IT in Manufacturing


The IoT can transform agriculture

Technews Industry Guide: Industrial Internet of Things 2017 IT in Manufacturing

Using IoT technologies can push the efficiency of farming to new levels as the food demands of a growing global population puts increasing pressure on agriculture around the world.

According to a report by Business Insider published at the end of last year, the world will need to produce 70% more food in 2050 than it did in 2006 in order to feed the earth’s growing population, based on numbers produced by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.

André Strauss, director of partnerships at IoT.nxt, highlights five key areas where the use of IoT technology can improve efficiencies and reduce costs:

Digitisation of the value and supply chains allows for produce to be tracked and traced from source to retail shelf, delivering quality control and the ability to identify problem areas at production source.

By connecting all legacy machinery warehousing/packaging plants can be more productive and efficient. Farm managers can, for instance, assess how many packers, machines and delivery trucks will be required on any given day.

Energy management, a significant cost at large scale farming operations. Use of power, management of irrigation, pumps, dam levels, water required at production plants are all aspects of energy use that can be managed in real time and changed seamlessly for exceptional cost savings and improved efficiency.

Tracking of livestock which, amongst other things, will allow for management of health of livestock.

Management of fuel, another variable cost that has a direct impact on the cash flow of any farm. Using a digitised, connected management system allows for exact planning of fuel supply required for times of peak and reduced levels of activity.

BI Intelligence, Business Insider’s research service, predicts that IoT device installations in the agriculture world will increase from 30 million in 2015 to 75 million in 2020, for a compound annual growth rate of 20%.

According to the BI report the value of using IoT smart agriculture is evident in numbers available for the current leader of using IoT in farming, the United States, where 7 340 kg of cereal (e.g. wheat, rice, maize, barley, etc.) is produced per hectare of farmland, compared to the global average of 3 851 kg per hectare.

For more information contact Daleen van Wyk, IoT.nxt, +27 (0)83 302 0827, [email protected], www.iotnxt.com





Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page

Further reading:

Bringing brownfield plants back to life
Schneider Electric South Africa IT in Manufacturing
Today’s brownfield plants are typically characterised by outdated equipment and processes, and face challenges ranging from inefficient operations to safety hazards. However, all is not lost, as these plants stand to gain a lot from digitalisation and automation.

Read more...
Generative AI for immersive real-time visualisation
Siemens South Africa IT in Manufacturing
Siemens will deepen its collaboration with NVIDIA to help build the industrial metaverse.

Read more...
Award-winning Gen AI solutions
IT in Manufacturing
Amazon Web Services recently hosted an exclusive event in South Africa on ‘Elevating Possibilities with Partners - a Showcase of GenAI Excellence’. This event brought together ten esteemed partners, including Synthesis Software Technologies, to highlight innovative advancements in the field of Generative AI.

Read more...
AI is driving data centres to the edge
Schneider Electric South Africa IT in Manufacturing
The data centre has become the cornerstone that links our digitally interconnected world. At the same time, the rapid growth and application of AI and machine learning (ML) is shaping the design and operation of data centres.

Read more...
Full-scale central control room simulator
Valmet Automation IT in Manufacturing
Valmet will deliver a full-scale central control room simulator to Nordic Ren-Gas, the leading Nordic green hydrogen and e-methane developer in Finland.

Read more...
Re-imagining business operations with the power of AI
IT in Manufacturing
inq. has introduced a range of artificial intelligence solutions to assist organisations across industry verticals in optimising business operations and improving internal efficiencies.

Read more...
Safe, sustainable cycling helmet technology
Siemens South Africa IT in Manufacturing
Lazer Sport, one of Europe’s leading cycling helmet manufacturers, has adopted the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio of industry software to bring to market KinetiCore, its new proprietary rotational impact protection technology.

Read more...
Defending against modern-day cyber threats
IT in Manufacturing
The anatomy of cyber threats has changed, meaning that organisations can no longer rely on traditional cybersecurity solutions to protect their perimeter, but should instead rethink their data protection strategy and become proactive in their defence against breaches.

Read more...
Data centre sector 2024 market outlook
IT in Manufacturing
As the world adapts to the digital transformation of almost every aspect of everyday life, the data centre sector, which plays such a pivotal role in digitalisation, is constantly evolving.

Read more...
Reinventing the workforce in the age of generative AI
IT in Manufacturing
Generative AI has burst onto the scene. It appeared fast, and is evolving even faster. Its impact on value chains will fundamentally transform the nature of work, reshaping how businesses deliver value, and delivering better experiences for employees and customers.

Read more...