BIG DATA and Communication Enabled Agriculture Technology. (BDCEAT). Dr. Krishnan Umachandran. General Manager. Organization Development.
BIG DATA and Communication Enabled Agriculture Technology (BDCEAT) Dr. Krishnan Umachandran General Manager Organization Development NELCAST, India
----------- --------------- -------------- ---------------- ---------------- --------------- --------- ------International Conference on Information Security and Cyber Forensics (InfoSec2014) Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia October 8-10, 2014 --------- -------------- ---------------- --------------- -------------- -------------- ------------------ --------- ------
There are two new things in Agriculture today (1) Organic (2) ICT. Though both are important for Quality orientations; the Organic is consumed while ICT is enabled. The Organic gets tagged to the end product through more restrictive requirements because of environmental conditions or the necessity of specific production or handling practices (NOP standards Manual 2013) while the ICT including Transformative technologies such as nano solutions are creating new pathways for food security and precision agriculture (World Bank 2011) is for process facilitation, identification, traceability and sustainable consistence in deliverable to the customer. Revolutions in Farming Industry Farming is an industry today, hence the Industrial management principles are becoming applicable to Agriculture. Modern Industrial farming is mono cultured on a large-scale, with enough support for sustainable organic agriculture. Naomi et al 2012 says, the role of Government is very crucial and it should proactively facilitate in bringing up policies on Business Models in ICT, Application skills in ICT and Supporting infrastructure on the Gadgets and free download applications; so that the farming industry is benefit by this technological wave. Farming Parameters Looking on behalf of entrepreneurial opportunity, the parameters for Farming Management are
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1. Productivity Agricultural productivity is measured as the ratio of agricultural outputs to agricultural inputs; output is usually measured as the market value of final output, which excludes intermediate products. Agricultural productivity compares an index of agricultural inputs to an index of outputs. After machinery mechanizations in farming practices it is now the role of Information and computer technologies that affect productivity such as through Information on Fishing densities, rightly timed climatic changes weather, fog and rain etc., Adoption to new techniques and implement competitively new measures rises productivity. 2. Yield It is the measure of the desired marketable output per unit area through innovation, more intensive farming, the creation of improved farming implements, and a search for improved practices. Development of high-yielding varieties of cereal grains, expansion of irrigation infrastructure, modernization of management techniques, distribution of hybridized seeds, synthetic fertilizers, pesticides to farmers, microbiological facilitations and no technology etc., 3. Income As per Umesh 2013, It is the money thus earned from carrying farming operations and the returns from secondary derivatives of the original 2
produce; after deducting land value, cost on efforts that induced sprout, Rent for any appliances and services. 4. Farming Technologies
Mobile computing & 4G networks - Portable computers and smart-phones to farm tractors. Farmers access high-speed Internet services & cellular communications networks in rural areas.
Telematics - Easily identifiable on a mobile computer map where rural vehicles are operating and their fuel levels, how much crop harvested, and even equipment break down. Nitrogen utilization - Work to collect the data and develop the understanding of the mechanism of how yield can be increased at existing nitrogen levels or maintain corn yield with reduced nitrogen levels., Herbicide tolerance trait technology - Work to develop new formulations that tackle spray drift and volatilization to non-target crops and other plants on the landscape while increasing the intended production.
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Mini-chromosome technology - This technology allows us to add these traits faster and more precisely over the existing by looking at the complex traits like drought tolerance and nitrogen-use efficiency etc.
Soil and crop sensors - More farm equipment today is being outfitted with smart sensors that can read everything from plant health and water needs in the crop to nitrogen levels in the soil. The sensors then enable on-the-go application of inputs based on real-time field conditions. The newest area of sensor use is in irrigation where the sensors measure water needs. Sensors help optimize water use and avoid yield loss.
Electric drive systems - Tractors, Sprayers and other farm vehicles can generate electric power to run auxiliaries and attachments, these features shall put conservation of energy and and prolonged use of the power generated over various appliances.
