3 November 2021
Farmers not only face challenges such as extreme weather, pests, crop disease, and uncertain markets, but also lack access to the solutions they need to overcome these issues and grow enough food to support their livelihoods and the communities that depend on them.
Digital technology has the potential to change that. New technologies now make it possible to collect and leverage huge amounts of critical data at minimal cost By combining mobile technologies and sensors with advanced data analytic capabilities, it is now possible to collect and leverage huge amounts of critical data and deliver precise instructions to farmers. As access to data increases, so does a farmer’s ability to make smarter and faster decisions.
Technologies such as Geographic information system (GIS) can be successfully used for mapping boundaries and soil and crop attributes; image analysis can be used to identify weeds in crops; while variable rate technology application allows input application rates to be varied across fields for site-specific management. However, drone technology has gotten most of the recognition in the industry. Globally, the usage of agricultural drones is growing due to their increasing applications such as aerial mapping, plant health monitoring, soil analysis and weed detection. In China alone, the number of agriculture drones have more than doubled within a year to over 50,000.
Dr. Muhammad Awais, Professor at School of Science & Engineering, Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), believes that leveraging drone technology in agriculture will enable farmers to increase their productivity through improved pest management and increased precision. “The usage of agricultural drones is growing owing to their increasing applications such as aerial mapping, plant health monitoring, soil analysis and weed detection,” Dr. Awais explained.
“In China alone, the number of agriculture drones have more than doubled within a year to over 50,000. Pakistan must also make use of these innovative technologies for improved productivity and resource management,” he elaborated.
While the uptake of precision technologies is low in developing nations – primarily due to the high cost of implementation and weak network infrastructure – the adoption rate in the Asia-Pacific region is expected to grow in the next five years. In Bengaluru, India, a project is already underway to monitor farms and crop health using drone technology. Similarly, government programs in South Korea are promoting the use of GIS to help farmers use the Internet for obtaining free information on the soil properties of their farms.
It is also encouraging to see public institutions and research institutes in Pakistan working on developing technologies and innovations that contribute to climate-smart agriculture. Technologies such as laser land levelling, solar-powered high efficiency irrigation systems, smart water grids and unmanned drones are now being used in the sector to help ensure food security under a changing climate.
For example, the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) has been actively facilitating research on technology for agricultural use. In 2016, LUMS partnered with Nestle to monitor maize crops using drones helping identify areas with low plant count and high nitrogen concentration, and in 2017 it worked with the Punjab Agriculture Department, to distinguish healthy land from fallow land at a village in Kala Shah Kaku.
More recently, LUMS and Bayer Pakistan Crop Science agreed to work together to better understand and promote the adoption of precision agriculture and Internet of Things (IoT). As part of this collaboration, extensive research trials and tests pertaining to IoT deployment and digital technology applications will be conducted and shared with key stakeholders.
Commenting on the collaboration, Maria Saleem, Country Commercial Lead at Bayer Pakistan Crop Science, said that “complex challenges cannot be solved alone and require partnerships that are able to build upon agricultural solutions that are already working, and to find new ones.”
“Bayer is one of the leaders in the precision agriculture market, strengthening innovation capabilities in all areas of agriculture and we are confident that our partnership with LUMS will contribute towards the development of Pakistan’s agriculture sector,” she further explained.
Digital farming has become one of agriculture’s most exciting frontiers through advances in application technology and data science, and can help increase farm productivity and efficiency. However, there is no “one size fits all” solution, and therefore a coordinated effort between the public and private sectors is essential to establish initiatives promoting technology adoption in Pakistan.
Bayer Pakistan.
