Recent developments in digital technologies have played a major role in business interactions. One just need to think of tools such as Teams, Zoom and such. For many years now the emergence of similar technologies (Internet of Things or IoT) that allows connected devices has infiltrated most aspects of life. Agriculture is no different, with connected devices and automation now delivering increasingly significant advances to almost all agricultural industry spheres, especially over the last decade.
Farming is becoming more technologically advanced and mechanised. By using various smart agriculture devices in their day-to-day operations, farmers have more control over growing crops and the ability to make data-driven decisions. More importantly, these devices assist farmers and agronomists to make decisions by accessing information as and when it is generated (near real-time). This allows for in-season adjustments to programs and inputs.
One aspect that remains critical to agriculture is climate change. Climate change can disrupt agricultural productivity, food availability and quality. Farming operations must consider climate-smart agriculture that helps mitigate the potential adverse effects of climate change and adapt timeously to these changes to ensure that there is no reduction in agricultural output.
Effective weather monitoring is one of the most critical steps farmers can take to manage the impact of climate challenges and optimise crop health. The information gathered from weather stations with smart farming sensors can be used in several production areas, including planting, harvesting, spraying, irrigation and crop protection.
To this extent, Villa Crop Protection is now offering a new service in Ag-Tech and services through the company METOS SA™, which provides weather stations and data from Pessl Instruments based in Austria. At the end of last year, 100 weather stations have been installed across South Africa, with many more set to go up in 2021. These stations collect and collate accurate data that will drive insights which can assist in-field decision making.
The ability to foresee production output based on data collection allows for better planning, cost management, increased business efficiency and enhanced product quality and volumes. Climate-smart agriculture is the way of the future for more effective farming.
Change is inevitable, but by embracing it, the challenges of a changing agricultural landscape can turn into opportunity.
Marius Boshoff, Director, Marketing at Villa Crop Protection
