Technology in agriculture: what is its importance and what are its impacts?

The entire world is undergoing a digital transformation that characterizes the era we live in. Technology in agriculture is directly inserted in this context and advances at great strides, integrating itself with the most modern developments.

Connected machines and equipment have been increasingly responsible for the high yields of agribusiness. The development of technology and the instruments for its application provide the necessary support.

Keep on reading to understand the importance and impacts of technology in agriculture!

How does technology affect productivity and safety in agriculture?

Technology has brought about significant changes in almost all fields. In agribusiness, it really makes all the difference when it comes to safety and productivity.

Achieving ever higher production rates requires continuous improvements in productivity and waste reduction. Therefore, the technological contributions in the field improve the production processes in the management of crops and take this market to more competitive and sustainable levels.

The support that agribusiness has offered to the country’s economy is largely due to the facilities provided by the application of technology in what has been called agriculture 4.0 and precision agriculture. These include increasingly efficient machines and equipment, making it possible to improve agricultural production tasks.

In general, the impacts promoted by technology on agribusiness are summarized below:

• better property management;
• greater capacity to respond to disease and pest occurrences;
• real-time identification of water deficiency situations;
• inspection and evaluation of any part of the property, at any time;
• identification of diseased patches, those attacked by pests or with water demand;
• higher yields in soil preparation work;
• maximizing the use of pesticides and fertilizers;
• greater environmental care with less aggressiveness;
• optimization of the use of improved seeds.

What are the most important and modern applications of technology in agriculture?

The best performance and precision in agricultural tasks are incorporated into the characteristics of agribusiness thanks to innovations.

Keep on reading to discover some of the most modern technology applications in agriculture.

Field sensors

Sensors capture information from reality and make it available for use. As such, they can detect soil moisture, compaction and fertility conditions, to name just a few examples.

At the same time, they can locate invasive plants — such as weeds — and the infestation of diseases and pests in the fields. Also, consider meteorological sensors, which make it possible to schedule tasks considering local weather conditions, such as rainfall.

Mobile devices

Technology not only crossed the farm threshold but also brought mobility. This way, mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets allow the obtention of data and interactivity in real time from any point where an internet connection is available.

For precision agriculture, remote access to information and the ease offered by mobile devices allow the obtention of information and field management anywhere and anytime. Constant physical presence in the field is thus no longer essential.

Drones

The use of drones in agriculture has added a set of advantages that have significantly increased the efficiency of work in the fields. For example, it is possible to carry out inspections in extensive areas to verify the development of the stand without having to travel.

One big benefit is the identification of clumps of plants attacked by pests or diseases or that are suffering from some deficiency. With this, it is possible to act on the spot to avoid the spread of damage and optimize resources, especially inputs.

Management tools

Modern rural management platforms allow the producer to access a set of management tools for almost everything on the farm. This way, processes ranging from the administrative controls of suppliers and inventory of inputs to the management of production can be controlled.

In fact, with the achieved results, it is possible to develop indicators that allow evaluating the performance of the various activities and taking measures that lead to the constant progress of the work. Maximum precision and prompt responses are achieved by integrating other technological instruments, such as sensors.

Internet of Things (IoT)

The internet of things, known by its acronym IoT, results from the interconnection of various devices and equipment to increase process efficiency. Therefore, irrigation activation with crop data sent by soil moisture sensors is an example of IoT acting in the field.

In fact, the consolidation of technology for precision agriculture and the so-called agriculture 4.0 on the property characterizes one of the greatest achievements of the digital transformation that agribusiness is going through.

How can Jacto Next support digital transformation in agriculture?

All available technology, as well as access to its possibilities, must be made available for the farmer — from the gate to the inside. This is the role of Jacto Next, Jacto’s new service area, as your ally.

With integrated and complete solutions, Jacto Next enables agriculture 4.0 and simplifies the adoption of new technologies, helping achieve high performance, quality and sustainability within your business. After all, for modern technologies, you need the most modern tools.

To this end, among Jacto’s solutions, the services that allow the complete digitization of the farm stand out. They can be summarized as follows:

• internet signal coverage;
• instrumentation;
• connection of multi-brand machines;
• weather sensors and stations;
• drones;
• satellite data and tracking software;
• monitoring;
• operations management.

EKOS, the software behind the integration

EKOS is Jacto’s software that allows the integration of solutions for field digitization and information visualization. It was developed to manage all agricultural operations involved in cereal, fibre and fruit crops.

Its technology offers online multi-brand monitoring, improving operational efficiency and all information at your fingertips for fast and accurate decision-making. In addition to all this, EKOS has the following features:

• it creates maps;
• it controls work orders;
• it generates efficiency and operational performance indicators;
• it provides job breakdown reports on a single screen.

As you can see, through the adoption of modern and integrative tools such as those offered by Jacto Next, the application of technology in agriculture generates positive impacts on production and increases the productivity of the farm.

Contact us to learn about Jacto’s technology and everything it can do to ensure a successful production!