Smart Agriculture Enabled by Digital Technologies: Sensors, Automation, and Decision Support Systems

Abstract

The survival of the human community depends on the agricultural industry. A number of actions have been taken to increase agricultural yield. Nevertheless, the loss of agriculture is caused by severe weather and frequent pest infestation. In a situation like this, integrating cutting-edge technologies like sophisticated sensors with the Internet of Things (IoT) could increase agricultural output and reduce financial loss. Research has been done all around the world that has adequately shown how integrated IoT-smart sensors may be used to monitor environmental elements that are important for crop growth, such as temperature, humidity, moisture, and soil composition. Automated sensors are also used to measure greenhouse gasses like carbon dioxide, methane, etc. In order to help farmers decide how much fertilizer to apply to their fields, smart farming also makes it possible to measure the amount of nitrogen in the soil. Unmanned aerial vehicles and some IoT-enabled devices are helpful for precise monitoring of pest attacks and related illnesses in agricultural vegetation. Although smart farming offers a lot of potential, there are certain drawbacks, such as high implementation costs, data security issues, and farmers' lack of adequate digital literacy. Future IoT-enabled smart farming may be made easier by special economic policies, data encryption, and digital literacy. The goal of this review is to give readers a thorough overview of the major advancements and new trends. By emphasizing the advantages of incorporating smart sensors and cutting-edge technologies, it hopes to educate farmers, researchers, and policymakers about best practices, present issues, and future possibilities. It seeks to promote the ongoing use and application of new technology while facilitating the shift towards more intelligent, efficient, and sustainable farming methods.