IoT in Agriculture: Best Use Cases and Benefits

The worldwide IoT in agriculture market size was illustrated at $27.1 billion in 2021 and is forecasted to be at $84.5 billion by 2031. It will escalate at a 12.6% CAGR from 2022 to 2031.

These growing statistics are proof of a quickly expanding sector comprising IoT-enabled devices to collect and exchange data. With a vast network of interconnected devices and sensors, IoT in agriculture manages precision farming, crop refinement, and livestock nurturing. This technology fosters better efficiency and predictability, improved data-driven decisions, monitoring crop health, better resource usage, and automating several processes.

Traditional techniques farmers use are of no use as modern approaches provide them with several advantages. Additionally, IoT devices in agriculture will enable farmers to spend less energy and get better results than before.

In this article, we have covered the benefits and applications of IoT in agriculture. Therefore, if you are looking to invest in this sector, you must get the knowledge. Keep reading:

Key Takeaways

• The Internet of Things (IoT) in the agriculture market size was shown to be US$27.1 billion in 2019. It is estimated to grow from US$30.51 billion in 2023 to US$78.85 billion by 2031, with a 12.6% CAGR between 2024 and 2031.
• The Agriculture IoT market is predicted to grow from US$ 11.4 billion in 2021 to US$ 18.1 billion by 2026 with a 9.8% CAGR between 2021 and 2026.
• IoT in agriculture market size was displayed to be US$ 16.38 billion in the year 2024. It is predicted to be US$33.43 billion in 2031 with a 10.29% CAGR between 2024 and 2031.
• IoT in the agriculture market is capable of integrating several technologies and devices to improve productivity, sustainability, and efficiency.
• In 2020, the global applications of IoT in precision crop farming escalated to US$ 7.28 billion. It is predicted to reach over US$ 13 billion in 2026.

Overview of IoT in Agriculture

Nowadays, farmers are embracing modern agricultural techniques, which are called smart farming. It is also known as Agrotechnology or precision agriculture that are helpful to optimize agricultural practices. With IoT, smart farming provides better connectivity, automation, and real-time monitoring, resulting in augmented decision-making and improved productivity.

IoT in agriculture gathers real-time data on different agricultural parameters leveraging connected devices and sensors. It enables farmers to monitor soil health, crop growth, weather conditions, and the well-being of livestock. IoT devices in agriculture also improve resource utilization, automate irrigation, and forecast pest infestations.

After that, the collected data is analyzed and used to make better decisions about fertilization, irrigation, disease prevention, and complete farm management. It lowers costs, reduces waste, and increases harvests, ensuring supportable farming practices. Inclusively, IoT-driven solutions, often developed by an IoT development company, change standard farming into a modernized, data-driven, and environmentally friendly industry.

Best Use Cases: How Does IoT Help in Agriculture?

If you are thinking of investing in an IoT-driven smart agriculture system, you must first know about IoT use cases in agriculture. Here are some important points you need to look at:

1. Precision Farming

Precision farming facilitates collecting data from different sources, such as satellite imagery, soil sensors, and machine vision. IoT’s data-driven approach helps to improve pesticide and water usage to achieve better crop yields. Also, farmers can get complete details about their fields, such as soil moisture, temperature, and nutrient level.

They can monitor their crops’ health and make better decisions with precision farming. This technology helps optimize yields and reduces waste and water usage.

2. Automated Crop Harvesting

It is the most useful application of IoT in agriculture, enabling precision control and real-time monitoring that guarantees improved harvest timing and productivity. Farmers can make the most of their yield and reduce waste and labor costs with IoT-driven machinery equipped with GPS. It leads to navigating fields autonomously, harvest cropping with less human interruption, and detecting crop development.

Factors such as poor farm management, inexpert assistants, weather, etc., can affect crop harvesting. For this, harvesting robots with the proper training and information can help them. They make the future of farming promising while giving a boost to overall productivity.

