{"id":37975,"date":"2020-12-14T08:10:39","date_gmt":"2020-12-14T13:10:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/?post_type=emagazine&p=37975"},"modified":"2022-09-14T06:23:52","modified_gmt":"2022-09-14T10:23:52","slug":"smart-agriculture-iot","status":"publish","type":"emagazine","link":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/secure-futures-magazine\/smart-agriculture-iot\/37975\/","title":{"rendered":"This new tech could help produce enough food for a population of 10 billion"},"content":{"rendered":"

The UN estimates nearly 10 billion people will inhabit our planet by 2050<\/a> \u2013 two billion more than today. How will we feed them?<\/p>\n

With the current population path, global food production must increase by 25 to 70 percent before 2050<\/a>. It may seem impossible, but \u2018smart agriculture\u2019 is starting to help farmers increase production, lower costs and conserve water.<\/p>\n

Smart agriculture uses connected technology, like internet of things (IoT) sensors or cutting-edge tech like robotics, drones and AI, to increase quantity and quality of farming products while reducing impact on the land. It\u2019s about making farming more efficient and precise.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Sensors, satellites and internet-connected tractors<\/h2>\n

Smart agriculture often involves capturing and analyzing data in new ways to give farmers information that helps them make better decisions. For example, smart sensors can give farmers detailed maps of topography, resources and soil temperature<\/a>. They can use climate forecasts to predict weather patterns in the coming days and weeks \u2013 predicting weather is hard in the developing world<\/a> because weather forecasting infrastructure is less developed.<\/p>\n\t\t\t

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The benefits of smart agriculture\u2019s big data use are shaping today\u2019s farming more than we might think.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re witnessing companies like Google, IBM and Microsoft invest in farming, alongside an increase in the number of non-traditional farm employees like computer technicians and programmers. Tech and big data could play a pivotal role in our agricultural future.<\/p>\n

Professor Derek Stewart, AgriFood Business Sector Lead, James Hutton Research Institute<\/p><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n

C<\/a>limate Edge<\/a> uses data capture and analysis to help farmers in the developing world farm better. They\u2019re fighting common problems like lack of affordable farm insurance and barriers to joining cooperatives by providing farmers with sensors and data-analyzing equipment.<\/p>\n

When the challenge is to do more with less, data-driven agriculture has a lot to offer. Internet-connected tractors<\/a> can ensure no waste through overlap when sowing seeds or spraying. Satellites can monitor crop health and sustainability<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to see why IoT is a hit with farmers. Business Insider Intelligence projects farms will install nearly 12 million agricultural sensors worldwide by 2023<\/a>. It seems this part of smart agriculture is here to stay.<\/p>\n

Artificial intelligence in the wild<\/h2>\n

Soil quality is one of the biggest challenges in the way of healthier, more abundant food. In recent decades, agricultural output has fallen by up to 13 percent because of the degradation of two billion hectares of global farmland<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Berlin-based agricultural tech startup PEAT<\/a> is out to solve the problem of degraded soil. PEAT developed Plantix<\/a>, a deep learning<\/a> application helping farmers identify soil defects and giving soil restoration advice. It also helps identify and correct plant pests and diseases.<\/p>\n