Strategies to put smart agriculture into practice

Bangladesh is a role model to the world for its success in agriculture. It can also become a global hub for producing and exporting a significant variety of agricultural products. This requires the successful implementation of smart agriculture.

Smart agriculture refers to using technologies such as the Internet of Things, sensors, location systems, automation, robotics and artificial intelligence on farms. Of course, the use of all of them will be gradually fulfilled in our country. But the ultimate goal of smart agriculture is to increase the quality and quantity of crops and optimise the human labour used.

According to smart farming expert Angela Schuster, producing more food on less land is essential for a growing world population. Smart farming ensures the efficient use of natural resources and enables increased yield through optimal land use and environmental management.

The three main objectives of smart agriculture are to increase sustainable agricultural productivity and income, adapt to and build resilience to climate change, and reduce or eliminate greenhouse gas emissions where possible. 

Implementing smart agriculture requires increasing the use of technological facilities in agriculture. For example, the use of the Internet of Things in agriculture would mean a connection between climate management and control in greenhouses, a software platform for sensors (soil, water, light, humidity, temperature management), a positioning system (GPS, satellite), a communication system (mobile connectivity), analytics and optimisation platforms, which manages the farm based on the data received.

These systems allow farmers to monitor their farming processes and make strategic decisions remotely. Farmers at the rural level should receive proper training. Campaigns on using various digital technologies and modern machinery for organised agriculture should also be available.

In our country, smart agriculture can help with doubling the productivity of crops per acre of land, although doubling is only possible in some crops, such as rice. It can also speed up production management, smarten and accelerate the supply chain, and ensure proper use of appropriate technology and agricultural mechanisation systems and technologies. 

From cultivation to marketing, the use of smart technology, such as remote control, automation, operated rice transplanters, combine harvesters, increasing the use of seeding machines, drones, and smart soil moisture, use of pH sensors, IoT-based smart farm management, remote sensing, and GIS technology to predict and control harmful insects and diseases, robotics (in specific areas), etc. can ensure a high yield at a low cost.

As a result of climate change, there is an increase in salinity in the southern part of the country and an increase in drought in the northern part, along with a tendency toward sudden and regular floods in the lower regions of the country. Due to this, the cultivation of crops in these areas is becoming more difficult day by day. 

To combat climate change, there is a need to develop salinity-, drought-, and waterlogging-tolerant crops like rice, wheat, jute, mustard, oil crops, and various vegetables that can reach the farmers' doorsteps quickly. Research institutes and the agriculture department can play a significant role in this regard. Coping with climate change also requires changes in crop cultivation methods.

Optimal utilisation of scarce land is necessary to ensure the growing population's food and nutritional security. According to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's instructions, not even an inch of land can be left unused. To do that, we need to increase crop density to ensure proper utilisation of every inch of land and as many crops as possible should be cultivated on the same land every year. 

For example, intercropping, companion cropping, and multilayer cropping can be done. This will ensure optimal utilisation of land and increase total production. The use of organic fertilisers should be increased to maintain the fertility of the land. So the production of organic fertilisers should be prioritised.

Smart market management is an integral part of smart agriculture. Smart farming requires a critical link between all supply chain stages to enable an efficient and equitable flow of information. It maintains the balance of power. A win-win environment should be maintained by allowing profits to be redistributed more equitably throughout the supply chain. 

Meeting the growing demands of consumers is crucial for agribusiness. This can have sustainable capabilities in the future, and smart farming will act as a catalyst. Farmers will get a fair price if there is fair and efficient market management. And they will be more interested in crop cultivation.

If cold storage, vegetable storage, or multi-purpose storage are installed in the commercial production areas of agriculture, the wastage of crops will be reduced, and farmers will benefit more. If there are enough cold storage facilities in those areas and agricultural processing industries are developed, crops can also be exported to foreign markets. In that case, the farmers will profit more by selling their products. 

Apart from domestic market management, we must take the initiative to export our agricultural products abroad. Foreign investors should be attracted to setting up agro-processing enterprises in Bangladesh. For that, it is necessary to create a favourable environment and a commitment to provide attractive facilities for investors. Bangladesh exports mangoes, jackfruit, potatoes, various vegetables, frozen shrimp, etc., to different parts of the world. 

While highlighting various government initiatives to develop smart farming, the State Minister for Information and Communication Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak said that 1,000 villages in the country will be brought under smart farming by 2041. 

He said, "In the first phase, we want to digitise 10 villages for smart farming by 2025. By 2041, 20 lakh farmers and 3.5 lakh entrepreneurs from 1000 villages will come under smart farming by completing phases one, two, and three. The Digital Village Centre, National Data Centre, Digital Villages, MFS, Inter-Operable Digital Transaction Platform, and other entities will work together for the ecosystem."

Smart vertical agriculture farming, smart rooftop farming, and family nutrient gardens can be widely introduced to overcome the problem of a growing population and shrinking land. The multifaceted projects of the government are ongoing. The more the country's scarce resources or land can be used, the smarter agriculture will become. 

Implementation of smart agriculture will be facilitated by developing smart web and mobile apps and other modern facilities to shorten the supply chain, ensure fair purchase and sale prices for farmers and consumers, and develop smart agricultural marketing systems.

In front of SDG-2030, to deal with the challenges of the six hotspots of agriculture mentioned in the Delta Plan-2100, the smart plans or strategies must be implemented smartly. With that, the economy will also become smart. It will help to build Smart Bangladesh by 2041.

Mashrur Siddique Bhuiyan is a development worker and independent researcher.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.