Digital FarmingUsing technology for data-

driven decision making

An overview of digitalization
Whenever you are booking an Uber or making payments directly through apps on the phone, you
are using a digital platform for performing tasks that were once manual. The incorporation of
technology in everyday tasks to improve functionality is known as Digitalization.

Going back a few years, remember the time when opening a bank account required a visit to the
bank and waiting in long queues?

Thanks to the recent rapid digitalization, the exhaustive paperwork in banks, hospitals, and most
private and public sector organizations seems to diminish as their businesses move online.
Digitization has reduced the manual work - which was time-consuming, error-prone, and
inefficient thus saving corporations millions.

With advancements in AI, the data analysis capabilities have improved so that all the appliances
in our house can be managed by a virtual assistant that can understand human voice commands
and respond. Proving to be a boon to every sector, digitalization in agriculture is also slowly
revolutionizing this vast and complex sector that remains the center of the world economy as still
over 60% of the global population depends on it for survival.

Introduction to digital farming

Digital farming can be defined as the use of technology by farmers to integrate
financial and field-level records for complete farm activity management.

According to a paper by the Direct Line Group,

“Digital Farming is the consistent application of the methods of precision agriculture and
smart farming, internal and external networking of the farm and use of web-based data
platforms together with Big Data”
Data from each plot can be analyzed to provide information on soil, weather, and crop growth
patterns to give actionable geographically relevant timely insights to prevent losses and optimize
the productivity of each plot on the farm.

Farmers can even get their queries solved and manage the supply chain directly through
applications on their phones. Through pre-harvest and post-harvest management of farms, digital
farming aims to take over all the aspects of farming from farm to fork.

Data-driven decisions can maximize per-acre value.

Connect with our Ag-tech expert to discover how!
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Digitalization of farm data for actionable

insights
Digital farming gives farmers access to timely valuable insights so that they can adopt best
practices and manage farms more efficiently thus reducing losses and maximizing profits.
Technologies offer a variety of solutions for adapting to advanced farming. IoT in agriculture
consists of sensors, drones, and computer imaging integrated with analytical tools for generating
actionable insights. Placement of physical equipment on the farms, monitors and records data
which is used to get insights. Due to advancements in satellite imagery, machine learning, and
data storage in clouds, predictive analytics software has been pretty favorable as they are highly
scalable and easy to use.

Technologies used in Digital Farming

Digital Farming is the integration of precision farming and smart farming and is achieved
through the implementation of intelligent software and hardware.

Precision farming is popularly defined as a technology-enabled approach to farming

management that observes, measures, and analyzes the needs of individual fields and crops.
Smart farming is more focused on the use of data acquired through various sources (historical,
geographical, and instrumental) in the management of the activities of the farm.

Digital Farming can be done through the installation of network-connected ‘smart’ devices as
part of IoT (Internet of Things) or they can be software as a service (SaaS) based agtech.

When hardware transfers data over a network they become ‘smart devices’ and become part of
the Internet of Things (IoT). IoT in agriculture comprises the use of sensors, drones, robots, and
cameras. Sensors, cameras, and robots are installed on the farms and record the data.

Drones in agriculture can be used as pay per services or can be bought and stationed on farms.
The IoT equipment needs to be connected to an analytical dashboard for the analysis of data.
IoTs are used for field-related data only. They can’t help manage the overall farm activities and
show the data in terms of financial gains or losses. They are just data.
Since IoT utilizes hardware, it requires solid technical knowledge for operating the equipment
along with high maintenance and setup cost. The high capital input cost is what keeps IoT out of
the reach of most farmers.

Software as a service (SaaS) is the more economical and scalable way to upgrade to digital
farming. Leading Agri tech companies like Cropin utilize machine learning and satellite
monitoring for performing predictive analysis and delivering customized reports and actionable
insights directly to farmers’ screens. The intelligent agriculture cloud platform is gaining
popularity pretty quickly among businesses as they can assess and manage their overall farm
operations with one software and this is a low-risk investment with monthly and yearly
subscriptions. Companies like Cropin are becoming one-stop solutions for driving Farm
Management, Traceability, Sales Management, and Risk Management in the Agri sector.

Benefits of Digital Farming

Benefits of a digital agriculture solution for a food processing industry
 Incorporates end-to-end solutions from farm-to-fork
 Higher yields as inputs are optimized and constantly monitored
 Better quality due to compliance with food standards and nutrition tracking
 Less waste due to customized practices accounting for the precise application of
resources and thus reducing production costs
 Supply chain management from farm to fork.

