ROLE OF IoT IN AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPEMENT IN INDIA

IoT nowadays is playing very crucial role in all the sectors , like Engineering, Academics, Military, Agriculture, etc. Especially if we think about agricultural development in India, IoT has played very noticeable role in last some years in development of Agriculture in India. Soil moisture measurement, Temperature sensing, Water management, Fertilization, Photo light installation, Smart scarecrow , sowing almost everything is possible with the help of IoT technologies in Agriculture.

1. Soil Moisture measurement using IoT :

In farming techniques, study of soil is very important. The farmer needs to know that if the soil in which he/she is planning to grow a crop of some of the kind is suitable for the crop or not. If the soil is containing too much moisture or it is getting dry too soon or the soil is holding the moisture for so much time or the minerals that the soil is containing are suitable for the crop or not. So these things affects the yield of the crop. 

fig 1. Soil moisture measurement technology

For those reasons, the farmers should be aware of Soil moisture measurement techniques using IoT technologies. Using Soil moisture measurement technology, farmers could get to know the behavior of the soil and also farmers could easily make decisions about when to watering the crops.

2. Water Management in farms using IoT :

IoT used irrigation system in the farms could be really beneficial for indian breed of crops like onions, wheat, bajra, jowar, green peas, etc. The traditional indian ways of watering the crops wastes too much water, for that cause there is need to switch to smart irrigation technology. In Smart irrigation technology, only needed water would be supplied for the crops so that there would be enough water for farmer to plan about growing the crops in the  whole year. Also pesticides and fertilizers would be directly supplied to the roots of the crops without wasting.

fig 2. Smart irrigation system

3. Smart Scarecrow :

Smart scarecrow is one the best real life application of use of IoT in agriculture of India. Indian is worlds one of the largest producer of wheat, jowar and bajra. Most of the farmers faces the problem of birds and animals eating their crops also animals damages the farms and crops. 

fig 3. Smart scarecrow

One can easily design Smart scarecrow as per their needs. Smart scarecrow contains flapping mechanism of the hands, cameras and PIR sensors to detect the birds and animals, loud speakers to scare the birds and animals from damaging the crops. flash lights so it could be useful in the night time also. With applying temperature sensor in scarecrow we could also know the temperature range and change in temperature in the farms. So the Smart scarecrow is beneficial in many ways and also very effective than traditional scarecrow. 

4. Agricultural Drone :

It is an aerial vehicle used in operating various operations in farming. Drones are unmanned vehicles. So they needed to be operated from distant locations by remote. For farmers it is not possible for all the crops to go and visit the field and know the conditions of the health of crops. Also farms are very big in the area to go and visit and it is impossible to get every detail in every corner of farm at a time.

fig 4. Agricultural Drone

Drone could be used for multipurpose, like in yield optimization, monitoring growth of the crop, provides information about growth stages, crop health and variations in soil. Also drones could be used for spraying pesticides and fertilizers in no time. Drones would save priceless time of farmers. 

Conclusion:

IoT technologies have made significant contributions to the agricultural sector in India. With the help of IoT, farmers can measure soil moisture, manage water supply, utilize smart scarecrows, and use agricultural drones for monitoring crop health and spraying pesticides. These technologies are proving to be more efficient and effective than traditional methods, ultimately increasing crop yield and helping to further develop the agricultural industry in India.

References:

1. Role of IoT Technology in Agriculture 1 Shivani Sharma, 2Arun Kumar

2. Role of IOT based Indian Agriculture Sector N. Udhaya1 , R.Manjuparkavi2 , R.Ramya3

3. Role of IoT in Agriculture Vinayak N. Malavade1 , Pooja K. Akulwar2

4. A RESEARCH PAPER ON SMART AGRICULTURE USING IOT Ritika Srivastava1,        Vandana Sharma2, Vishal Jaiswal3, Sumit Raj4

Contributors:

1. Kaustubh Borse

2. Sharayu Khandagale

3. Dipak Khatale

4. Rohan Khekade