MARA July 2020 Newsletter: SMART Farming; Future of Agriculture

Key for the Future of Agriculture

Smart farming is a farming concept involves advanced technologies inte- grated into existing agricultural practices to boost production quality and efficiency. Farmers in this century have access to GPS, soil scanning, data management, and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies. This tech- nology can measure field variations more precisely, allowing producers to use herbicides, insecticides, fungicides and fertilizers more effectively and selectively to the required areas. Similarly, livestock producers can moni- tor the needs of individual animals and adjust their nutrient requirements correspondingly, thereby preventing disease and enhancing health.

Smart farming requires knowledge , capital (can start from low capital investment smart phone applications) and more knowledge and skills. To- days farmer is not only a farmer with passion for agriculture but also a legal expert, a part-time data analyst, economist and accountant (who is making a living from agriculture produce requires bookkeeping skills, knowledge of market chains and price volatility)