Smart farming techniques are important for us today because through this agricultural system we can strengthen our food security while enriching the environment and ecology.
Summary of article:
Friends, today we are living in such a time where many problems are standing in front of us due to climate change. Climate change is having a negative impact on our agricultural system. This is not a simple problem because negative impact on the agricultural system means a crisis on our food security. Therefore, today the world community needs to adopt innovation in the agricultural system. Whatever development is taking place in the direction of innovation in agriculture is called smart agriculture. Smart agricultural systems and climate sensing agriculture are innovations done in this direction. Under this innovation, such a system is adopted by using modern techniques in agricultural work, so that environmentally friendly agriculture can be done with minimal impact of climate change. In the presented article, an attempt has been made to analyze all these topics and issues.
Introduction of smart farming techniques:
Whatever the agricultural system, it is primarily linked to the climate. Therefore, the greatest impact of climate change is on the agricultural system. Today the situation has become such that climate change has a negative impact on global agriculture. Rising temperatures, uncertain rainfall patterns, droughts in some places, floods in others and other climate events have put traditional agricultural practices in crisis. In such a situation, smart agricultural techniques and climate-sensitive farming are emerging as an option as a solution. Smart farming techniques mostly depend on various technologies. Modern technologies are used under this. “They use advanced tools such as IoT sensors, automatic temperature regulation, precise irrigation and fertilizer, remote monitoring and forecasting models for efficient agricultural management.” (Azmirul Hoque, Ahmed Sadique Muzumdar, Suranjit Roy, Kundan Kumar 2025) These technologies help in increasing agricultural productivity as well as reducing climate risks.
Importance of Smart farming techniques:
Today, the use of smart technologies in the agricultural system is necessary because climate change is taking place due to global warming. Due to climate change, frequency of adverse weather events, irregular rainfall and man-made and natural disasters, many problems like decrease in agricultural productivity, degradation of soil quality, wastage of water etc. are standing in front of us. The result of all these problems can be that there can be a serious crisis on global food security in the near future. Therefore, we need to move in the direction of smart farming techniques because smart farming techniques provide strength to fight climate impacts. According to FAO, “Climate smart agriculture is agriculture that sustainably increases productivity, resilience (to climate change), reduces/removes greenhouse gases (mitigation), and enhances the achievement of national food security and development goals.” (FAO 2010) This is the reason why today countries around the world are moving towards sustainable and climate sensitive agriculture. The negative impact of climate change on agriculture is not a simple challenge as it is a problem linked to food security. To solve this problem, we need to move forward by adopting smart agriculture methods and integrating advanced technologies like Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI) and precision farming with climate-sensitive practices. If we do agriculture in harmony with smart agriculture and climate sensitive systems, then we can find solutions to the problems mentioned above and also reduce the carbon footprint of the agricultural sector.
Concept of Smart farming techniques and Various Techniques:
The aim of smart farming techniques is to make agricultural production more efficient, sustainable and environmentally friendly. It uses various technological innovations and data-driven approaches. Smart agriculture is a broad concept and various types of techniques are used under it.
- Precision Farming: Precision agriculture means smart farming techniques. In this, advanced technologies are used to monitor, analyze and manage various agricultural operations with high accuracy. It is a technology that uses GPS technology, drones and soil sensors to collect data of small changes in the fields to farmers. In this data, this technology tells how much fertilizer and water is required for decisions or not. This technology also uses satellite images and GPS data to monitor crop cycle, soil fertility and water use, use of sensors and drones to analyze the health status of crops, moisture level and pest infestation, IoT-based irrigation systems to prevent water wastage and efficient water management, etc. Many smart activities are used. In this way, waste from the agricultural system is reduced and productivity increases.
- Internet of Things (IoT): Under this technology, devices are connected to each other, which collect real-time data and provide us with information by making crop forecasts. “The main goal of forecasting is to reduce human efforts, increase food self-sufficiency and make optimal use of available resources. To achieve high quality and large-scale production of crops, we need to focus on applying intelligent technology in the crop forecasting field.” (A. Rafiq and M.U. Yunus 2022) Smart sensors and IoT devices measure soil moisture, temperature and nutrient status, helping farmers make data-driven decisions. Smart irrigation systems guide water use based on soil moisture levels, weather forecasts and crop needs. As a result, water resources are conserved.
