Precision agriculture is a case of evolution rather than revolution is the message from Andrew Christie, Agri-Tech Specialist at The James Hutton Institute.

Mr Christie said touting some technological advances as ground-breaking may be misleading as in reality much of it has been around since the mid-nineties and was introduced in the early 2000s and it has been developing ever since.

He said: “The evolution has taken us through precision steering, and mapping and then adding different layers on top of that.

“In the initial phases of precision agriculture, it was GPS and assisted steering systems. Then we had harvest yield monitors and soil sample maps.

“Where we are going now is to be able to add different layers of technology to advance how much we know about the work we are doing and the data connected to that.

“I think in the future, where we are developing towards is to make better use of this data. We can collect lots of information already but using more sensors we can measure and react to real-time conditions such as moisture levels in arable and fruit production.

“Sensor networks are really interesting in terms of collecting data, but that’s more from a research side. We need to be able to apply the information that has been collected otherwise it’s not actually providing much of a benefit – there has to be a clear benefit to agriculture.

“When we are applying these technologies and collecting data, I think the next step is the use of artificial intelligence to manipulate the data we have into something useful.

“We can see it being done already with some robotics with the likes of image recognition in terms of path following and obstacle identification as well as other aspects.

“We can estimate harvest yields including fruit and vegetables. That uses the application of artificial intelligence from data collected from sensors and cameras. In the future, this will be applied with automation to allow robotic harvesting, although we are a bit away from that yet with cost, accuracy, and work rate.”

In terms of accessibility to farmers, Mr Christie said it was dependent on the manufacturing company.

He said: “Even for me working with these technologies in a research situation, there are obstacles in that with rapid progress on the tech side, much of the information is protected. Because each of the manufacturers wants to protect their own intellectual property there is also an issue with the amount of jargon being used.

“Tech companies need to be able to communicate effectively with farmers, but what is also needed is an understanding of agriculture within the tech companies – where it is missing there can be a disconnect with their potential customers.”

Mr Christie said when it comes to deploying new technology in precision agriculture, there are options for farmers to develop new skill sets to use it, or for businesses to come on the farm as third parties.

He said: “For those who do have the interest and have the knowledge or expertise, farmers can collect data with sensors available on the market and can automate using off-the-shelf parts as well. In addition, there are options for open-source software so you can do this yourself, but it takes time and nous to be able to do that.

“Someone may or may not have the time, patience, or expertise and that’s where service provision comes in, so I think there needs to be a multi-layered approach where the service can be provided by experts, but it is quite clear that the technology is accessible at all levels.

“In terms of assisting industry to meet net-zero and biodiversity targets demanded by government, the technology can first of all provide a baseline. If you look at sensors and how we can use data and imaging to collect information.

“For example, using sensors fitted to drones for the use of biodiversity monitoring, so this can be automated and measured. This is something that has been a problem in terms of data collection because it means boots on the ground and it can’t be monitored all of the time.

“It might have simply been one individual day on a certain month, so there was too much variation to take account of based on the whole spatial variation of the countryside.

“I do think there will be a push from the government to try and incorporate that, but you must be able to trust the information that is being produced and that is where the research needs to be done.”

One area of precision farming that holds promise is with rollout of 5G private networks on farms. An example of polytunnel fruit production, is that sensor networks measure moisture and run-off, with the data being used to trigger an irrigation event using the 5G private network as a data connection to send commands.

Previously it was a manual process of turning on a tap, but this can now be an automated process, and using 5G ensures future-proofed systems that technology will still operate.

Potentially, the 5G network interconnected to sensors on a farm without accessing the internet could provide a secure environment for data, as well as increasing speed.

Mr Christie concluded that as with all previous technologies, it is likely that sensors, 5G, and other advances will become affordable over time making it more accessible to industry.