With the wide application of digital technologies such as big data and artificial intelligence in the field of agriculture, smart agriculture is emerging in many countries. The Netherlands, France, Japan and other countries are actively using digital technology to manage their farmland scientifically and precisely, making agricultural production and operation more high-quality and efficient.
The Netherlands is a modern agricultural powerhouse and a major exporter of agricultural products. 104.7 billion euros of agricultural exports in 2021, ranking second in the world. In recent years, the Netherlands has been vigorously developing smart agriculture and promoting the widespread use of digital technology in planting and storage, which has significantly improved the country’s agricultural production efficiency and competitiveness.
Walking into the greenhouse of “Tomato World” in Västerland, the Netherlands, different kinds of tomatoes are hanging on the branches, and technical expert Abu van Marwijk is driving a lift truck to check the growth of the crop. With many cameras and sensors installed on the roof of the greenhouse and in the soilless substrate where the tomatoes are grown, the farm looks like a production plant at first glance.
“Tomato World is a local demonstration site for exploring and practicing smart agriculture technology in greenhouses. It was founded in 2008 by several partners of the Dutch Facility Agriculture Industry Association to focus on advanced agricultural technology, provide professional advice and training, and promote healthy, efficient and sustainable agriculture.
“More than 80 varieties of tomatoes are grown in the Tomato World, including 35 varieties in season, all of which are grown using soilless substrate cultivation and full chain digital technology.
“This greenhouse can monitor temperature, humidity and moisture through digital technology, and the whole process is highly intelligent, so I only need to do a small amount of manual intervention every day according to the electronic terminal prompts.” Malvik picked up the digital terminal next to the tomato substrate and introduced it to the reporter. Various parameters can be seen on the terminal, and the system is able to operate itself according to the needs of the crop, such as turning on ventilation, heating, drip irrigation, etc. The terminal data can also be synchronized on the cell phone display, if the need for manual intervention, the cell phone terminal will send a reminder notice.
Responsible for collecting signals from crops is a small instrument using “plant electrophysiology”. They can sense the electrical signals from the roots and stems of the crops, and analyze these signals through artificial intelligence to better understand the state of the crops and respond precisely to the “needs”.
Precision management saves a lot of manpower and resources. Studies have shown that smart greenhouses can save 14% in water and 31% in fertilizer and nutrients compared to ordinary greenhouses, while crop growth cycles are further reduced and yields are increased by 10% to 20%.
In Västerland, there are more than 4,000 hectares of smart greenhouses, with an annual fresh produce value of 7.5 billion euros. Malvick said, “The direction of modern agriculture is refinement, standardization and standardization, and digital technology will accelerate this process, so the investment in digital infrastructure is totally worth it.”
In addition to making the growing process more precise, the development of smart agriculture has also optimized the storage of products. The Netherlands is a major flower-growing and exporting country. As flowers have a short shelf life and demanding storage conditions, the precise prediction of flower dates and production through digital technology can better regulate the balance between supply and demand in the market.
This spring, major Dutch agricultural and tourism information websites announced the blooming time of daffodils, tulips and other major flowers early, down to the day, so that tourists can arrange their visit itinerary accordingly. Accurate crop yield prediction through artificial intelligence and digital technology can also help farmers determine the amount of labor to be used, which is very important in the Netherlands and Europe, where labor costs are high.
June to October is the time of year when the Dutch western bluebells are harvested in large quantities. Van Boven, based in The Hague, uses drones to collect field data from vegetable fields and combines this with weather forecasts and yield models to obtain accurate ripening data on broccoli for the next two weeks. Kaz Vermel, co-founder of the company, said, “Two weeks is the average time needed to adjust the supply and demand of vegetables in the Netherlands, and accurately predicting vegetable yields and managing sales expectations can find the right buyers for produce and prevent food waste.”
The data analytics platform developed by Dutch agri-tech company Haugendau can predict crop harvests with an accuracy of 83 to 93 percent. Peter Hendricks, CEO of Haugen-Dow, believes that agricultural yield forecasting is of great relevance, both from the supply side and from the demand side. Previously, yield forecasting relied more on experience, but now it has entered the intelligent stage, in which the most crucial thing is data, “Only on the basis of fully collecting data to be analyzed, can we accurately grasp the state of the crop “.
Source: People’s Daily
Post time: Jul-15-2022