- Artificial Intelligence (AI): It is a technology that helps us in various ways by analyzing data of crops, soil, moisture levels, pest conditions, fertility requirements, etc. It uses machine learning and algorithms to make various predictions about what the future of crops may be in the current situation. It predicts pest infestation, crops and also gives us suitable planning which makes it easier for farmers to make decisions. In this context, A. Rehman and team have written that “Machine learning can undoubtedly help in reducing costs and increasing production. The aim of AI-based crop forecasting is to increase labor productivity, increase yield and improve the quality of crop forecast production. Today’s smart crop forecasting uses a variety of innovative technologies including sensors, GPS, big data analysis, IoT, machine learning and robots on farms” (A. Rehman and team 2022). Under this technology, we can use automated robots, which can do many tasks like harvesting, sowing crops and depositing crops at one place.
- Big Data Analytics: Under this technology, we can know the current and future trends with crop patterns and environment and weather using large scale data. It can also estimate the market, demand-supply cycle, and risk mitigation strategies.
Apart from these technologies, we can develop climate resistant seeds. For this we can use technologies like CRISPR-Cas9. By doing this we can prepare seeds in accordance with the changed rainfall pattern. All these technologies can be developed and used in accordance with sustainable agriculture goals. Therefore, needless to say, we need to move rapidly in this direction.
Various methods of climate sensitive farming:
The farming system which is least affected by climate change and has a positive impact on the environment and ecology is called climate sensitive farming. This system is climate and ecology friendly. Reducing climate change is the main objective of this farming system. We try to explain this system through the following agricultural activities.
- Agroforestry: Trees are planted in the fields and are made a source of income. In this forestry, trees are seen as crops. As a result, biodiversity gets a boost from this agriculture. Soil structure is improved and carbon dioxide is sequestered. This system plays an important role in reducing climate change.
- Organic Farming: Organic farming is a system that uses more natural resources than traditional agricultural activities. In this system, all the inputs including manure are reduced and manure etc. are produced by the farmers themselves. Chemicals, fertilizers, and external inputs are ignored in this system. According to IFOAM, “Organic farming promotes the health of soil, plants, animals, humans and the environment in a holistic way. It adopts a ‘One Health’ approach, in which the interrelationship of all living things is recognized.” (IFOAM) As a result, soil fertility increases and pollution reduces, as well as it proves beneficial in dealing with climate change.
- Water conservation techniques: Various water conservation techniques are used in climate sensitive agricultural systems, such as drip irrigation, sprinklers, etc. This system is called smart irrigation. In this context, F.K. Shaikh and team write that “Smart irrigation systems use machine learning decision trees to predict crop water demand.” (F.K. Shaikh and team 2021) These techniques use water as little as possible. Efforts are also made to store and conserve water under this system. Methods such as rainwater harvesting, micro-irrigation and the use of drought-resistant crop varieties are included in this method.
- Soil management: Farming systems are made more progressive and sustainable by practices such as cover cropping, ridge construction, slow infiltration of water to the roots of the crop and crop rotation. These agricultural activities improve soil health and positively increase nutrient cycling.
- Conservation Agriculture: This method improves soil health, increases the water holding capacity of the soil and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by maintaining soil cover and crop diversification with minimal soil use. This method not only conserves soil but is also environment and ecology friendly.
All the agricultural systems mentioned above strengthen our food security by reducing climate change, pollution and ecological degradation.
Combination between smart farming techniques and climate sensitive farming:
Smart agriculture means maximum use of technology and climate sensitive agriculture means agricultural practices that are environmentally friendly. The proper combination of these two systems is called sustainable agriculture. This is such a model of environmentally friendly agriculture that strengthens global food security. In this model, agricultural efficiency and effectiveness is increased by using technology in the agricultural system. Such as proper use of water and water conservation through precise irrigation by IoT technology, real-time status and future prediction of pests, diseases and crops through crop management by AI algorithm, promotion of ecological richness through agroforestry, etc. Needless to say, the proper combination of smart agriculture and climate sensitive agriculture is no less than a great revolution.
Various case studies show that the adoption of climate-resilient rice varieties in India, developed through advanced breeding techniques, has enabled farmers to maintain yields despite rising temperatures and erratic rainfall patterns. This shift is a positive step towards smart agriculture.
