Enhancing Agro-Industry’s Efficiency Through Satellite Monitoring
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In the rapidly changing agricultural landscape, technology takes center stage as a driving force behind the much-needed transformation. In particular, satellites are becoming an integral part of agricultural digitalization, enabling the shift from conventional and often ineffective methods to sustainable practices that enhance productivity. Integrating satellite data and analytics into farm management is a way forward to secure a thriving agribusiness and global food production amidst climate change, growing world population, and soaring farming costs.
Using remote sensing and satellite data spans the entire food supply chain, from field to fork. In this article, we’ll explore their most crucial applications in modern farming, such as crop monitoring and precision agriculture, and direct benefits for the sector.
The Science Behind Satellite Use in Agriculture
Satellites are inextricably linked to a host of other technologies, such as remote sensing, GIS, and GPS, which all together enable informed and more efficient farming. Let’s take a closer look at each of them.
GPS (Global Positioning System) relies on a fleet of navigation satellites to provide the exact location of any point in space. In the agricultural context, GPS is a guiding light that directs farm machinery, enables mapping of fields and crop yields, and facilitates soil sampling and crop scouting.
Remote sensing is a method of collecting information about Earth’s surface through specialized sensors, in our case, cameras aboard satellites orbiting the planet. They measure light from different regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, which is reflected or emitted by various objects (e.g., vegetation, water bodies, glaciers, rocks, and soils).
The spectral reflectance is unique as it depends on physicochemical properties. For instance, plants reflect green and absorb the other visible colors, which is why they appear green to the naked eye, while snow reflects all the colors that make white light. This individual spectral “fingerprint” is essential for identifying the objects of interest and qualitatively analyzing their characteristics. When applied to farming, remote sensing data is primarily used to observe crops and evaluate their health via specialized software.
Speaking of software, if remote sensing is a method of capturing data, GIS (Geographic Information System) is a computer-based tool for visualizing and analyzing it. Geospatial datasets come from diverse sources, encompassing a wide range of information linked to a specific location on Earth, including weather maps, satellite imagery, digital elevation models, aerial surveys, and lots of others. In agriculture, GIS fulfills a critically important mission of furnishing farmers with accurate information about pretty much everything, from soil conditions to agrichemical use, to improve decision-making.
For years, sophisticated GIS software used to be the domain of geospatial analytics experts and required profound expertise. Unimaginable tech advancements and awareness of the vast potential of GIS data waiting to be unlocked shaped a new reality where non-experts with diverse backgrounds – from agronomists to insurers to real estate specialists – can draw insights from satellite data to streamline operations, craft more viable strategies, and otherwise increase the efficiency of what they do.
How Satellites Enhance Precision Agriculture
Precision agriculture is based on the principle of using rich agri-data to improve the efficiency of farming practices and make production more sustainable. One of its most widely used techniques is variable rate technology, and satellites are pivotal to its implementation.
Remote sensing data collected from space allows for creating detailed cropland maps and identifying temporal and spatial variability in crop health, soil composition, moisture, and nutrient availability. Equipped with this knowledge, crop growers can adjust the application rates and schedules for main field activities such as sowing, fertilization, irrigation, and spraying of preventive treatments. As a result, resources are used more efficiently, production costs decrease, and crop yields improve since plants’ individual needs are well met.
Dedicated software that marries satellite data with agronomic wisdom, bringing valuable insights at farmers’ fingertips, helps eliminate the barriers to novel technology adoption in a rather conservative community of farmers. EOS Data Analytics, a global provider of space data analytics, created an online platform for various agricultural market players that strive for data-driven decision-making with a comprehensive picture of farmlands at hand. Using EOSDA Crop Monitoring, they can generate VRA maps based on the latest and historical satellite data to reconsider their management strategies. For example, field productivity can be evaluated over several growing seasons to determine low- and high-productive field zones for more efficient use of seeds and fertilizers.
Resource Management and Conservation
Agriculture is infamous for exploiting natural resources such as land, water, forests, and energy. Intensive farming and massive conversion of forests into croplands and pastures have led to detrimental soil degradation on a whopping scale, pollution of water bodies, and huge carbon emissions that speed up global warming.
Satellite technology and remote sensing represent a powerful toolset for monitoring, mapping, and tracking changes in the temporal behavior and availability of non-renewable natural resources over large areas. By keeping track of agricultural expansion, crop use patterns, agroforestry, rangelands, soils, and watersheds, key stakeholders can make decisions regarding policies and planning toward resource conservation to achieve nutritional, economic, and environmental security.
Geospatial data analysis based on satellite imagery provides timely and accurate information about crop types and acreage for yield predictions. Furthermore, satellite data holds immense potential for studying agricultural soils in-depth to analyze land suitability for specific crop types, soil moisture, soil organic carbon dynamics, soil degradation, and other aspects crucial for implementing sustainable farming practices, which help preserve soil fertility without compromising crop yields.
Given the increasing frequency and intensity of droughts drying up water bodies and overexploitation of available watersheds for agricultural uses, satellites become pivotal not only for observing the extent of environmental and human impact on water resources but also for optimizing their allocation and stepping up conservation efforts. Precise and smart irrigation systems using remote and in-situ moisture sensors help maintain optimal soil moisture levels by delivering the right amount of water at the right time instead of an unsustainable ‘blanket’ application.
Impact on Farmer Decision-Making
The core benefit of satellite monitoring is the stream of crop observations hidden from the naked eye, enabling farmers to make better management choices and decisions.
Satellite sensors stand out compared to other sensing devices because of their timeliness and ability to cover large areas. They act as an early warning system that alerts crop growers to any signs of abnormal plant growth that can signal a pest infestation, disease outbreak, water and heat stress, or any kind of damage, leading to timely interventions and prevention of crop losses.
Even if no damage is in place, regular satellite data insights into crop health, soil, and weather conditions inform management decisions to ensure lavish yields at the end of the season. More so, satellite-based yield predictions help choose the best time for harvesting, plan storage, and market sales. With detailed market intelligence at hand, crop growers can better fulfill market demand to increase profitability and gain a competitive advantage.
Satellite technology provides a multitude of benefits to crop growers and the environment alike, helping to make farming as sustainable and profitable as it gets. Remote sensing data collected by satellites unlocks a bigger picture of farmlands, detailing the state of crops, soils, nutrients, moisture levels, and other factors affecting crop production and natural resources. By drawing geospatial insights via specialized software like EOSDA Crop Monitoring, agriculturalists improve decision-making in every aspect of crop management, from sowing to harvesting, to optimize resource use, increase crop yields, and minimize risks while also keeping ecosystems healthy and viable for many seasons to come.