3. Remote Sensing

Leveraging IoT devices with remote sensors and satellite imagery helps farmers gather real-time data on crop health, soil moisture, pest activity, and weather conditions. While enabling precise and on-time interventions, this technology also helps in increasing efficiency and reducing waste.

These remote sensors create an approachable ecosystem enabling data-driven decisions, better productivity, and sustainable farming practices, resulting in lower costs and higher yields. Optimized resource usage can also be achieved, and possible risks can be lessened with preemptive actions.

For example, an automated irrigation system helps regulate water delivery depending on soil moisture level, and drones can monitor crop health to mark pesticide uses rightly.

Also Read: IoT in Manufacturing: Top Use Cases and Benefits

4. Robotics

One amazing example of IoT in agriculture is the use of robots to scale up farming by combining real-time data analysis and automation. IoT-enabled robotic systems execute tasks accurately, including watering, planting, weeding, and harvesting.

These robots are termed Agribots or Agricultural robots. They apply UAVs (Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles) to detect and eliminate weeds from the field. These robots collect data on crop health, soil health, and environmental conditions to save human resources, farmers’ time, and stem volumes.

With this, farmers can control and monitor their operations remotely while making informed decisions to improve resource uses and yields.

5. Livestock Tracking & Geofencing

Farmers can monitor the behavior and location of their livestock using IoT-powered tracking devices and sensors. Also, geofencing enables them to mark virtual boundaries and be notified if an animal goes beyond the set areas, preventing theft and loss.

This technology ensures the bright future of IoT in agriculture by providing better livestock management and improved animal welfare. There are also optimal gazing patterns and reduced labor costs. Livestock tracking enables farmers to make better decisions while ensuring the sustainability of their farming approaches.

6. On-field Navigation

Integrating IoT with Machine Learning helps in agriculture to provide real-time insights and accurate location. By using GPS-enabled sensors and devices, farmers can monitor their equipment, track their fields, and observe crop growth with higher accuracy.

Applied IoT solutions allow for automated guidance systems for machinery and tractors, guaranteeing better planting, spraying, and harvesting. This technology transforms the industry by lessening input waste and overlap and providing networked, resilient, and automated farming.

7. Agricultural Drones

There is a vast global market for agricultural drones. When embedded with IoT technology, including cameras and sensors, they support data collection on plant density, crop health, and irrigation needs. Farmers can identify potential problem areas, address them, and improve their farming practices.

It is one of the best IoT use cases in agriculture that enables farmers to early disease detection while providing critical insights directly to their devices. Embrace the future of farming with advanced drone solutions and have a unique experience.

8. Smart Pest Control

Reform your pest management technique with IoT-enabled smart solutions. IoT devices can monitor pests in real-time using image recognition technology, automated alerts and sensors. Using IoT in on demand pest control enables farmers to have precise data on pest populations leading to directed involvements that reduce crop damage and the need for broad-spectrum pesticides.

Our smart IoT systems also provide valuable insights and better environment-friendly pest management by improving crop health and pest control strategies.

9. Greenhouse Automation

Greenhouse Automation with IoT in Agriculture is helpful in increasing productivity with automated systems and advanced sensors. They monitor and regulate environmental aspects such as humidity, temperature, and lighting, ensuring optimal growing environments.

Maintaining these optimal conditions is beneficial to reduce resource wastage and manual labor. By leveraging IoT, Greenhouse operators can get precise control, accelerate plant growth, boost crop yields, and lessen operational costs.

10. Monitoring Climate Conditions

The application of IoT in agriculture involves connected devices and advanced sensors that monitor climate conditions. They collect real-time data on temperature, weather, humidity, and other crucial environmental factors.

This analyzed data is provided to farmers through agriculture mobile apps, allowing them to make well-thought-out decisions about planting, irrigation, and pest control. Farmers can also get ahead with weather-related challenges, improve crop yield, and improve resource utilization.

This proactive IoT approach allows farmers to reduce risks attached to changes in climate. It also ensures better management of agricultural practices, resulting in more sustainable and efficient farming processes.

