Agriculture is a vast field and plays a crucial role in the development of humanity. Traditional agriculture requires a significant amount of labor and manual work. However, the labor force interested in this field is decreasing, with younger generations preferring office and industrial jobs. Smart agriculture, automation, and modern agriculture require fewer but high-quality laborers while ensuring outstanding productivity and quality. So, what does a smart, automated, and modern agriculture system look like? What technological solutions are applied in smart agriculture? Let's explore these questions with FERMENTUM in this article!
Vietnam, with a history of thousands of years in agriculture, possesses fertile land and a favorable geographical location. As a result, Vietnam's agriculture has always had a competitive advantage compared to other sectors. Rice, for example, has consistently ranked in the top five globally in terms of exports in recent years. However, Vietnam also faces various challenges such as natural disasters, floods, and saline intrusion, especially in the Central region, which suffers from annual calamities.
Vietnam boasts a vast and impressive agricultural land area, approximately 27,994,319 hectares (as of 2021 statistics from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment). However, a significant portion of this agricultural land is primarily devoted to rice cultivation. Although rice remains a top agricultural product in terms of quantity, the market is gradually demanding more diversity in agricultural products, such as vegetables, aquatic products, and fruits. If Vietnam efficiently utilizes this land resource, allocates resources, and prioritizes the development of economically beneficial crops suitable for each region, then it can sufficiently supply the domestic market and even export to some international markets.
By signing major free trade agreements such as the CPTPP and EVFTA, Vietnam has opened up significant opportunities for its agricultural products to access global markets. However, to export to international markets, Vietnamese agricultural products must meet stringent standards and requirements regarding quality and origin. This presents both challenges and opportunities for Vietnam to transition its development model and focus more on the safety and quality of agricultural products.
The concept of smart agriculture involves the application of scientific, technical, and high-tech solutions to manage, control, and optimize the processes of production, packaging, and preservation of agricultural products. The adoption of technology, especially automation technology, helps farmers reduce labor costs, avoid strenuous tasks, increase productivity and product quality, and contribute to generating additional profits and value for farmers.
Depending on the scale of production, production model, and specific needs, farmers can consider the following technological solutions:
- Automated irrigation systems
- Monitoring and management systems for humidity, pH, temperature, and other technical factors
- Food preservation systems
- Agricultural production and packaging assembly lines
- Mechanization of agriculture with automated farming machinery
The automated irrigation system is a system that manages, monitors, and controls the watering process for plants according to schedule and weather conditions while allowing farmers to control the amount of water supplied to plants as desired. The entire system can be programmed to run automatically or can be remotely controlled by humans.
Key components of the automated irrigation system include:
- Pump station: Responsible for pumping water from the source to the irrigation system.
- Water distribution pipelines: Deliver water from the pump station to the fields or crop areas.
- Central processing unit: Controls and manages the operation of the irrigation system.
- Actuators: Devices such as electronic valves and sensors that execute commands and monitor various parameters.
Key features of the automated irrigation system include:
- Scheduled watering: The system automatically provides water to plants according to a predefined schedule. This schedule can be adjusted based on the specific technical requirements of the crops and the farmer's preferences.
- Adaptive watering based on weather conditions: This advanced feature utilizes data from sensors measuring environmental conditions such as pH, temperature, and humidity to adjust the flow rate and watering time to ensure optimal conditions for the crops.
- Controlled water volume: This feature allows farmers to allocate and control the amount of water supplied to different areas or zones within the farm, ensuring efficient water usage and optimal growing conditions for different crops.
Common methods of irrigation used in automated systems include drip irrigation, sprinkler irrigation, and overhead irrigation. Each method has its advantages and suitability for different types of crops and farming scenarios, so you should research and choose the most suitable method for specific needs and conditions.
AGRICULTURAL MONITORING AND MANAGEMENT SYSTEM utilizes sensors to collect data on important technical parameters of the soil and environment such as pH, temperature, humidity, light intensity, water flow, etc. This data helps you understand technical parameters intuitively and accurately, enabling you to make adjustments tailored to different types of crops. For example, in cases where the temperature is high and humidity is low, the system can activate irrigation systems, climate control, and shading to reduce temperature and increase humidity for the plants.
Key components of the agricultural monitoring and management system include:
- Central control unit: This unit serves as the core of the system, responsible for processing data and controlling various components.
- Monitoring display: This can be a computer, smartphone, or Human-Machine Interface (HMI) device used to monitor the system and receive alerts or notifications.
- Sensors: These devices are deployed to collect data on soil and environmental parameters.
- Actuators: Components such as valves, pumps, motors, etc., that execute commands based on the data collected.
The main functions of the agricultural monitoring and management system include:
- Real-time monitoring and data collection of crops.
- Automatic control and adjustment of temperature, humidity, and pH levels.
- Remote management and control, allowing users to monitor and adjust the system from a distance.
Using agricultural machinery will help you reduce labor costs, and save time and effort, while simultaneously increasing productivity and ensuring consistent product quality.
Currently, there is a wide variety of agricultural machinery available on the market. Depending on your production scale and needs, you can choose the appropriate agricultural machinery.
Israel, with its small land area, has a strong and developed agricultural sector. Since its establishment as a nation in 1948, Israel has prioritized the development of agriculture as a cornerstone of its economy. Over the years, their high-quality and safe agricultural products have not only satisfied the domestic market but also been exported to European countries. Thanks to well-designed development policies and close collaboration among scientists, businesses, and farmers, Israel has taken the lead in applying modern automation technologies to agriculture. As a result, Israel has truly become a powerhouse in this field.
Vietnamese farmers can learn from and adopt the lessons and models from Israel to develop and thrive in their agricultural endeavors.
With the support of experts and partners in Israel, along with our team of highly skilled engineers, we are committed to providing you with optimal, cost-effective solutions that yield the highest efficiency. Our professional and sincere work ethic drives us to contribute to the creation of a modern and prosperous agricultural sector.
Therefore, if you need smart agricultural solutions or seeking models for agricultural automation and modernization, please do not hesitate to contact us.
We are always ready to listen and honored to serve you.
