Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data : Future of Farming

Real time inflow of data through Internet of Things (IoTs), drones, remote sensing, robotics, nanotechnology and crowd-sourcing have turned “Big Data” a buzz word. Like other sectors, agriculture too has the concept of big data enshrined its definition and coverage of complex biological entities and processes. Amongst its various possible applications, the identification of genotypes for higher yield and stress tolerance; assessment and monitoring of soil, crop, animal and environment health; precision agriculture; input control; demand projections and delivery of weather advisories and other farm services are prominent ones. With a plenty of technological innovations, it is possible to bring in significant changes in farming with the application of Big Data Analytics via Use-Adapt mechanism. The application of Big Data Analytics in agriculture has potential to develop technologies to achieve the goal of sustainable and smart agriculture. Future developments are to be centered on Internet of Things (IoT) in which all kinds of devices are connected and interact with one another through local and global wireless network. The scope of Big Data applications in Smart Farming goes beyond primary production; and is influencing the entire food supply chain for a sustainable food supply. Several researchers therefore suggest that Big Data shall cause major shifts in roles and power relations among different players in current food supply chain networks. The involvement of major stakeholders exhibiting long term planning is an interesting game between powerful tech companies, venture capitalists and often small startups and new entrants.