Smart farming is on the rise. The use of high tech gadgets and artificial intelligence (AI) in raising cattle and growing crops is rising in popularity among farmers around the world, saving both time and money with the aid of sensors and self-educating AI that analyzes data to maintain an optimal environment.
Operating a smart farm means that most of the work takes place through a smartphone, according to Song Gi-jae, a strawberry smart farm owner in Damyang, South Jeolla. Song frequently checks his phone to monitor the temperature and humidity of the farm. If there’s too much sunlight, he simply presses a button to put up the shades. “Other strawberry farms usually harvest around late November to early December,” said Song, “but I managed to cut that by about two weeks thanks to the smart farm system."
According to the Korea Agency of Education, Promotion and Information Service in Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (EPIS), the size of greenhouse farms using smart technologies grew by threefold from 2016 to 2020. They also showed fast growth last year, according to EPIS.
The most common type of smart farms are greenhouses which use sensors and deep learning AI to monitor and take care of the surrounding environment. A farm owner can also be provided with information on things to look for at certain temperatures or humidity levels, and any diseases that could break out. Those features especially helped out with Park Jeong-ju's strawberry farming. Park is a strawberry smart farm owner in Goyang, Gyeonggi.
“It’s really important to act fast with strawberries because they’re sensitive to temperature,” he said.
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