Agriculture

IoT Based Soil Monitoring

Overview

Amrit Gram envisions a community that thrives on sustainable practices and innovative technologies. Among the key interventions to achieve this vision, reimagining agriculture holds immense significance. Agriculture is not only a source of sustenance but also a means to promote self-sufficiency, economic growth, and environmental harmony within the village.

Amrit Gram prioritizes the role of agriculture as a crucial intervention for a smart model village, highlighting how modern techniques and approaches can lead to a more resilient and prosperous community.

Agriculture serves as a cornerstone for the development of a smart village. By embracing smart farming techniques, sustainable practices, and innovative approaches, the village can achieve self-sufficiency, economic growth, and environmental stewardship. Agriculture not only provides food but also fosters community resilience, enhances ecological balance, and establishes a foundation for a prosperous and sustainable future. As Amrit Gram continues to shape the landscape of modern communities, the integration of advanced agricultural interventions remains crucial for achieving holistic development.

Under agriculture as an intervention, Amrit Gram is currently working on the following:

Robust solution for safe and efficient storage of a vast array of perishable items, thereby significantly reducing post-harvest losses and bolstering food security.

The Problems

Traditional grain storage methods in rural India, such as mud houses, underground pits, and bamboo baskets, encounter significant challenges due to their limited capacity and suboptimal storage conditions. These issues can constrain the ability to maintain large harvests and products effectively.

Lacking appropriate storage conditions, grains are prone to rapid spoilage, leading to substantial food waste and considerable financial losses for farmers. According to a study by the Central Institute of Post-Harvest Engineering and Technology (CIPHET), India loses about 16% of its harvest due to inadequate storage facilities.

Temperature fluctuations and poor ventilation further exacerbate the problem, accelerating the rate of spoilage and reducing the shelf life of stored grains. Particularly during the summer months, extreme temperatures can induce rapid deterioration of grains and a consequent loss of nutritional value. The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) states that post-harvest losses can amount up to 10% for grains and reach up to 30% for fruits and vegetables due to such conditions.

In light of these challenges, it’s clear that improving grain storage facilities and practices in rural India is crucial for reducing post-harvest losses, enhancing food security, and bolstering the livelihoods of farmers.

The Solution

The solar cold storage system offers a robust solution for the safe and efficient storage of a vast array of perishable items. For farmers and rural communities in India, this innovation provides access to reliable and sustainable storage facilities, significantly reducing post-harvest losses and bolstering food security.

The Impact

Farmers who have adopted the use of cold storage facilities report that it enables them to store harvests for extended periods with minimal or no loss. This ability to safely preserve their produce significantly enhances their operational flexibility and economic resilience.

The incorporation of cold storage has demonstrated a beneficial impact on both costs and revenue. By reducing post-harvest losses and extending the marketability of their produce, farmers can achieve improved financial outcomes.

The installation of cold storage facilities in Indian villages can catalyze a multitude of positive impacts. These include:

Reduced Food Wastage

Cold storage facilities significantly cut down the amount of food wasted due to spoilage, contributing to food security and sustainability.

Increased Income for Farmers

By allowing farmers to store and sell their produce at optimal times, cold storage can lead to higher market prices and increased income.

Preservation of Nutritional Value

Cold storage helps to maintain the nutritional value of stored produce, promoting the health and well-being of consumers.

Expanded Market Opportunities

With preserved produce, farmers can access wider markets and off-season sales opportunities.

Employment Generation

The establishment and operation of these facilities create new jobs, stimulating local economies.

Agricultural Diversification

With the ability to store a variety of crops, farmers can diversify their agricultural activities, enhancing their resilience to market and environmental fluctuations.

Strengthened Rural Economies

As farmers’ incomes increase, rural economies are strengthened, leading to improved living standards and community development.

IoT integrated real-time monitoring of crucial environmental parameters like soil moisture, temperature, and humidity, thereby helping farmers in making informed decisions for irrigation and crop management.

The Problems

Farmers may have trouble maximizing the use of resources like water and fertilizers, which might result in waste and lower yields.

Farmers’ ability to organize their farming operations and make educated judgments may be hampered by their limited access to precise meteorological information and data on soil health.

Farmers may rely on outdated, less accurate techniques, which adds to their labor and makes it difficult for them to embrace productive, sustainable agricultural methods.

The absence of an agri weather pole creates significant hurdles for rural Indian farmers, including inadequate decision-making, limited adoption of climate-smart practices, reduced access to advisory services, and difficulties in securing agricultural insurance.

The Solution

5G-powered weather station devices enable farmers to monitor real-time weather updates, enabling them to prepare for emergencies and stay informed about farm conditions. Agriculture poles provide real-time monitoring of crucial environmental parameters like soil moisture, temperature, and humidity, allowing farmers to make informed decisions for irrigation and crop management.

Agriculture poles with sensors and IoT technology can identify disease outbreaks and insect infestations early on, allowing for prompt treatment and minimal crop damage. By maximizing the use of water, fertilizer, and pesticides, these poles make precision farming possible. This leads to less resource waste and higher agricultural yields.

