Popularising smart agriculture

Agriculture is the base of our economy. However, many of us do not know about smart farming or agriculture. The term smart agriculture refers to the us of technologies like internet, sensors, location systems, automation, robots and artificial intelligence in farming. Its goal is to increase the quality and quantity of the crops while optimising the human labour used. For instance, IoT (internet of things) provides farmers the data by which they can monitor their farms and take strategic decisions from remote areas. At present, many educated people have chosen farming as their profession. For them, sensor-software platform for maintaining soil, water, light, humidity, and temperature and also technologies including GPS, satellite, communication system, mobile connectivity, robot and use of drone are blessings that can increase their agricultural output.

Smart farming is an innovative approach to agriculture that integrates technology into farming practices, enabling farmers to optimise crop yields, reduce waste and improve efficiency. It offers numerous benefits, including increased productivity, reduced labour costs, improved crop quality and a more sustainable approach to farming. This approach also offers greater precision, enabling farmers to target specific areas of their farms that require attention and reduce the use of chemicals and fertilisers. In Bangladesh, where agriculture is still a major source of income for millions of farming households, the lack of access to information demands immediate attention. The government has already taken some measures regarding smart agriculture in the country. But they are not sufficient. Two smartphone apps have already been developed namely Fosholi and Digicow. But most farmers do not know about them let alone use them. The first and foremost thing that we need to do is to make our farmers aware of the available technologies and help them use those.

Dr. Md. Ruhul Amin, Vice President and Head of Agriculture Investment Division,

ruhul_happy01@yahoo.com