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Precision Farming and Good Agricultural Practices

Presentation · December 2023

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.14988.08323

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Precision Farming and
Good Agricultural
Practices
Chairman – Dr. P. STALIN
Assistant Professor,
Department of Agronomy.
Members - Dr. A. BALASUBRAMANIAN
Assistant Professor,
Department of Agronomy.
Dr. S. SATHIYAMURTHY
Assistant Professor,
Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry

P. NAVEEN PRASATH
I Ph.D. Agronomy
Precision Farming
Precision Farming

Definition
Precision Farming or Precision Agriculture is generally defined as
information and technology based farm management system to identify, analyse
and manage spatial and temporal variability within fields for optimum
productivity and profitability, sustainability and protection of the land resources by
minimizing the production costs.
Concept of Precision Farming

 Precision agriculture (PA), as the name implies, refers to the application of

precise and correct amounts of inputs like water, fertilizers, pesticides etc. at
the correct time to the crop for increasing its productivity and maximizing its
yields. The use of inputs (i.e. chemical fertilizers and pesticides) based on the
right quantity, at the right time and in the right place.
 This type of management is commonly known as “Site-Specific management”
 Strictly based on Global Positioning System (GPS) i.e. unique character is
precise in time and space.
Cont…

“doing the right thing, at the right time, in the right place,
in the right way”

What ? When? Where? How to do?

History of Precision Farming

 The concept emerged in the United States in the 1980s.

 Pierre Robert is often regarded as the father of precision farming.
 In 1990s, small start ups with GPS and yield monitors.
 In 2000, widespread of small or large companies
 At present, marks the movement from “precision” agriculture to “decision”
agriculture.
 The idea of precision farming became widespread only in the past five years
thanks to the development of mobile technology, high-speed Internet and
satellite data.
Precision Agriculture Cycle
Why Precision Farming

 1. To enhance productivity in agriculture with respect to profit.

 2. Prevents soil degradation in cultivable land.
 3. Reduction of chemical use in crop production
 4. Efficient use of water resources
 5. Dissemination of modern farm practices to improve quality, quantity &
reduced cost of production in agricultural crops
Sustainability as described by the intersection of three disciplines:
ecology, economics and sociology. (Bongiovanni and Lowenberg-
Deboer, 2004).
Prospectus of Precision Farming

Agronomical perspective
Use agronomical practices by looking at specific requirements of crop
Technical perspective
allows efficient time management
Environmental perspective
eco-friendly practices in crop
Economical perspective
increases crop yield, quality and reduces cost of production by efficient use of
farm inputs, labour, water etc
Basic steps in Precision farming
Consideration in Precision Farming
Methods of Precision Farming
S.No Parameters Map based Sensor based
1 Methodology Grid sample, VRA Real time sensors
2 GPS Very much required Not necessary
3 Lab analysis Required Not required
4 Mapping Required May not required
5 Time consumption More Less
6 Limitations Cost of soil testing and Lack of sufficient sensors for
analyses limits the usage getting crop and soil
information
7 Operation Difficult Easy
8 Skills Required Required
9 Sampling Unit 2 to 3 acres Individual spot
10 Relevance Developing countries Developed countries

(Patil and Shanwad, 2014)

Components / Tools

 Global Positioning System (GPS)

 Geographic Information System (GIS)
 Grid Sampling
 Variable Rate Technology (VRT)
 Yield Maps and Monitoring
 Remote Sensors
 Proximate Sensors
 Computer Hardware and Software
Global Positioning System (GPS)

It is a set of 24 satellites in the Earth orbit. It sends out radio signals that can
be processed by a ground receiver to determine the geographic position on earth.
This information is provided in real time, meaning that continuous positioning
information provided while in motion.
Geographic Information System (GIS)

It is software that imports, exports and processes spatially and temporally

geographically distributed data.
Paddy GIS

User interface of Paddy GIS program (Fauzul, 2009)

