March 10, 2023
By: John Tomblin, Senior Solutions Architect
Yuma Bizz, a division of Sofvue, LLC
Printed with permission of Data Titan, Sofvue, LLC and the author.
The agriculture industry has dramatically transformed in the last two decades. Better equipment, modern methods, and advances in machinery have helped farmers improve their yield. Now, it is in the early days of yet another transformation, at the heart of which lies mobile technology.
The increased use of smartphones and the Internet has led to more extensive use of mobile apps. As a result, even agricultural practices have been revolutionized by mobile apps. Today, farmers use their smartphones to carry out important farm-related tasks like checking weather reports and buying seeds or fertilizers online.
Another advantage of mobile technology is that it is portable enough to lead the creation of innovative services that can help improve yield quality. For instance, farmers can access vital information about their crops, including pest and disease reports.
From trading facilities and peer-to-peer information to weather information and financial services, the benefits of mobile apps in farming are endless.
An Overview of the Agriculture Industry
The increasing global population and the corresponding rise in demand for food pose significant challenges for farmers and food producers. With a 70% increase in calories required by 2050, there is a need for more efficient and sustainable methods of food production. This may include the adoption of technologies such as precision farming, genetic engineering, and vertical farming, as well as increased investment in agricultural research and development.
However, farmers face several challenges, including rising costs of labor, nutrients, raw materials, political issues and energy. To address these issues, governments and industry stakeholders may need to work together to provide financial support and incentives to farmers, including subsidies for sustainable farming practices and investments in renewable energy.
Overall, meeting the food demands of a growing population while also addressing the challenges faced by farmers and food producers will require a collaborative effort from all stakeholders, including the federal government, industry, and consumers.
The solution? Technology!
According to McKinsey, by successfully implementing connectivity in agriculture, the industry could add as much as $500 billion in additional value to the global GDP by 2030.
While a reliable mobile app development company can certainly help with creating a tailored app for farmers in a particular region, it's important to note that designing an app alone may not be sufficient to fully understand the local farming needs.
To truly understand the demographics and agricultural conditions of a region, it may be necessary to partner with local farmers and agricultural experts who have in-depth knowledge of the area. This can help to ensure that the app is designed to meet the specific needs of the region and its farmers.
Some potential features that could be included in a tailored agricultural app might include local weather forecasts, soil and water quality measurements, crop-specific recommendations for planting and harvesting, and market analysis for local and regional sales.
Ultimately, a mobile app can be a powerful tool for improving farming practices and increasing productivity, but it should be part of a larger strategy that involves collaboration with local experts and stakeholders in the industry.
Here’s how.
How Software and Mobile Apps Can Help Farmers?
As of 2022, the agriculture industry is less digitized than other sectors globally. However, sophisticated mobile apps and software can help farmers use their resources more efficiently and sustainably.
1. Smart Crop Monitoring
By bringing irrigation, weather information, nutrients, and other systems together, farmers can significantly improve the use of resources and enhance yield quality.
By using sensors to collect data on soil conditions, moisture levels, and pest and disease outbreaks, farmers can make more informed decisions about when and how much to water their crops, as well as when and how much fertilizer or pesticides to apply. This can help to reduce waste, save resources, and improve the overall health and quality of the crops.
2. Drone Farming
Drones have become an increasingly popular tool in agriculture due to their ability to quickly survey large areas of farmland. Drones equipped with high-resolution cameras and other sensors can provide farmers with valuable insights into crop health and growth patterns, allowing them to make informed decisions about how to manage their fields.
In addition to crop monitoring, drones can also be used to distribute fertilizers and pesticides in a precise and targeted manner. This can help to reduce waste and prevent overuse of chemicals, leading to more sustainable and environmentally friendly farming practices.
Advanced drones can also use computer vision to analyze field conditions and provide real-time data on crop health, growth, and yield potential. This information can help farmers to make more informed decisions about when and how to water, fertilize, and treat their crops, leading to better overall results and increased yields.
In fact, statistics indicate that using drones in farming could generate anywhere between $85 billion and $115 billion in revenue (by reducing costs and improving crop yields).
3. Managing Self-Operated Machinery
Automated farming has the potential to significantly improve farming practices and increase crop production by using machines to perform tasks that were previously done by humans. This can help to reduce labor costs and improve efficiency, leading to higher profitability.
However, one potential drawback of automated farming is the cost of the machinery required. Automated farming often requires specialized equipment and technology, which can be expensive to purchase and maintain. This can be a significant financial burden for farmers, particularly those who are just starting out or who operate small farms.
