Farming IoT is interesting. It takes a millenia-old practice and implementing bleeding-edge technology to help farmers get the best harvest possible. This creates a cultural clash where tried-and-true practices can collide with one another and cause issues.
TalentCloud has stepped forward to attempt to help Chinese farmers manage technology better. They’re combining AI with IoT to give farmers an idea of what to do and when.
Also read:Smart Indoor Gardening Gadgets for Greener Living
How Does It Work?
TalentCloud offers Chinese farmers a way to bring their practice up to speed. Xiaodong Wang, the CEO of TalentCloud, said that the main problem with technology in the farming world is that farmers aren’t 100 percent sure how to use them. When they’re in doubt, the farmers rely on old advice instead, which, when dealing with harmful chemicals, can lead to overdose and pollution.
Wang goes on to explain that this lack of knowledge is the root cause of the biggest number of health concerns and food safety issues. It’s not a case of farmers being careless. It’s more that, when faced with new equipment, they tend to resort to what they know best.
TalentCloud aims to fix this by introducing Agro-Brain, based on Microsoft Azure IoT and Azure Machine Learning. As the name might suggest, this system will keep tabs on how the farm is being run and what’s being used. It can advise farmers on the best course of action for using tools and chemicals to maximize harvest gains and minimize pollution.
Agro-Brain also aims to do all the research for farmers. For example, as scientific discoveries are made in the field, these findings can be uploaded to Agro-Brain. The system can take what it learns and combine it with seasonal changes and current pests to provide a balanced action plan between using chemicals and keeping the environment safe.
A Big Advance for Two Fields
From a glance, we can see one niche that’s improved by this development. Farmers can use this system to keep tabs on how the science behind farming evolves and change their own plans to maximize output.
Of course, given the gap between farming and IoT, there’s still the challenge of implementing the system within the farmer’s lifestyle. Otherwise, they may misuse or misunderstand what’s being said and make errors all over again!
However, there’s a less noticeable advancement hidden away in this news piece. If you’ll remember, Agro-Brain is based off Microsoft Azure IoT.
This is interesting because it shows signs of Microsoft implementing its IoT platform in the real world. We covered Microsoft Azure’s release previously, as well as their previous $100,000 bug bounty. Now it seems Azure is rolling out into the real world and is ready to support the world of IoT.
As such, this news is an advancement on two fronts. While Chinese farmers will have a guiding hand in how to use the new chemicals and equipment developed by science, Microsoft is pushing Azure as the new standard for IoT services.
Farming Made Easy
TalentCloud’s Agro-Brain is a big step for helping farmers use their equipment properly, but it’s not the only one making its mark on the IoT world. Agro-Brain is also one of the first IoT solutions to use the new Microsoft Azure IoT, which shows how the technology giant is casting its net into this new frontier.
This is not the first time IoT has been found in agriculture; to learn more, be sure to check out how a “FitBit for cows” can help farms.
Get the best of IoT Tech Trends delivered right to your inbox!