Work flow of the program
Grid Sampling

It is a method of breaking a field into grids. Sampling soil within the grids is
useful to determine the appropriate rate of application of fertilizers. Several
samples are taken from each grid, mixed and sent to the laboratory for analysis
Soil samples may be collected for the (a) whole field, (b) on a consistently
spaced grid or (c) by management zones (Jarrod ottis miller, 2017)
Variable Rate Technology (VRT)

Variable-rate technology (VRT) describes any technology which enables

producers to vary the rate of crop inputs. VRT combines a variable-rate (VR)
control system with application equipment to apply inputs at a precise time and
location to achieve site-specific application rates of inputs.
Sensor based N applicator Seed applicator
Yield Maps and Monitoring

Yield maps are produced by processing data from adapted combine harvester
that is equipped with a GPS, i.e. integrated with a yield recording system. Yield
mapping involves the recording of the grain flow through the combine harvester,
while recording the actual location in the field at the same time.
A maize yield map with red indicating areas of low yield, yellow
and orange of intermediate yield and green of high yield
(Joubert, 2012)
Remote Sensors

These are generally categories of aerial or satellite sensors. They can indicate
variations in the colours of the field that corresponds to changes in soil type, crop
development, field boundaries, roads, water, etc. Arial and satellite imagery can be
processed to provide vegetative indices, which reflect the health of the plant.
Rice lodging assessment through UAV and remote sensing technology.
(Source from Yang et al., 2017)
Evaluation of protein content based on satellite remote sensing
(Nobusuke Iwasaki et al., 2016 )
Example of nitrogen content based on drone remote sensing (inoue and
yokoyama, 2017)
Proximate Sensors

These sensors can be used to measure soil parameters such as N status and
soil pH and crop properties as the sensor attached tractor or drones passes over the
field.
Green seeker senor Yara N sensor

Soil nutrient sensor

Computer Hardware and Software

In order to analyze the data collected by other Precision Agriculture

technology components and to make it available in usable formats such as maps,
graphs, charts or reports, computer support is essential along with specific
software support.
 Advantages Disadvantages
It will enhance agricultural productivity High capital costs may discourage
and prevent soil degradation in farmers to not adopt this method of
cultivable land resulting in sustained farming
agricultural development
It will reduce excessive chemical usage Precision agriculture techniques are still
in crop production under development and requires expert
advice before actual implementation

Water resources will be utilized It may take several years to collect the
efficiently under the precision farming sufficient data to fully implement the
system
GPS allows agricultural fields to be It is an extremely difficult task
survived with ease. Moreover, the yield particularly the collection and analysis
and soil characteristics can also be the data
mapped
Non-uniform fields can be subdivided
into small plots based on their unique
requirements
Traditional vs Precision Farming
PRECISION FARMING
Farm field is broken into
“management zones”
Management decisions are
based on requirements of each
zone
PF tools (e.g. GPS/GIS) are
used
to control zone
TRADITIONAL FARMING
Whole field approach where
field is treated as a
homogeneous area
Decisions are based on field
averages
Inputs are applied uniformly
across a field
Practical problems in Indian agriculture

 a) Small land holdings,

 b) Heterogeneity of cropping systems and market imperfections,
 c) Lack of technical expertise knowledge and technology (India spends only
0.3% of its agricultural Gross Domestic Product in Research and
Development)
 d) High cost
 e) Illiteracy of farmers
 f) Poor economic conditions of the farmers
Steps to be taken

 Creation of multidisciplinary teams

 Formation of farmer’s co-operatives
 Government legislation
 Pilot study should be conducted on farmer’s field
 Creating awareness amongst farmers
Adoption strategies for developing countries
Strategies Technologies Target sectors
Single PA technology Single low level PA Small-scale farms
technologies, LCC, small
machine-based VRT, etc
PA technology package SPAD, LCC, DSS, GIS, Consolidated plots,
VRT, GPS, etc. plantation crops, cash
crops, cooperative
farming, etc
Integrated PA techniques On-line sensor, image Organized farming sector
processing, remote
sensing (RS), yield
monitoring system, VRT,
GPS, etc

