The Future Tech Frontiers

GPS technology has revolutionized the agricultural industry by enabling farmers to precisely control the amount of seed, fertilizer, and chemicals they apply to their fields. This practice is known as variable rate application (VRA) and allows farmers to optimize the use of these inputs, resulting in increased crop yields and reduced costs. VRA technology uses GPS technology to map out fields and determine the precise location of each plant. This information is then used to apply inputs at the appropriate rate for each plant, rather than applying a uniform rate across the entire field. For example, plants that are located in areas with poor soil quality can be given a higher rate of fertilizer, while plants in fertile areas can be given a lower rate. Not only does VRA improve crop yields, it also helps farmers reduce the use of inputs, which can save on cost and reduce environmental impacts. By applying inputs at the optimal rate for each plant, farmers can avoi...

Minimum tillage and zero tillage are two farming techniques that aim to minimize the amount of soil disturbance during the cultivation process. These techniques have gained popularity in recent years due to the numerous benefits they offer, such as reduced soil erosion, increased water retention, and improved soil health. Minimum tillage involves using specialized equipment, such as chisel plows and disk harrows, to loosen the soil and prepare it for planting without completely overturning it. This technique leaves a significant amount of crop residue on the surface of the soil, which helps to protect it from erosion and retain moisture. Zero tillage, also known as no-till farming, is a more extreme version of minimum tillage. It involves planting crops directly into undisturbed soil, without any prior tillage or preparation. This technique is typically used in conjunction with specialized seed drills that are designed to plant seeds at the proper depth and spacing without ...

Precision agriculture is a farming approach that utilizes technology and data analysis to optimize crop production. One of the key technologies that is used in precision agriculture is the Global Positioning System (GPS). GPS is a satellite-based navigation system that allows farmers to precisely locate and map their fields, as well as monitor and control various aspects of their farming operations. One of the primary benefits of using GPS in precision agriculture is its ability to improve the accuracy and efficiency of farming practices. By using GPS to map out fields, farmers can ensure that they are planting, watering, and applying fertilizers and pesticides in the most effective locations. This can help reduce the amount of resources that are wasted, while also improving the overall health and yield of the crops. Another benefit of using GPS in precision agriculture is its ability to provide real-time data and analysis. With GPS-enabled sensors and other mon...

Many at times, farmers confuse zero tillage and minimum tillage. The difference is actually a very thin line. To begin with, minimum tillage and zero tillage both uphold the concept of ensuring that soil structure and composition experiences least disturbance. This is probably one of the reasons why both methods are sometimes twined. Althought they both fall on the common spectrum of precision agriculture, there are some notable differences between minimum tillage and zero tillage practices. Since the advent of Agrarian Revolution , the practises have slowly evolved with time from the ancient bush clearing and burning as well as broadcasting method of planting to the mordern use of precision planting technologies. All these is possible through use of GPS (  Global Positioning System  ) in agriculture. Minimum tillage is a type of conservation agriculture where where soil disturbance is aimed at achieving a good seedbed. Minimum tillage can be on form of...

In 2013-2015, goverment through the ministry of agriculture, devolution as well as National Irrigation Board (NIB) came up with an agressive plan to enhance Kenya's food security through the Galana Kulalu flagship project. The whole idea was to reclaim over 50,000 acres of land that was within the arid and semi arid region through irrigation and used to produce maize and other crops enough to supplement the nations food production. The project was a guaranteed key to food security. So apparently, the government came up with a plan, infact an awesome plan. The plan was to contract experts with experience and first hand experience at converting 'deserts' to 'vine yards'. We all know that no one is better at this than the Israeli.  So an Israeli company called Green Arava was contracted for the task. FYI the said company have done several other similar projects in various parts of the world with 100% success rate. However, the company was supposed to operat...

The invention and adoption of precision agriculture has been evolving with advancements in the concepts and the technology. Recently while addressing a forum on Precision Agriculture and its emerging trends, i happened to mention the Word ISOBUS and it caused a buzz and a debate. Electronic systems are currently the key driver of innovation in agricultural technology. However, progress is slowed by the lack of compatibility between proprietary solutions developed by different manufacturers, which often do not interact with systems from other manufacturers. When the industry first started, some companies made products that would only communicate to other products made by the same company. The lack of compatibility between machinery from different manufacturers leading to frustration among users/farmers. Today, all modern Precision Agriculture and agricultural machinery manufacturers are making inroads towards this common goal of compatibility.  ISOBUS is the ...

Have you ever noticed that there is a portion of your farm that's highly productive, another part of your farm is Moderately productive, and other parts of your farm is poor with regards to production? Do you know why? Are you aware of the solutions to that? Great, relax and read on!. I will try and explain it in the simplest terms possible. Every piece of agricultural land however small or big it may be has varying capabibilities in terms of yield. This means that, some part of your land will give you a higher yield while some parts will give you a lower yield. Therefore, a particular map can be drawn on your farm with regards to how much harvest was collected from each location of your farm.  A better way of knowing how well each part of your farm is doing is by monitoring crop health. Crop health data can be achieved through use of  drones . Drones equiped with special cameras take several NDVI  images all over the farm and such images upon analysis will gi...