Automated grain off-loading -Automatic guiding & navigation systems that combines to improve continuous cart filling as part of forage-harvesting systems. These systems makes a very good ROI as it is easier to fill and off load the contents automatically.
Nano technology- finds application in Crop Biotechnology, Recycling Agricultural Waste, Delivery Systems for Pests, Nutrients, and Plant Hormones
5. Improvised Methods
System for Rice Intensification to adopt seedling distance while planting. Hydroponics fodder as livestock feed is an alternative to conventional method of green fodder production taking care of the concerns such as decreasing land size for fodder cultivation, scarcity of water more labour requirement, non-availability of same quality green fodder round the year, requirement of manure/fertilizer and natural calamities. Harnessing plant, animal and human waste as effective inputs to reduce input cost on farming through integration of wastes into useful components such as vermicompost, pest repellents and bio-gas Hatchery-based fish production concentrates on Micro-algal culture and water quality management in seed, feed and farming technologies takes care of cross border fishing and depleting fleet of ships, ensures the survival of high density stocking of ornamental & rearing juvenile fishes in hatchery.
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Fossil Park- To conserve fossils and the rare and endangered flora and fauna. This can prevent cross-border illegal trade and poaching in fossils, flora and fauna. The Fossil Park spread area has marine fossils such as ammonites, belemnites and has sparse vegetation, several swamps, pools in the area are home to various species of flora and fauna species found in the region.
6. Research There is a lot of research and innovations happening in farming. Some of the recent applications in the protection of environment from pollution, use of non-conventional energy sources, new farm techniques and use of natural manure and rejection of fertilizers and chemicals are
Multipurpose solar pest, insect trapper and garden light - reduces the frequency of spraying pesticides to control the fruit borer and white fly pests. Avoids incidences of farmers being killed due to electric shock in the fields while switching on their agricultural pump-sets.
Short duration green gram variety through micro-nutrient mixture - The crop is ideal for rain-fed conditions. Application of micro-nutrient mixture ensure better growth of plants with enhance pods and seed setting leads to early maturity it escapes terminal drought and ensures sustainable yield, determinate growth and synchronized maturity is amenable for single harvest saving labour and time.This variety shows resistance to mung-bean yellow mosaic and stem necrosis; field tolerance to sucking pests like aphids, stem-fly and spotted pod borer.
Innovative sericulture- in Bivoltine cocoon deflossing to increase productivity using mechanized peddling technique avoiding manual operations.
Pest management in Chili Seed treatment with imidacloprid is effective; Spray with acaricides such as dicofol and utilization of indigenous materials have confirmed that garlic chili kerosene extract can effectively combat the problem Mite infestation.
7. Market Expansions Value chain analysis is used to identify emerging economy settings, growth and poverty reduction. Analyze the factors influencing industry performance, including access to and the requirements of end markets; the legal, regulatory and policy environment; coordination between firms in the industry; and the level and quality of support services.
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Contract farming loans are tied to purchase to increase commitment levels appropriate for buyers and sellers of high-value, specialty products. Warehouse receipts are the mechanisms for expanding rural credit that have grown out of value chain relationships. In addition Trader credit which is the short-term or seasonal loans between buyers and sellers of inputs or products; to provide commodity-based value chains in rice or other basic grains commodities.
8. Livelihood Impact and Rural Prosperity Agricultural growth options and linkages with agricultural investments is the key component of an agricultural development strategy. There needs to be a real demand for the goods produced in the local market for sustainability of the farming activity. At the same time the Export sector favourable policies should exist and support the balances of linkages between demand and supply through changes in income and productivity. Dis-aggregating to get the bigger picture for growth of the activity and future investments enough documentation is required on
Agricultural crop production on farm groups;
Livestock production; and
Local consumption to capitalize on existence.
