Importance of precision farming

a. Economic Importance

• Ensures optimal use of inputs such as fertilizers, irrigation water, pesticides, and seeds.
• Reduces production costs by minimizing overuse and wastage of costly resources.
• Enhances farm profitability through improved crop yields and better-quality produce.
• Facilitates efficient machinery use, saving fuel and labor costs.
• Provides higher market competitiveness for farmers producing uniform, quality crops.

b. Agronomic Importance

• Improves nutrient use efficiency by applying fertilizers based on soil fertility maps and crop needs.
• Enhances water use efficiency through sensor-based irrigation and drip fertigation.
• Helps in site-specific crop management, ensuring uniform crop growth and higher productivity.
• Facilitates adoption of high-tech practices such as variable rate seeding, precision transplanting, and sensor-guided crop monitoring.

c. Environmental Importance

• Minimizes environmental pollution caused by excessive use of fertilizers and agrochemicals.
• Reduces greenhouse gas emissions from over-fertilization and inefficient irrigation.
• Prevents soil degradation by avoiding overexploitation and maintaining soil health.
• Conserves biodiversity by promoting judicious resource use.
• Supports climate-smart agriculture by reducing vulnerability to climate risks.

d. Social Importance

• Enhances livelihood security of farmers by ensuring higher and stable incomes.
• Reduces drudgery and labor requirement through automation and mechanization.
• Provides farmers with access to modern technologies, narrowing the technology gap.
• Promotes youth involvement in farming by making agriculture more attractive and technology-driven.

e. National and Global Importance

• Contributes to food security by improving agricultural productivity.
• Plays a vital role in achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs), especially those related to zero hunger, responsible consumption, and climate action.
• Helps countries reduce dependence on imports by boosting domestic production.
• Promotes digital agriculture and agri-business opportunities, linking farmers to global markets.