The Internet of Things: Farm to Table
The Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that global food production will need to rise by 70% to meet projected demand by 2050. Here’s how the IoT is helping us get there.
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- Scroll to Section: Deciding What to Plant
- Scroll to Section: Watering Crops
- Scroll to Section: Livestock Monitoring
- Scroll to Section: Harvesting
- Scroll to Section: Shipping
- Scroll to Section: Grocery Shopping
- Scroll to Section: Cooking & Food Waste
True or false: IoT sensing and analytics have the potential to allow farmers to plant a wider array of crops on less land.
1 Deciding What to Plant
By using IoT plant and soil monitoring technologies, farmers can make more efficient seed and location selections based on the data they generate.
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True or false: IoT sensing and analytics have the potential to allow farmers to plant a wider array of crops on less land.
Shawn Chandler:
IEEE Senior member, Director at Navigant (US)
"With less time in the field, and more time digesting the results of monitoring, many environmental and other challenging factors can all be managed quickly, leading to higher yields and better use of the land over time. Remote sensing also enables micro-farming, where it is important to monitor a large area with very diverse crops. Simply, with the IoT, more land can be farmed with more support to manage it successfully."
How much water were farmers able to save by using the prototype of a smart irrigation system?
2 Watering Crops
As droughts become more common in key farming areas, saving water will be increasingly important. Smart irrigation will play an increasingly large role.
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How much water were farmers able to save by using the prototype of a smart irrigation system?
Kevin Curran:
IEEE Senior member, Professor of Cybersecurity at Ulster University (Northern Ireland)
"Smart irrigation systems collect data on soil content and other environmental factors from a network of wireless sensors to reduce water waste. The system examines the data it collects to selectively water different plots of land based on need. Smart irrigation systems save energy, water, and money. Using a prototype, fourteen sites in Europe were able to reduce their water usage on average by 40 percent."
Which of the following are animal conditions that farmers are using IoT sensors to track?
3 Livestock Monitoring
Whether it’s cows, pigs, chickens or even fish, researchers are working on wireless sensors to track as much useful information about them as possible, allowing farmers to work more efficiently.
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Which of the following are animal conditions that farmers are using IoT sensors to track?
Sukanya Mandal:
IEEE member (India)
"The IoT can provide health monitoring, which can help resolve feeding issues and prevent illness; location tracking to help farmers locate their animals when they are out grazing, and pay attention when their behavior appears different; and optimization of feeding and milking, helping farmers track when and what to feed their animals, as well as notifications when their cows are about to milk. It is the farmers who will take care of their livestock, but the IoT is helping simplify and optimize the process. This is highly significant because it helps in increasing farmer’s productivity and revenues."
True or false: by combining usage and location data, IoT devices will help predict when harvesting equipment will need maintenance.
4 Harvesting
As the battery life and transmission range of sensors increase, and their size and cost decrease, monitoring of harvesting equipment will become more detailed and effective.
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True or false: by combining usage and location data, IoT devices will help predict when harvesting equipment will need maintenance.
Shawn Chandler:
IEEE Senior member, director at Navigant (US)
"IoT devices can track farm and production equipment, and any aspect of their operation and conditions experienced through time. Location, condition and usage combined together are well utilized to inform predictive maintenance activities and reduce operations and maintenance costs over time. Generally, equipment becomes more productive because maintenance is planned in advance."
Which of the following is NOT a soon-to-arrive benefit of infusing IoT technology into the transportation of meat and produce?
5 Shipping
Moving (and tracking) food at all hours using self-driving trucks will improve what we’re able to buy. And as these trucks enter the market, vehicle-to-vehicle communications will become even more important.
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Which of the following is NOT a soon-to-arrive benefit of infusing IoT technology into the transportation of meat and produce?
Sukanya Mandal:
IEEE member (India)
"IoT and the transportation of goods together provide real-time tracking and remote monitoring solutions for smart logistics. They also facilitate asset tracking and remote fleet management, thus providing a reliable solution for long distance logistical delivery without any worries. Also, these solutions increase efficiency and help maintain a seamless flow of goods delivery."
In which of the following ways does the IoT stand to change how we shop for food in markets?
6 Grocery Shopping
Inexpensive sensors allow the tracking of individual items, and help ensure their authenticity. Tracking also extends to shoppers, whose movements and selections are used to personalize their experience.
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In which of the following ways does the IoT stand to change how we shop for food in markets?
Raul Colcher:
IEEE Life Senior member (Brazil)
"The IoT has the potential to radically change retail, and, in particular, supermarkets. As the technology gains diffusion and scale, sensors may find their way into supermarket shelves, carts and product packages, paving the way to more efficient good acquisition and post sale experiences, automatic internal shelf supply reordering and reliable, expedited customer payment processing. A big impact can be expected from the introduction of the IoT for automation of store inventory and the reorder of goods."
Read more about the future of grocery shopping from our partners:
Close this slideWhich two of the following are the biggest benefits remote IoT sensors stand to bring to the sewer system?
7 Cooking & Food Waste
31% of food in America gets wasted according to the USDA. Whether it ends up in the trash, composted or goes down the drain, remote sensors are likely to monitor it in some capacity.
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Which two of the following are the biggest benefits remote IoT sensors stand to bring to the sewer system?
Raul Colcher:
IEEE Life Senior member (Brazil)
"Probably one of the biggest impacts of IoT in sewer systems relates to data collection and action taking in the context of predictive maintenance systems. Maintenance is usually required because of sewer overflows caused by blocked or broken sewer lines, infiltration and other causes. Data sensing and analyzing may anticipate such conditions, thereby preventing costly ruptures and serious environmental problems."