Mondal and Basu (2009)

Precision Farming Initiatives in India

 TATA Kisan Kendra (TKK)

 Tamil Nadu Precision Farming Project
 ISRO, Ahmadabad
 M S Swaminathan Research Foundation, Chennai
 Project Directorate for Cropping Systems Research (PDCSR)
Precision farming in Tamil Nadu

 Tamil Nadu Precision Farming Project (TNPFP)

 Sponsor – Government of Tamil Nadu
 Nature of project – Turn key consultancy project
 Implementing agency - TNAU
 Physical target – 400 ha
 Budget – 720 lakhs
 Location - Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts
 Crops – 45 crops (field & horti)
objectives

 Maximizing the productivity of the crops

 Enhance the quality of produces
 Empower the farmers association
 Promote market led agriculture & horticulture
Aishwarya Guntoju and Sruthi Udayan (2018)
 Drip irrigation
Chisel plough

Remote sensing images

Particular Yield Price/kg Gross Total cost Net return B:C ratio
(kg) return (Rs.) (Rs.)
(Rs.)

Precision 36075 12.37 4,46,125 1,52,243 2,93,881 1.93

farming

Conventional 10550 22.74 2,39,967 1,26,905 1,13,032 0.89

farming

Returns from banana under precision farming and conventional

farming (Rs./ac) (Balaganesh et al., 2016)
Particulars Conventional Precision
Land Preparation 9,000 9,000
Cost of mulch paper 28,000
Drip irrigation 20,000
Seedling 15,000 40,000
Fertilizer 24,000 50,000
Insecticide 13,000 17,000
Fungicide 9,000 11,000
Transport 3,000 7,000
Labor 30,000 75,000
Yield/ha 8t/ha 25t/ha
Income/ha 1,60,000 5,00,000
B:C ratio 1.55 1.94

Cultivation cost of chilli (Shinde et al., 2015)

Agritech Start ups in India
 Gold farm
 FASAL
 CropIn
 AgriCX
 Aibono
 Aarav unmanned systems
Technologies

Chlorophyll meter
Geophinex

Laser land leveller Driverless tractor

GAP

Definition
Defined by FAO, are a “collection of principles to apply for on-farm
production and post production processes, resulting in safe and healthy food and
non-food agricultural products, while taking into account economic, social and
environmental sustainability.”
Principles

 Food Safety
 Environment Protection
 Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare
 Animal Welfare (where applicable)
 Reducing the inappropriate use of chemicals
Objectives

 Ensuring safety and quality of produce in the food chain.

 Capturing new market advantages by modifying supply chain governance.
 Improving natural resources use, workers health and working conditions,
Creating new market opportunities for farmers and exporters in developing
countries.
Four Pillars
 economic viability,
 environmental sustainability,
 social acceptability and
 food safety and quality
Key elements

 1. Prevention of problems before they occur

 2. Risk assessments
 3. Commitment to food safety at all levels
 4. Communication throughout the production chain
 5. Mandatory employee education program at the operational level
 6. Field and equipment sanitation
 7. Integrated pest management
 8. Oversight and enforcement
 9. Verification through independent, third-party audits
General Guidelines

 Seed and Seedling

 Soil management
 Use of fertilizers
 Irrigation
 Pest and Disease management
 Harvesting and Post harvesting
Certification

 GLOBALGAP started as a retailer initiative in 1997

 EN 45011-based accredited certification system
 Certification to GLOBALGAP will become mandatory as from March 2003
for farms growing produce for export to Europe
 certification to GLOBALGAP will result in additional costs to growers, there
will be numerous benefits
Conclusion

 Precision farming provides a new solution using a systems approach for today's
agricultural issues such as the need to balance productivity with environmental
concerns. It is based on advanced information technology
 To meet out the global demand for food precision farming technologies were
initiated.
 In parallel, Good Agricultural Practices approach is also important in applying
available knowledge to addressing environmental, economic and social
sustainability, resulting in safe and quality food products.
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