9. Farming Management As per USDA National Organic Program NOP standards Manual 2013, the management practices to prevent crop pests, weeds, and diseases including Crop rotation and soil and crop nutrient management ; Sanitation measures to remove disease vectors, weed seeds, and habitat for pest organisms; and Cultural practices that enhance crop health, including selection of plant species and varieties with regard to suitability to site - specific conditions and resistance to prevalent pests, weeds, and diseases. 10. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles A cloud based data management tool can be specifically designed to work with Unmanned aerial Vehicles. The online tool allows to utilize data on yield, as-planted, drainage tile, soils, shape file layers and various Aerial imagery ( such as Oblique Imagery, Optical Imagery, Soil Imagery and Virtual Video Imagery) for the following
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Emergence Variability Drainage Analysis Hybrid Placement Plant Health Soil Performances Farming Resources Farm Production operation include crops, livestock, wild crop harvesting or handling. The Resources in Farming Management are Water, Land, Agriculture Practice, Livestock, Weather, Integrated farming, Forestry, Herbs and Spices, Integrated Livestock, People capacity, Money flow and Insurance.
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In addition to the above the prime driving force in the agricultural revolution is Gadgetry & Applications - As per Joss Gillet, Senior Analyst, Wireless Intelligence 2011, Developing economies are largely driving global growth, representing close to 80 percent of global mobile connections and hence gadgets are influenced by mobile technology. Hence there is more dependence on Mobile network, connectivity bandwidths, Updated microbiological technologies, Sensing and monitoring devises, all power drives, supply chain management systems and nano technology. Mobile network, connectivity bandwidths - The agricultural marketing has the following advantage leveraging the upon the following.
Greater access to information and buyers steadily adds to farm market knowledge and to time the prices based on perishability of the produces/ products. This real time information translates into a more accurate understanding of demand and an enhanced ability to control production and manage supply chains. Market is visible and avoids Monopoly or spurious market practices.
Profitably closing the chain of Farming within the shortest possible time of economics and commerce. Communication channel is strengthened with producers, wholesalers, intermediaries, dealers and small vendors.
Facilitates better peer coordination and community living. Leverages economies of scale and reduces the cost of transportation, hedging with truck providers for aggregating volumes and cubical spaces utilization, thereby achieving optimalization in Logistics & Transport.
Competition level field - Reach the market on time and avoid speculative loss on pricing. Customers can budget their expenses as there is relatively clear band of price for the commodities based quantity, quality, grades, and product presentation, thus an Open Market is evolved. Market demand and consumer trends are affected by the unique Value additions and innovative commercial practices of the sellers.
Producers are more informed decisions about the choices of the customer and their needs, thereby obtaining data that focuses for more commercialization.
Advantages of Phones in Marketing - The increasing penetration of mobile networks and handsets therefore presents an opportunity to make useful information more widely available facilitates agricultural markets to operate efficiently, and overcome challenges. The stakeholders can reduce their costs, profitably price the goods, and get market information to improves value (supply) chain to fluctuating demands. It further strengthens the bond of brotherhood and fosters community living. 8
Why ICT ICT application in agriculture is a Strategic orientation for the achieve of the following. 1. Maximize on nuances of Negotiation, price and product information, customer preferences, market coverage, peer bonding etc., 2. Minimise on Logistics, transportation cost, pains of coordination, time loss associated with communicational reach etc., 3. Optimize on Level-play market, transparent pricing, innovative sales practices, input information, product / service value-additions, 4. Adverse Seasons ( Periods) Innovative partnerships - partnerships are facilitated and built among groups of producers, or by virtue of direct communication with corporations and traders, or through the ability to supply product based on just-in-time and/or quality needs.
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BIG DATA With the rise of social media, mobility, RFID, GPS etc., Agri-Businesses can now tap into data they never knew that earlier existed. Agriculture can take customized dynamic decisions with intelligence of no perceived boundaries in basic statistics of summarize, visualize and analyze with descriptive and predictive modeling along the competition and productivity of the data stream supported by cloud will create mature technology and integrate solutions.