How Is Mobile Technology Used to Increase Crop Production?
Mobile technology has several applications in agriculture that can help improve yields. By providing farmers with real-time data and insights, mobile technology can help farmers to make more informed decisions about how to manage their crops and improve their productivity. Here are a few ways that mobile technology can help improve yield:
1. Suggesting the right crops at the right time
Agricultural production involves gathering and managing a lot of data, which can be a challenging and time-consuming task. With the help of custom apps and software, farmers can convert raw data into actionable insights, allowing them to make smarter and faster decisions about how to manage their crops.
One example of this is the use of software by fertilizer distributors to analyze field data and provide farmers with recommendations on where and how to apply fertilizers. By analyzing data on soil quality, moisture levels, and other factors, the software can help farmers decide when to fertilize their crops. This can lead to improved crop quality and higher yields, while also minimizing the risk of overuse or underuse of fertilizers.
2. Optimal use of land and water
Yes, mobile technology can be used to optimize water use in agriculture by providing farmers with customized information about their specific fields and the water requirements of their crops. By using sensors and other technology to collect data on soil moisture levels and weather patterns, mobile apps can provide real-time insights into when and how much to water their crops, helping to reduce water waste and improve efficiency.
In addition to optimizing water use, mobile apps can also be used to improve land use productivity. By providing farmers with real-time GPS monitoring data and historical information about land usage patterns, mobile apps can help farmers to make more informed decisions about how to manage their fields. For example, farmers can use this information to determine which areas of their fields are most productive and to make adjustments to their planting and harvesting schedules.
3. Comprehensive soil management
Soil management is a critical part of crop production, as healthy and productive soil is essential for growing high-quality crops. Some of the most common soil management practices used include:
✅ Soil testing: Farmers can test their soil to determine its nutrient content and pH levels.
✅ Cover cropping: Cover cropping involves planting crops that are specifically designed to improve soil health and fertility. Cover crops can help to prevent erosion and reduce nutrient leaching.
✅ Crop rotation: Crop rotation involves alternating the types of crops grown in a particular field from season to season. This can help to reduce soil-borne diseases, improve soil structure, and prevent nutrient depletion.
✅ Conservation tillage: Conservation tillage involves reducing the amount of tillage used in farming practices. This can help to improve soil structure and reduce soil erosion.
✅ Organic farming: Organic farming involves using natural fertilizers and pesticides, as well as other sustainable farming practices.
With a tailored mobile app can be a powerful tool for farmers to monitor and manage their soil health. By providing farmers with real-time data on soil quality and nutrient content, mobile apps can help farmers to make informed decisions about how to improve their soil and optimize crop production.
4. Managing crop diseases and pest attacks
Pest attacks can have a significant impact on crop yield quality and quantity, and it is important for farmers to have effective tools and strategies to manage pests. A few examples include:
✅ Pest identification
✅ Pest control management
✅ Crop disease management
✅ Crop tracking
✅ Seed management
✅ Fertilizer management
✅ Water management
✅ Soil health and fertility management
Mobile apps are making agriculture more efficient!
Mobile technology is making agriculture more efficient by providing farmers with real-time data and insights that can be used to optimize their practices and improve their yields.
Overall, mobile technology is helping to make agriculture more efficient and productive by providing farmers with real-time data and insights that can be used to optimize their practices and improve their yields. By leveraging the power of technology, farmers can reduce waste, increase efficiency, and promote sustainable farming practices, leading to better outcomes for both farmers and consumers.
Yuma Bizz, a division of Data Titan and Sofvue, LLC, is a small business technology solution provider founded in 2004 in San Antonio, Texas. Our first ten years were focused in application and mobile app development in Texas, but starting in 2010, we began doing more projects in Arizona, Nevada and California, so like any smart business owner, we moved out West to beautiful Arizona. Today, we celebrate working with small businesses across the country. As of this writing, we have designed and developed over $22MM in solutions for companies coast-to-coast, and across numerous business segments, and we have 80,000+ wireframes to back it up. Give us a call to learn more about our recently completed projects, read recent letters of recommendation, and discuss how we can serve both your project and your small business enterprise.
Citations:
Source: McKinsey & Company; citation date: 03-05-2023
https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/technology-media-and-telecommunications/how-we-help-clients/mckinsey-center-for-advanced-connectivity/subscribe
Source: Business Chief; citation date: 03-05-2023
https://businesschief.com/technology-and-ai/mckinsey-agricultures-digital-transformation
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