Challenges of smart farming techniques and climate sensitive agriculture:
When we look at the overall agricultural system of India, it becomes clear that India has still not been able to do much in this direction. Even today, smart and climate-sensitive agricultural practices have not been widely adopted by the farmers of India because farmers are facing many challenges. Financial barriers: The initial cost of advanced technologies and sustainable agricultural inputs is very high, which becomes difficult especially for small farmers. Technical knowledge: Farmers are not aware of these new technologies and they also lack technical expertise. As a result, new technologies are not implemented effectively. Infrastructure limitations: IoT devices and other digital tools are not used especially in rural areas because these areas lack facilities like internet connectivity.
Solutions to challenges:
Needless to say, a sure multi-pronged approach is needed to overcome such various barriers. Financial support: To reduce the financial barriers for farmers adopting new technologies, we have to make farmers economically prosperous. Their crops need to be given higher prices and there is also a need to provide subsidies, low-interest loans and grants by the government and financial institutions. Skill training to farmers: We need to connect farmers with training programs and also train them so that they can use the new technologies properly. Infrastructure development: Talking about smart agriculture is futile unless we focus on infrastructure construction because infrastructure is the backbone of the smart agriculture system and it is impossible to run without the backbone. To move forward in this direction, we have to create a favorable environment and there is also a need to emphasize on mutual collaborative efforts between governments, private sectors and international organizations.
Policy recommendations for smart farming techniques:
The biggest challenge for smart farming techniques and climate-sensitive farming is the lack of funds and resources. We can face these challenges through the public-private partnership model. Promoting cooperation between the government and the private sector can promote innovation and investment in smart agriculture technologies and we can move forward rapidly in this direction. We have to encourage a sustainable agriculture system. There is a need to connect farmers widely by implementing programs like tax exemption, subsidy for farmers adopting climate smart practices. Research and development We have to keep in mind that smart agriculture is born from research and after birth it has to be developed i.e. widespread use. Both these tasks require funds. Therefore, we need to strengthen research and innovations by allocating funds as per the need. Regulatory framework We have to establish clear guidelines and standards by making laws which will have guidelines to ensure safety, efficacy and environmental friendliness in agriculture. Education and awareness campaigns can promote wider acceptance and adoption among farming communities by integrating technology with climate-resilient farming systems by promoting, disseminating and raising awareness about their benefits.
Conclusion:
By combining smart farming technologies with climate sensitive farming systems, we can build a sustainable world. This agriculture can ensure our food security without being affected by climate change while being environmentally and ecologically friendly. However, challenges still exist in this direction. We can address these challenges by collaborative efforts among stakeholders, managing financial resources, disseminating technical knowledge, and building infrastructure. For this, we have to promote public-private partnerships, encourage sustainable practices and implement policy interventions. Investing in research and development is also an important step.
Reference:
- A. Rafiq and M. U. Younus, “Implementation of Fi- WSN in precision agriculture for automated irrigation system.,” Journal of Agricultural Research (03681157), vol. 60, no.1, 2022
- A. Rehman, T. Saba, M. Kashif, S. M. Fati, S. A. Bahaj, and H. Chaudhry, “A revisit of internet of things technologies for monitoring and control strategies in smart agriculture,” Agronomy, vol. 12, no. 1, p. 127, 2022.
- Azmirul Hoque, Ahmed Sadique Muzumdar, Suranjit Roy, Kundan Kumar, Transformative Approaches to Agricultural Sustainability: Automation, Smart Greenhouses, and AI, International Journal for Research in Applied Science & Engineering Technology (IJRASET), IC Value: 45.98; SJ Volume 13 Issue I Jan 2025- Available at www.ijraset.com page- 06
- FAO (2010) climate-smart agriculture: policies, practices and financing for food security, adaptation and mitigation. Pape prepared for Hague Conference on Agriculture, Food Security and Climate Change https://www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_ upload/newsroom/docs/the-hague-conference-fao-paper.pdf.
- F.K. Shaikh, M. A. Memon, N. A. Mahoto, S. Zeadally, and J. Nebhen, “Artificial intelligence best practices in smart agriculture,” IEEE micro, vol. 42, no. 1, pp. 17– 24, 202
- IFOAM – Organics International: https://ifoam.bio