The Impact

The Problems

Agriculture is a crucial pillar of India’s economy, with 54.6% of the total workforce engaged in agricultural and allied sector activities (Census 2011) and accounting for 18.6% of the country’s Gross Value Added (GVA) for 2019-20 (at current prices). Despite possessing the world’s second-largest arable land area, India lags behind many developed and developing countries in terms of productivity. This low productivity stems from numerous structural and technical challenges.

Inadequate farm management practices: Insufficient awareness and access to technology for monitoring soil quality can lead to poor farm management practices, ultimately resulting in degraded soil quality.

Limited access to advanced crop production technologies and real-time information: Farmers often struggle to access innovative methods and up-to-date information on best practices, which can hinder their ability to optimize crop productivity and maintain soil health.

Imbalanced use of chemicals: The erratic application of fertilizers and pesticides can adversely affect soil productivity, leading to a decline in overall agricultural output.

The Solution

  • Jio Krishi focuses on Data backed farming that monitors Crop, Soil, and Weather parameters at a hyperlocal level and uses data intelligence to make accurate on-farm predictions delivering customised advisory.

Jio’s latest Agri IoT solution makes following a reality:

The Impact

Boosted Crop Yield and Quality

IoT-based soil monitoring devices offer farmers precise and up-to-date data on essential soil parameters, such as moisture levels, nutrient content, and pH balance. By leveraging this information, farmers can fine-tune irrigation and fertilization schedules, resulting in enhanced crop yields and superior crop quality.

Effective Water Conservation

Real-time monitoring of soil moisture levels empowers farmers to optimize their irrigation systems and minimize water wastage. This approach is particularly advantageous in regions experiencing water scarcity, as it helps farmers utilize water more efficiently and sustainably.

Optimized Resource Management

IoT soil monitoring devices facilitate precision agriculture, enabling targeted application of resources like water, fertilizers, and pesticides precisely where and when they are required. This precision leads to decreased resource wastage and cost savings for farmers.

Informed Decision Making

Access to real-time data through IoT devices allows farmers to make well-informed decisions based on current field conditions. For instance, they can identify early indicators of plant stress and take appropriate measures, preventing potential losses and ensuring crop health.

The Problems

Farmers may have trouble maximizing the use of resources like water and fertilizers, which might result in waste and lower yields.

Farmers’ ability to organize their farming operations and make educated judgments may be hampered by their limited access to precise meteorological information and data on soil health.

Farmers may rely on outdated, less accurate techniques, which adds to their labor and makes it difficult for them to embrace productive, sustainable agricultural methods.

The absence of an agri weather pole creates significant hurdles for rural Indian farmers, including inadequate decision-making, limited adoption of climate-smart practices, reduced access to advisory services, and difficulties in securing agricultural insurance.

The Solution

5G-powered weather station devices enable farmers to monitor real-time weather updates, enabling them to prepare for emergencies and stay informed about farm conditions. Agriculture poles provide real-time monitoring of crucial environmental parameters like soil moisture, temperature, and humidity, allowing farmers to make informed decisions for irrigation and crop management. 

Agriculture poles with sensors and IoT technology can identify disease outbreaks and insect infestations early on, allowing for prompt treatment and minimal crop damage. By maximizing the use of water, fertilizer, and pesticides, these poles make precision farming possible. This leads to less resource waste and higher agricultural yields.

The Impact

India’s farmers can adopt climate-smart agriculture practices using weather data from agri poles, improving productivity and resilience.

Weather forecasts from agriculture poles optimize irrigation schedules, conserve water resources, increase crop productivity, and anticipate extreme events for preventive measures.

Weather forecasts improve farmers’ pesticide and fertilizer usage, reduce environmental impact, and increase crop yields by 10-15% in India.

Efficient and time-saving method for crop protection, covering large areas quickly, offering precision and accuracy, minimizing waste and environmental impact.

The Problems

India’s farmers still use manual pesticide application methods, causing labor costs, fatigue, uneven coverage, and potential crop damage.

Without drone spraying, farmers may miss out on valuable insights that could improve their practices and increase productivity.

One major problem is the lack of efficiency and time-saving in crop protection.

Manual spraying techniques often result in uneven distribution of chemicals, leading to inadequate pest control or excessive use of agrochemicals.

Respiratory issues, skin irritations, and other health risks are common among those involved in manual spraying.

The Solution

Drone spraying is an efficient and time-saving method for crop protection, covering large areas quickly. It offers precision and accuracy, minimizing waste and environmental impact. Drones with advanced imaging technologies and sensors minimize human exposure to hazardous substances, enhancing agricultural operations’ safety. 

Drones can reach remote or inaccessible locations, making them suitable for small-scale and large-scale farming operations in rural India. They also offer scalability and adaptability, allowing farmers to adjust spraying parameters based on land size or crop requirements. Data collection and analysis enable farmers to gain insights, optimize resource allocation, and implement targeted interventions to improve productivity.

 

The Impact