will often design business plans, scout for funding, make use of farming enterprise ‘incubators’ and attend AgroTech conferences. Youth farmers in particular are more likely to take risks in this sector as they are a better fit to the current day technologies.

In the Agrofood sector, the digital transformation will change the structure of the labour market and the nature of work. It will redefine the role of farmers and agripreneurs and alter the skill set required in the Agrofood sector. It may also transform how and where people work and is likely to affect female and male workers differently due to differences in digital skills and technology use. There is a need to develop a model of digital skills training aimed at farmers so they can learn to assess and implement the best practices and technologies for their farm business.  

4.2 The Need for Digital skills in Agriculture

Digitalization creates demand for digital skills and for people who are competent in using digital devices, understanding outputs and developing programmes and applications. This requires not only basic literacy and numeracy but also data handling and communication skills. In populations where such skills are lacking, education must improve quickly; ICT is developing at an incredibly rapid pace and rates of learning must keep up.

For someone aspiring to engage in SAT ventures should have a firm understanding of the twin paths of modern technology and agronomy.

  i.            Complex problem solving

This nearly goes without saying in agriculture, where a diverse and ever-changing set of challenges and data points tend to defy pat year-over-year answers. But guess what? The problems are going to get even more complex. Think the match of agronomy and precision technology is complicated? Now overlay it with the data considerations of digital farming. It’ll be like thinking in three dimensions.

ii.            Critical thinking

Critical thinking requires objective analysis and evaluation – essential as data-driven agriculture moves away from reliance on simple observation and “gut feel.” An ability to judge the veracity and relevance of torrents and data and match it with unerring instinct to set up the most favorable outcomes for growers will be – is now – highly prized.

iii.            Creativity

The beauty of smart technology is . . . it’s new, so generally there are no rulebooks. This allows for a lot of latitude as long as results are achieved. Eras of change reward those who are able to make sense and process out of chaos.

iv.            People management 

Do you have the people skills to deal with the inevitable frustrations from this new and faster pace of action?

v.            Coordinating with others

An ability to handle “handoffs” to other members of the team adroitly and diplomatically will be critical to anyone working in collaborative environments as we all do.

vi.            Emotional intelligence

It’s often said that farming is as much an art as a science, and this is where emotional intelligence comes in. Can you discern when a farmer … Just. Doesn’t. Want. … to go by only the data, even if you’ve tried time and again to convince him or her that to do so would be the better route? Backing off and allowing the customer to arrive at his or her own conclusions can take a good deal of patience and emotional intelligence.

vii.            Judgment and decision making

Conducting analyses and having detailed and wide-ranging discussions is one thing. Coming to a final conclusion and suggesting a prudent path forward is another. (So is taking ownership for a decision.)

viii.      Service orientation

This nearly goes without saying. Raise your hand if you don’t have a customer who ultimately pays your salary. As the internet saying goes: “Go ahead. I’ll wait.”

 ix.         Negotiation

When there are no set rules, nearly everything can be a negotiation. How well can you sell your idea to others? Can you accept rejection? Can you accept compromise?

x.            Cognitive flexibility

How nimble can we stay intellectually? Can we shift modes rapidly without getting burned out? How well do we deal with change, and with ambiguity? Cognitive flexibility is an important quality to have in an era of data overload.

xi.            Domain Knowledge. 

Certainly, there will always be a call for what technologists like to call “IT domain knowledge” – that is, expertise gleaned from years of trial-and-error experience. But increasingly, real-world outcomes in AgroTech will come from data science, IoT, Robotics, Embedded systems, GIS & GPS, ICT, artificial intelligence and machine learning, with experienced real-world agriculturists in effect acting as AgroTech consultant.

4.3 How do I start a Smart Farm?

As mentioned before, you could start by identifying the goals and what aspect you are focusing on. Then prepare the money and choose the suitable technology. If your finances do not support it, you can try to collaborate with researchers. So, they can do their research and you can get the best crops. Another way is by finding investors.

After the technology is already set, maintaining smart farming is not an intermittent process. More research regarding the actions to be taken and possible

5.0 Conclusion & Recommendations

5.1      Conclusion 

The use of smart technologies and tools in agriculture will cause a significant shift in farming and food production over the coming years. Potential environmental, economic and social benefits for communities are significant, but there are also associated challenges. Disparities in access to smart digital technologies, tools and services mean there is a risk of a digital divide. Smallholder famers and others in rural areas are particularly at risk of being left behind, not only in terms of e-literacy and access to smart technological resources but also in terms of productivity and aspects of economic and social integration.

Simply creating smart technologies is not enough to generate results. Equally creating awareness and implementation strategies will need to provide the basic conditions and enablers for digital transformation.

Application of smart technologies in the agricultural sector can significantly increase the efficiency of agricultural land use, which will result in increased quantity and quality of agricultural yields and in reduced negative impact of climate change.

While there are still obstacles to overcome, smart technologies open vast untapped potential for farmers, investors, and entrepreneurs to improve efficiency of food production and consumption in Africa.  To achieve this goal, small-scale farmers must step-up to smart farming strategies. The small-scale farmers have the highest population involved in agriculture but produces the least in terms of output.  A smart small-scale farmer is one who is in control’ and focused on technological solutions and digital tools to solve his agricultural problems.  It is imperative to state that future farms will be small and smart, in order to minimize space and environmental impact but maximize crop yield. Therefore, small-scale stakeholder rural farmers must begin to integrate these smart technologies; Precision Farming technology, Sensors-Soil and Water technology, GPS Technology, smart-phones, remote-sensing services, Drones technology, Robot technology, Data Accumulated from Soil, Information Technology, Nanotechnology, Centre Pivot in Irrigation, cloud computing and distributed computing.

In sum, the general directions to where farming should move through using smart technology solutions come to the following:

1. Monitoring of crops, animals, and weather to transform available parameters into valuable data;
2. Optimization of use of water and land;
3. Reduction of agricultural waste for protection of the environment;
4. Improving work efficiency through better planning based on constantly collectible data;
5. Improving resilience through mitigation of vulnerabilities to environmental disasters, pests, and pollutions;
6. Reduction of costs to boost both the productivity and affordability of agricultural products.

5.2      Recommendations

a.       Creation of an Agro-eLearning educational platform for smart agricultural technology consultancy for the purpose of self-education and strengthening of the application of precision farming.

b.      Design a manual or toolbox for the end user (farmer, Agro-food or forestry company, etc.) to facilitate digital transformation in our communities.

c.       Simply introducing smart technologies is not enough to generate results. Social, economic and policy systems will need to provide the basic conditions and enablers for digital transformation.

d.      Creation SAT extension centers where extension workers could spend time in the office researching and developing plans for sustainable farming, and visiting farmers to facilitate, communicators, helping farmers in their decision-making and ensuring that appropriate knowledge is implemented to obtain the best results with regard to sustainable production and development.

e.      There is a need to develop a model of digital skills training aimed at farmers so they can learn to assess and implement the best practices and technologies for their farm business.