Innovative technology offers alternatives to resolve the inherent problems that appear when working with huge amounts of data, providing new ways to reuse and extract value from information. Information is Knowledge and hence it is an intellectual property and needs to be just-fully protected. 1. For rightful ownership 2. For use, nurture and propagation 3. From wrongful acts and omissions 4. From inappropriate claims and ownership The Big Data creates for the user the following options USE misUSE Manipulate Hush / Archive / Remnant 10
Knowledge / Information has the following sources 1.Instinctive 2.Explorative 3.Experimentative 4.Archives (Latent) 5.Transaction (Practicals).
RELATIONSHIP between OPTIONS Data Warehousing provides optional USE - misUSE Data Computing is a concern between misUSE - Manipulation Data Engineering is to clear off in between Manipulate - Hush Data Mining is the process to cull data from Hush state to Use state
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APPLIED MODES of REASONING Logical - between Data Mining and Data warehousing Pattern - between Data Warehousing and Data Computing Opportunity - between Data Computing and Data Engineering Hack - between Data Engineering and Data Mining
ILLUSTRATIVE FORMATS of DATA FILES Raw data - .doc / .xls / .gif Data Set - .pdf Posters - .jpeg Images - .bmp and fash automations Charts - .dib Models - .ppt / .tiff etc.,
Return on Investment More sophisticated marketing plans based on price information - farmers can modify the date of marketing, product permitting, or switch to alternate markets, transport and regulation permitting. Broader and deeper networks -Farmers communicate by phone with traders and farmers outside of their immediate geography as opposed to making a physical trip. The ability to communicate more easily and to triangulate information creates deeper trust in key trading relationships. Informed use of inputs - Farmers improve their capacity to raise yields through better use of inputs and/or use of better inputs. They can identify sources of inputs, obtain them more cheaply, and are better able to buy and apply them at the optimal times. Improved farm business management - Farmers can become better managers through better information about which inputs to use, new knowledge about grades and standards for produce, and increased interaction with corporations, traders, and other farmers.
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Beneficial impact on larger masses Improved negotiation power- Farmers’ increase their power to negotiate, particularly with traders, based on their ability to understand pricing in multiple markets, to cut out intermediaries, and to sell directly to larger-scale buyers. Broader and deeper networks - Farmers communicate by phone with traders and farmers outside of their immediate geography as opposed to making a physical trip. The ability to communicate more easily and to triangulate information creates deeper trust in key trading relationships. Facility requirements Conferencing with more than one and on to group for sharing communications and avoid grape-vine errors. Reduced logistics and transportation costs Aggregate the commodities and transport in a larger truck. Networking gets larger and larger with no limitations to geography. Widened focus group and concentrated networks The real time information is obtained on a phone call avoiding physical movements and hardships of travel. Technological Advancements Old Age Farmer vs New Age Farmer 1.
Farming Management Agro Entrepreneurship; Assessment of Technical capabilities in Agriculture, Livestock breeding - knowledge and skills to assess, select, and breed Rural environment and the management of natural resources,
2. Technologiocal Applications Applied plant sciences to commercial and Lifestyle business 3. Farming Operations and Control Farm goals Physical environment - A refrigerated transport and cold storage protect against post harvest losses and perishability of commodities. Conditions and Health of Farm resources Viability of Farm plan as part of agro entrepreneurship 4. Farming financial and Marketing
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Farm layouts earlier vs newer layouts Property layouts and access, Water supp;y and drainage, Hub-and-spoke network, enabling it to overcome the difficulties associated with placing infrastructure in mountainous and remote terrain. It seeks to provide a network of broadband connection through fiber-optic cables from the capital and out to the districts and village groups. The connection from districts to village groups and on to the villages will be provided by wireless technologies such as GSM.