11. Smart Irrigation

IoT sensors control the smart irrigation systems by monitoring the moisture content in the soil and the weather conditions. These systems operate based on the collected data and control the amount of water that should be supplied to the crops. This not only helps save water but also avoids situations where plants are either over-watered or under-watered.

12. Automated Farm Equipment

IoT technology assists in managing farm equipment such as tractors, harvesters, and planters. These machines can be operated remotely or are fully automated, thus minimizing the need for labor and maximizing efficiency. The use of technology in farming leads to efficient completion of tasks, low costs, and well-managed crops. This technology also increases the possibility of expanding farming businesses.

13. Smart Fertilization

In smart fertilization systems, IoT sensors detect nutrient levels in the soil and apply fertilizers selectively. This makes the fertilizer application to be precise, cheaper and minimal effects from over-fertilization on the environment. Smart fertilization helps to improve soil condition, increase yield and is sustainable since it ensures crops get the right nutrients they need for growth.

14. Aquaculture Monitoring

IoT sensors in aquaculture help in tracking water temperature, acidity, and dissolved oxygen levels. This data helps in creating the most suitable environment for fish farming, which increases fish stock and production. The constant monitoring also enables an appropriate response in order to sustain the quality of water and prevent diseases that would affect the production of aquaculture farms. Improved water management leads to sustainable and economic fish production.

15. Energy Management

IoT sensors track energy consumption in farms so that farmers can save energy and spend less. It is especially valuable for those processes that require energy consumption, for example, greenhouses and irrigation. Analyzing energy data allows the farmers to decide on measures that can be taken within the farm to improve energy efficiency and ultimately lower their carbon emissions. Energy management is important in enhancing the sustainability and profitability of farming operations.

Also Read: IoT in Transportation and Logistics: Top Use Cases and Benefits

16. Predictive Analytics

Data generated by IoT applied in conjunction with analytics and machine learning can forecast crop yields, pest infestations, and weather. In this context, predictive analytics assists farmers on when to undertake activity, how to allocate resources, and avoid risks. In essence, farmers are able to use big data to make accurate decisions that will increase yields, improve the quality of crops and the lifespan of their farms.

17. Cold Chain Monitoring

IoT devices measure temperature and humidity characteristics during the storage and transportation of fresh agricultural produce. This helps in making sure that products are within a good temperature range so that they do not spoil or go bad. Offering a more transparent means of monitoring, real-time monitoring leads to improved food safety and quality. Cold chain management helps deliver fresh and quality produce to consumers and minimizes losses for both farmers and distributors.

18. Blockchain Integration

IoT sensors when coupled with blockchain technology provide transparent and auditable supply chains. Blockchain enhances data credibility and protection, which in effect makes product history immune to alteration. This promotes food safety, raises product traceability, and boosts consumer confidence by ascertaining the origin and quality of agri-foods. Another advantage of blockchain integration is that regulatory standards can be adhered to.

19. Remote Monitoring and Control

IoT technology can be used to control and monitor things such as irrigation, greenhouse conditions, and animal well-being on the farm remotely. This enhances efficiency, saves time and energy, and guarantees that farming practices are properly done regardless of the farmer’s absence. Remote monitoring and control contribute to the effective and timely management of farms.

20. Field Mapping

The IoT-enabled drone and GPS make a complete map of agricultural fields. These maps are very useful for knowing the situation of the soils, the status of crops, and the variability of fields so that farmers can improve their actions. Field mapping also helps farmers in applying various inputs such as water, fertilizers, and pesticides in the right manner. Accurate field information helps in decision-making, increases crop productivity, and encourages proper farming.

Key Benefits of the IoT in Agriculture

The Internet of Things has hugely impacted the agriculture industry in terms of raising livestock and growing crops rapidly. The benefits of IoT in agriculture range from manual process automation to smart data collection via applying modern approaches.

• Lower Production Risk

The application of IoT in agriculture enables farmers to regulate developing crops or manage livestock from start to finish. They can also monitor essential aspects such as crop damage and infections, lack of water, poor animal health, and others by applying sensors.

