state how computers are used in horticultural farm please answer this question
Answers
Answer:
Agriculture is a highly complex enterprise worth 7–8 trillion dollars worldwide (10% of global GDP). There is a huge potential, and the need to induct new and innovative technologies involving computers and related fields in the entire agriculture value chain from production to food on the table: enhance production efficiency; improve inputs use; conserve the resource base (soil, water and biodiversity); reduce its pollution and carbon footprint in production, processing, storage, packaging and transport, retail distribution, and consumption; reduce food wastage in all forms; make it resilient to climate change (climate-smart agriculture), and enhance its ecological services. These different factors are all interconnected and interact in a highly complex manner. This is where computers and related software programs come into play to make agriculture highly efficient and productive, profitable, resilient to climate and sustainable over long-term. Some examples are given below:
A. In field production
Input use technologies: Computers play a significant role in production and efficient use of crop varieties, seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, soil amendments, water, and farm machines;
Precision farming: Managing variable soil fertility grid and variable nutrient application, need-based pesticide and herbicide application, generation and use of big data, sensors, robotics, drones, farm management software, etc.). Farmers use drones to monitor their fields, make timely decisions to avoid yield losses;
Mechanization: Smart machines and pieces of equipment with sensors for all farm operations from land preparation to harvest processing and storage and retail;
Climate change prediction and disaster warning: Location-specific micro weather forecasting, satellite imagery for assessment crop performance, and determining the extent of damage by drought, floods and storms for crop insurance purpose, forecasting of destructive insect pest movement across regions;
B. Forecasting crop yields and production in different countries
This is helpful in managing food supplies, food trade and food aid across countries and regions
C. Supply chain management
Processing and quality control technologies; efficient storage and quality control; product traceability; smart and eco-efficient packaging; farm-to-consumer distribution and retail; e-groceries; food safety and nutrition quality management;
Market intelligence and price fluctuations: Computers help in monitoring near and distant markets and commodity prices for farmers to plan in advance;
D. Reducing food loss and wastage
Agricultural supply chain generates wastes in every step of the value chain; Computers help in monitoring the wastes and designing waste reduction strategies. Conversion of food and agricultural wastes into new resources like bio-energy, water, organic fertilizers, and other valuable bio-materials.
Expectations are high on the usefulness of computers and related ICTs in agriculture. We need to wait until the new technologies mature and provide real benefits to farmers in a simple-to-use and cost-efficient manner to assess their final worth.