As the world population, and the associated global consumption of food are both rising at an unprecedented pace, the resultant pressure on farmers to match the demand is undoubtedly a major concern in the agriculture industry. So, how can farmers boost the productivity? While the agriculturalists continue to feed the world, a wide range of machines backed by Internet of Things and machine-to-machine (M2M) solutions have emerged as valuable tools to improve productivity in the agricultural industry.
From an M2M perspective, the agriculture vertical is still in a nascent stage. M2M technology is a crucial enabler for the rapid transformation of the agricultural sector toward the discipline of smart farming. These technologies aid in remote connectivity between the sensor networks in the farms and information management systems located elsewhere.
Why is M2M a new revolution in farming?
The growing adoption of connected devices, tablets, smartphones and wearable devices ensure a significant need for M2M solutions to transfer data and information in real time. The devices are connected to each other via M2M modules, smart sensors, and cutting edge software. From equipment control and monitoring to crop management and logistics, M2M systems are surely transforming the core operations in the agriculture industry.
Equipment control and monitoring
The wastage of water in the agriculture industry is fairly excessive, accounting to about 50-60% of the total water usage as identified by analysts at Technavio. Smart monitoring of irrigation systems through M2M offers a prodigious solution to this problem by offering advance warnings to the farmers in case of an equipment breakdown, allowing them to remotely regulate the water pumps and avoid water wastage.
Crop management
Crop management comprises of remote observation, measuring and monitoring of crops and equipment, as well as using real-time data on the soil, air quality, and weather. The M2M solution enables the farmers to take more precise decisions about planting, growing, harvesting, and transporting crops, and these processes lead to better price and a stable supply chain.
Smart logistics
As per the research conducted by experts at Technavio, about 15-20% of food is wasted because of transportation and storage related wastage. These kinds of losses can occur at different points in the agriculture supply chain, mainly due to interruptions or delays in transport, unsuitable storing that could include infestation by rodents, unfavorable storage circumstances, or at various other stages from production to distribution. The M2M solution is used to monitor transportation of agricultural harvest through fleets, cargos, and fishing vessels that can produce effective solutions to this problem.
Technavio’s market research : Seeding for future business growth
Successful businesses worldwide keep an informed finger on the pulse of their customers and competitors in order to stay tuned to emerging market trends and to retain their competitive edge. Whether your business is in an infancy stage or on an expansion phase, Technavio market research is vital for helping you in understanding the critical characteristics of the global agricultural M2M market to increase sales revenue, ROI and overall business success.