ICT Hubs and remote Supervisions Redundancies and Factor of Safeties
Adoption conducive - determine targeted approaches based on Existing barriers / degree of negativity / prejudice Susceptible to barriers / environment / market/ affordability/ information Automate / synergize / systematize best practices (To reduce the erring cost (learn from other's mistakes or experiences; To have Productive utilization of Knowledgeable workforce)
What can pull down ICT in Agriculture There is no direct linkage to Agricultural marketing failure and ICT, However the growth of ICT in agriculture is affected to weaknesses in the chain of other physical infrastructure such as Poor Transportation, Inadequate protective storage facilities, Insufficient water and irrigation support, Undefined interactive zone for Producer and consumer (wholesale/retail). Non Availability of inputs such as qualitative seed varieties Absence of services such as soil testing Inaccessible to credits, discount and other sales promotions Conclusion The scope still widens the possibility to explore newer areas in information and communication enabled technologies such as to avail the above benefits in Agriculture the ICT implementation are a must, as it has a cost imperative which is an investment paying dividends on a longer run.
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Reduced logistics and transportation costs. Improved negotiation Power. Farmers’ increase their power to negotiate, particularly with traders, based on their ability to understand pricing in multiple markets, to cut out intermediaries, and to sell directly to larger-scale buyers. More sophisticated marketing plans based on price information. Farmers can modify the date of marketing, product permitting, or switch to alternate markets, transport and regulation permitting. Broader and deeper networks.Farmers communicate by phone with traders and farmers outside of their immediate geography as opposed to making a physical trip. The ability to communicate more easily and to triangulate information creates deeper trust in key trading relationships. Innovative partnerships.For example, partnerships are facilitated and built among groups of producers, or by virtue of direct communication with corporations and traders, or through the ability to supply product based on just-in-time and/or quality needs. Informed use of inputs.Farmers improve their capacity to raise yields through better use of inputs and/or use of better inputs. They can identify sources of inputs, obtain them more cheaply, and are better able to buy and apply them at the optimal times. Improved farm business management. Farmers can manage through better information about which inputs to use, new knowledge about grades and standards for produce, and increased interaction with corporations, traders and other farmers.
Reference 1. USDA National Organic Program NOP standards Manual 2013 2. Krishnan Umachandran, DATA SCIENCE - WHEREWITHAL Application in Agriculture and Manufacturing (Agriculture) 2014. 3. Krishnan Umachandran, DATA SCIENCE - WHEREWITHAL Application in Agriculture and Manufacturing (Analytic Tools) 2014. 4. Krishnan Umachandran, Data Science in Big Data Analysis 2014. 5. Krishnan Umachandran, DATA SCIENCE and BIG DATA in AGRICULTURE 2014 6. ICT IN AGRICULTURE - Connecting Smallholders to Knowledge, Networks and Institutions (The World Bank e-source book, Nov 2011) Pp 304, 7. Joss Gillet, Senior Analyst, Wireless Intelligence, World Bank - Food Price Watch, Feb 2011. 15
8. Microsoft Unlimited Potential Baseline Survey on Socio-economic Demographics and Information Needs,” MAKING ICT INFRASTRUCTURE, APPLIANCES, AND SERVICES MORE ACCESSIBLE AND AFFORDABLE IN RURAL AREAS, Bhutan Department of Information Technology, Module 2, July 2011 9.CA Umesh Sharma, Karniti Part 7, Agricultural Income and some misbeliefs, Oct 2013. 10. P. Jones, Information Systems for Biotechnology - A Nanotech Revolution in Agriculture and the Food Industry. 2006. 11. http://dronesforag.com/farm-intelligence 12. S. Lang, Waste Fiber Can Be Recycled into Valuable Products Using New Technique of Electrospinning, Cornell Researchers Report. 2003. 13. Naomi J Halewood, Priya Suriya, World Bank, ISSUU - Information and Communications for development 2012, Chapter 2, Mobilizing the Agricultural value Chain. Pp21-43. 14. Debarati Roy ( 2013), The Unvarnished Truth about Big Data, CIO May 2013, Pp 30. 15. Amber Harmon (2014), Using big data to revolutionize agriculture, International Science Grid this Week. 16. Andrea Jimenez (2013), Seven Big Data Lessons for farming, 17. http://www.e-agriculture.org/news/seven-big-data-lessons-farming 18. Krishnan Umachandran, e-gov Infrastructure and Information flow 2014. 19. Krishnan
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