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Precision agriculture is a management strategy that gathers, processes and analyzes temporal, spatial and individual plant and animal data and combines it with other information to support management decisions according to estimated variability for improved resource use efficiency, productivity, quality, profitability and sustainability of agricultural production.

It is used in both crop and livestock production. A central component of implementing this strategy is the satellite monitoring of agricultural machinery, which forms the basis for modern farm fleet management. Beyond machinery, precision agriculture also analyzes the spatial variability within fields, such as how terrain attributes (geomorphology) and soil properties affect crop growth and water distribution (hydrology).[] The goal of precision agriculture research is to define a decision support system for whole farm management with the goal of optimizing returns on inputs while preserving resources. The practice of precision agriculture has been enabled by the advent of GPS and GNSS. The farmer's and/or researcher's ability to locate their precise position in a field allows for the creation of maps of the spatial variability of as many variables as can be measured (e.g. crop yield, terrain features/topography, organic matter content, moisture levels, nitrogen levels, pH, EC, Mg, K, and others). These arrays consist of real-time sensors that measure everything from chlorophyll levels to plant water status, along with multispectral imagery. This data is used in conjunction with satellite imagery by variable rate technology (VRT) including seeders, sprayers, etc. to optimally distribute resources. However, recent technological advances have enabled the use of real-time sensors directly in soil, which can wirelessly transmit data without the need of human presence. Precision agriculture can benefit from unmanned aerial vehicles, that are relatively inexpensive and can be operated by novice pilots.

Precision agriculture is a key component of the third wave of modern agricultural revolutions.

Precision agriculture also provides farmers with a wealth of information to:

The small devices on the equipment that use GIS (geographic information system) are what makes precision agriculture what it is; the GIS system can be thought of as the “brain”. To be able to use precision agriculture, the equipment needs to be wired with the right technology and data systems.

Precision agriculture uses technology on agricultural equipment (e.g. tractors, sprayers, harvesters, etc.):

The concept of precision agriculture first emerged in the United States in the early 1980s. Research on precision agriculture for non-mechanized production is increasing and so is its adoption. The economic and environmental benefits of precision agriculture have also been confirmed in China, but China is lagging behind countries such as Europe and the United States because the Chinese agricultural system is characterized by small-scale family-run farms, which makes the adoption rate of precision agriculture lower than other countries. Therefore, China is trying to better introduce precision agriculture technology into its own country and reduce some risks, paving the way for China's technology to develop precision agriculture in the future.

Precision agriculture, as the name implies, means the application of precise and correct amounts of inputs like water, fertilizer, pesticides, etc. at the correct time to the crop to increase its productivity and maximize its yields. Precision agriculture management practices can significantly reduce the amount of nutrient and other crop inputs used while boosting yields. Consequently, precision agriculture has become a cornerstone of sustainable agriculture, since it respects crops, soils and farmers. Precision agriculture reduces the pressure of agriculture on the environment by increasing the efficiency of machinery and putting it into use.

Precision agriculture is an application of breakthrough digital farming technologies.

Recent advancements in Generative AI and Large Language Models (LLM) have shifted precision agriculture from passive data analysis to active decision support.

The agricultural industry, including teachers, is still in the relatively early stages of precision agriculture technologies.

Quick Facts

• The practice of precision agriculture has been enabled by the advent of GPS and GNSS.
• Therefore, China is trying to better introduce precision agriculture technology into its own country and reduce some risks, paving the way for China's technology to develop precision agriculture in the future.
• Precision agriculture can benefit from unmanned aerial vehicles, that are relatively inexpensive and can be operated by novice pilots.
• Precision agriculture reduces the pressure of agriculture on the environment by increasing the efficiency of machinery and putting it into use.
• This data is used in conjunction with satellite imagery by variable rate technology (VRT) including seeders, sprayers, etc. to optimally distribute resources.

Source material: Wikipedia - "Precision agriculture". Adapted and summarized for DiscoverScroll. Original contributors are credited through the linked Wikipedia article. Read original on Wikipedia. CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes were made from the original.