Leveraging IoT capabilities will help farmers control these aspects, resulting in lower production risk.

• Data-driven Decision-making

IoT devices in agriculture help to get real-time insights about weather, soil health, and crop conditions. This leads to improved production processes, reduced waste, lower costs, mitigated risks, and properly allocated resources.

It will also allow farmers to forecast pest outbreaks and optimize irrigation while efficiently applying farming practices.

• Improved Resource Management

Farmers can have an IoT-integrated irrigation system providing real-time insights to fine-tune watering schedules, reduce fertilizer waste, ensure crop’s good health, and monitor equipment efficiency.

These precise regulations decrease resource consumption, boost yields, and lower costs while ensuring competent farming practices.

• Supply Chain Optimization

From farm to market, IoT collects data to provide higher perceptibility and traceability throughout the agriculture supply chain. Connected devices and sensors with IoT ensure optimal storage conditions and reduce damage.

This technology results in managing logistics, on-time deliveries, and improving inventory management.

• Managing & Monitoring Livestock

IoT devices in agriculture also help monitor animal health, behavior, and real-time environmental conditions. This data enables accurate tracking of their activity levels, vital signs, locations, feeding patterns, body temperature, etc., to improve disease detection.

These real-time insights lead to better animal welfare and decreased maintenance costs.

• Crop Monitoring & Disease Detection

The application of IoT in agriculture supports farmers in crop monitoring and disease detection by tracking plant health, soil moisture, and temperature. It allows for early detection of pests and diseases.

These real-time insights assist farmers with optimized resource usage, ensuring higher-yielding and healthier crops.

Also Read more: IoT in Construction: Top Use Cases and Benefits

Smart Agriculture Solutions: Factors to Consider

If you are thinking of getting an IoT-enabled solution to drive growth for your agriculture business, consider these factors. They are:

1. Identifying Specific Needs

Gain insight into your farm’s specifications and issues. Describe specific challenges that smart agriculture solutions will address, like higher yields, efficient use of resources, or better animal health. Make sure that the investment meets the budget and expected returns to avoid financial pressure and to reap sustainable benefits of the technology.

2. Scalability

Select IoT solutions that are adaptable to the size and type of your agricultural business. As the size of your farm grows, the technology must be capable of handling new data and more connected devices without any decline in efficiency. Scalability enhances sustainability and also enables a company to implement the system incrementally, diminishing its chances of outgrowing the system.

3. Integration

The new IoT solution must be compatible with the current systems and equipment to be used in the organization. The compatibility of the current systems makes the data flow easy and increases overall efficiency. Effective integration reduces interference and increases the value of interdependent systems, which makes the process easier and more efficient.

4. Data Security

Ensure that data security policies and procedures are effective in preventing and containing cyber threats. Protect information by employing encryption, access control, and conducting security reviews. Safeguarding data is important for meeting legal requirements and to averting any intrusion into your agricultural business.

5. Vendor Selection

Select reliable suppliers with prior experience in delivering IoT solutions for the farming industry. Evaluate their experience, people’s feedback, and support services to guarantee their reliability. Selecting the right vendor will ensure quality, support, and the overall success of your smart agriculture solution.

Final Verdict

The incorporation of IoT in agriculture has benefitted the industry in terms of raising livestock, nurturing crops, and increasing productivity and efficiency. Farmers improvise crop health, resource usage, and livestock management by leveraging IoT with automated systems, smart sensors, and real-time data analytics. IoT appeared as a lifesaver right when farmers were struggling to maintain a balance between reducing resources and dwindling agriculture domains.

We can conclude that smart farming goes beyond the conventional approach while facilitating farmers to make data-driven decisions for a sustainable agricultural industry. To get proficient IoT-powered smart solutions, you can contact Octal IT Solution. We have IoT experts to provide affordable solutions, ensuring farmers’ profitability and prioritizing environmental safety.

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