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Innovations have had immense improvements in the field of agriculture throughout time. From the invention of the plow to the global positioning system (GPS), humans have developed new ways to make farming more efficient and increase productivity. New ideas are being developed to find new ways to irrigate crops or breed more disease resistant varieties. These iterations are key to feeding the ever-expanding population around the globe as well as supply of freshwater.

Below are some common positive impact of technology on agriculture.

1 . Autonomous farming machinery

GPS controls can be connected to computerized vision and sensors to automated farm machinery. Farmers could operate a variety of equipment on their field remotely, which could eliminate time consuming efforts and save resources. Automated machinery are efficient and precise at working on field as compared to manually operated equipment, which could reduce the cost on fuel resulting to higher yields.

2 . Farming by drone

The use of drones in agriculture has being in existence for about two decades. Farmers around the world employ remote-controlled helicopter like Yamaha RMAX to spray crops. Currently, the next generation of drones are starting to impact the sector with the ability to survey crops and herds over vast farmlands quickly and efficiently. Drones also could use computerized vision to analyze field conditions and supply precise interventions like fertilizers, soil nutrients, and pesticides. They could as well plant seeds in remote locations by lowering equipment and labour costs.

3 . Building and equipment management

Chips and sensors can be used to monitor and measure the levels of silos and warehouses. They could also trigger automated reordering, reducing inventory costs for farmers. Similar tools could improve shelf life of inputs and reduce post-harvest losses by monitoring and storage conditions. Monitoring conditions and usage of buildings and equipment as well results to reduced energy consumption. Again, computer vision and sensors when attached to machinery and connected to periodic maintenance systems could result to low cost of repair and increase machinery and equipment lifespan.

4 . Livestock monitoring
Detection and preventing disease outbreaks and spotting animals with symptoms are critical in large-scale livestock management, where farm animals are reared in close quarters on a regimen which enables the animals to move freely through a highly automated system. Chips and body sensors measure animal temperature, pulse, and blood pressure, could detect illnesses and diseases early, before it escalates by which will prevent herd infection and improve food quality.

5 . Crop monitoring
Connectivity offers diverse ways of observing and caring of crops. Integrating weather data, irrigation, nutrient etc. could improve resources use and boosts yields by identifying and predicting deficiencies amongst crops and animals. Sensors for example can be deployed to monitor soil conditions and communicate via LPWAN, directing sprinklers and pipelines to adjust water supply and nutrient application to crops.