How IoT and AI Are Reshaping Agriculture

Agriculture – the cultivation of domestic plants and animals – is believed to have begun in earnest some 12,000 years ago in the so-called Fertile Crescent of the Middle East. The management and harvest of plants likely began much earlier, but the techniques developed in this region allowed humans to form large settlements that developed into the complex, urban centers that now define our species. This was the first of a series of agricultural revolutions.  

The increasing sophistication of agriculture in the ensuing centuries has supported an ever-burgeoning population. A second agricultural revolution began in Britain in the 17th century and included the introduction of new irrigation techniques, fertilizers and means of transporting agricultural products. And the projected population collapse of the 20th century was averted by the Green Revolution or third agricultural revolution, beginning in the 1940s, which saw huge increases in crop yields due to new fertilizers and pesticides.  

Now, a fourth revolution is in the offing. Technological advancements including deployment of the Internet of Things (IoT) – digitally enabled devices that collect and transmit data – and artificial intelligence are creating new efficiencies that are likely to again fundamentally change the practice that has allowed our species to dominate the planet.

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