Smart Farming, the digital transformation of the agricultural world with connected objects
Closely linked to the transformations of the industry, the agricultural sector has been shaped in the same way. Technological innovations have taken place in order to facilitate the work of farmers while controlling the resources of our planet to the maximum.
Today, the sector is accelerating its transformation, driven by digitalization and the democratization of connected objects to improve operator productivity.
Smart Farming: Development closer to the farmers
The concept of Smart Farming has come to the forefront with the advent of IoT-based agricultural systems. These machines are tailor-made for all types of farmers around the world and, as such, have become an integral part of the agricultural industry, thanks to the innovation of the agricultural biotechnology industries. As more and more people turn to biotech industries and move away from traditional agriculture, the demand for IoT-enabled agricultural systems is growing.
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Your questions about Smart Farming
What is Agriculture 4.0?
”Smart agriculture” or “smart farming”. Different terms but one main idea: smart farming and environmental preservation using digital solutions.
To understand the idea of a 4.0 agriculture, let’s take the idea of industry 4.0 which corresponds to the changes and mutations linked to the integration of digital tools in the industrial world. The innovation (sensors, big data, drones, connectivity, networks…) of digital agriculture has enabled machines to collect, store and analyze data related to their performance and to make the most of it, and farmers to better manage their fields. Combined with other machines or external data, they become unparalleled sources of precision that facilitate decision making. Agriculture 4.0 also refers to 21st century innovations.
With the help of sensors and agricultural drones associated with data management platforms, the information gathered can be used to provide each farmer with precise information in real time and at a distance. The analysis and centralization of data allow farmers to learn more about their needs and help them adapt and develop each action for better productivity and optimized costs: this is the agriculture of the future.
How does Smart Agriculture work?
Smart farming is based on IoT solutions. Thanks to this technology, machines, livestock or production, everything can be connected.
Initially, the connected equipment takes care of capturing a very large number of different data: temperature, CO2, humidity, pressure, vibration, etc., the possibilities remain numerous. In a second step, this wide range of data is coupled with third party information, exogenous to the machine for example: temperature, rain, drought, traffic, etc. Finally, once linked, all these data are analyzed and enriched.
In this scheme, drones, robots and sensors appear as the best sources of information in capturing farm data for connected agriculture. As a farmer, these data sources give a new impetus in the development of the business.
What are the benefits of Smart Farming for the farmer?
Processing data quickly makes it much easier to make decisions thanks to a better understanding of the issues. This digitalization of the sector helps to better understand a situation and to automate tasks that are thankless or difficult to perform because they are extremely precise, fast or repetitive.
Taking advantage of the Internet of Things and the agricultural transition allows us to better understand each situation and to capitalize on the behavior of crops or animals, thanks to robots for example. The state of maturity of a plot of land, the appearance of disease on plants despite the use of fertilizers, the state of health of a herd, the yield … All this information saves time for the farmer and simplifies decision-making based on objective and accurate data.
What are the examples of use cases?
1. To control and monitor water consumption. Because one of the main problems of smart agriculture is related to water resources. A rare commodity, 70% of its use on the planet is used for irrigation, i.e. for breeding and crops. Being able to measure, monitor and control the proper management of its resources while being notified in case of anomaly and increasing its productivity places the digitization of the agricultural sector as the path to follow.
If you would like more information on smart irrigation, please click here:
2. To apply treatments in a localized way to its production, or to ensure a (geo)localized treatment on plots allowing a targeted fight against diseases for a better yield.
3. To determine the ideal time to carry out harvesting periods, for example, according to exogenous factors such as
4. To monitor the farms remotely and in real time in order to be able to intervene at the right moments and to be alerted to the slightest problem. This makes for healthier and more productive spaces for less strenuous work.
Smart agriculture: where does it go from here?
Eventually, the integration of decision-making systems with artificial intelligence algorithms will allow faster and more predictive decision-making in certain cases. As a result, farmers will have more time available to better manage the existing situation, or even to devote to other tasks.
How to make a success of your agriculture 4.0 project?
It is advisable to have a transversal approach, an expert accompaniment, a number of connected objects, and adequate connectivity. It is important not to focus only on the technology. Because if it is true that data are real gold mines creating value, we must not neglect the human value that cannot be replaced by machines (especially with animals).
Smart agriculture is involved in disease prevention, geolocation of areas to be treated, positioning and control of irrigation systems and the development of new agronomic practices. And it is through the collection and analysis of data that all this is made possible.
This is why all the IoT systems set up must be able to communicate with each other and be controlled remotely, in a centralized way, thanks to sensors. As well as all the data captured, centralizing them to get the best analysis is undoubtedly the best thing to do. This is what the SoM2M#IoT and SoDATA#Viz data management and visualization platforms make possible.
What are the challenges of Smart Farming?
1. Cultivate and collect data
Soil moisture, plant growth and treatment, herd geolocation, crop irrigation … are all essential information for farmers to manage their farms. By using IoT, they opt for intelligent agriculture and significantly improve their working comfort. This digital transformation of the sector allows an optimized management of agricultural production and natural resources consumed.
2. Reduce environmental impact
Excess fertilizer, water and electricity consumption are responsible… The agricultural world has a strong impact on the environment. Today more than ever, this sector is aware of this reality and is increasingly committed to preserving our planet, notably through the use of connected solutions.
How to implement an IOT solution in your operation?
Launching a large-scale IoT project is never easy, you need to be helped by experts with proven know-how in the deployment of an end-to-end IoT project.
You are not alone. Indeed, Synox is well-know for its expertise on the entire IoT value chain: from data capture to its restitution on web and mobile interfaces, including storage.
Synox supports you at every stage of the project to ensure the success of your IoT project.
Choose your objects
Speed, temperature, force, location, power, volume… According to your needs, Synox advises you in the choice of the sensor and facilitates its installation on site.
Connect your objects
In order to transport and secure the data, Synox recommends the networks and transmitters most suited to your project.
Securing your data
We provide you with an open and interoperable data collection and analysis platform that securely aggregates all your data with third-party data.
Host your data
A TIER IV type hosting and storage solution, based in France, which combines density, respect for the planet, availability and security.
Leverage your data
We offer an open data visualization platform that aggregates all of your third-party flows and allows you to manage them in a simplified, secure and customizable turnkey interface.
Is Synox the right choice for you?
Through our positioning on the IoT value chain and our expertise in Smart Farming use cases, we are convinced that the technological answer is not the only element to bring to meet the challenges of tomorrow’s IoT projects. The success of a Smart Farming project also lies in the fact that the proposed solutions must be equal to the business, ethical and environmental challenges they address.
From POC to large-scale deployment, Synox supports you throughout your Smart Farming project in accordance with our values: fun, agility and humanism.
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They trust us
Brice PETAUD
Technical Manager
"In our industry, smooth communication is a critical point since our service is tied to people. So we chose Synox because when we need technical support, we get a diagnosis and a solution very quickly."