Below are some of the benefits of Cropin's digital farming solution

 Near real-time monitoring
 Standard package of practices
 Readily available and accessible management through smartphones and PCs
  Geotagging for accountability and accurate predictability
 Satellite and weather input-based advisory
 Robust and flexible system for farm management
 Alert log and management (pest infestation, diseases, etc.)
 Crop reports and insights- easy reporting on the go.

Challenges of Digital Farming

High cost of adoption
Many digital farming technologies can be expensive, which may be a barrier.

Limited access to technology

In some cases, access to digital farming technologies may be limited, particularly in developing
countries or rural areas with limited infrastructure.

Training and knowledge

There may also be a learning curve associated with using digital farming technologies, and
farmers may need to be trained in order to use them effectively.

The Digital Farming Solution

Cost of a Digital Farming Solution

The cost of in-house development is almost 10 times or more than the cost of implementation of a SaaS
Product. Further additional software infrastructure in terms of Servers, Maintenance, and Software Licenses
(Microsoft, SQL, Google License, etc.) is a huge cost that the organization has to bear independently. At
Cropin, the license and the cost are spread across hundreds of clients which makes it viable for all.
Data Security & Warehousing

Organizations would require to have teams and products for data security and warehousing so that the
information can be effectively used across the years for analysis and decision-making. Many organizations
having their inhouse product have missed this part thus data utilization has become a big challenge.
Money Value of Time

The product development to implementation cycle for a product like basic crop management software can be
between 12 to 24 months and the business would lose valuable time during the entire process. Farm
management companies such as Cropin have a dedicated team to develop and maintain this product.
Changing Industry & Business Needs

The industry is dynamic and the need for products, reports, and ways of farmer engagement is changing very
fast. By the time one product would have been developed the needs would have changed. Management
companies take into consideration all such changing environments and provide the best solution suitable for
that time. For example, Cropin was just mobile-based in an earlier version, now it is an intelligent agriculture
cloud-based solution. Periodic upgrading is a part of our continuous product improvement.
Valuable Experience

Out-house management companies have a dedicated team for Project Implementation, Customer Success, and
Data Science that have extensive experience and knowledge in successfully implementing products and
solving the common challenges faced in the field. Cropin has developed intelligent Agri tech over the last 10
years through multiple iterations to make it user-friendly, consistent and robust which gives the users a great
experience to easily use and benefit from it. Such a level of service will not be possible when developing an in-
house digital farming solution.

Applications of Cropin's Digital Farming

Solution
Digital Farming for Multinational Seed Companies
Cropin's digital farming solution helps multinational Seed Companies strategize to drive a digital
growth strategy within the organization.

Leveraging digital agriculture to help the seed value chain

Seed companies can utilize digitalization in each and every layer of operation from seed research
and development to seed selling. All of the activities from labs to farmers can be managed on a
single screen using Agri-SaaS products of Cropin. Below is an understanding of how each
division in a seed company can benefit from using digital solutions:

Digital Farming Solution for Seed Research and Development

Seed Research and Development is a game of field trials and careful observation and selection.
Digitization of the trial data from the field stations will help the heads of R&D to get a complete
performance overview of any seed variety.

Digital Farming Solution for Seed Production

This process involves the selection of the best seeds from the R&D phase and plotting them in
larger areas for creating similar seeds.

Digitalization in the seed production phase-

Cropin Grow (SmartFarm) can be used by field agents to record the data on the field in an MIS
for management to monitor activities from the head office. SmartRisk can be used in Crop
growth detection, Crop health detection, and Crop stress detection. SmartPulse is designed
specifically to be used by the management to monitor the location of your field agents.

Digital Farming Solution for Seed Processing and Tracking

After harvesting, the management of seeds can be done digitally through SmartWare. One of the
biggest issues today faced by farmers is fake seeds. Traceability can solve this problem as it
tracks the source of seeds. Traceability can also be used for tracking and removing seeds from
the market that don’t meet the certification standards. QR codes on the packet can be scanned to
view the complete history of the packet of seeds and hence farmers know that the seeds are
genuine.

Digital Farming Solution for Seed Distribution and Sales

Seed Companies can manage their entire seed distribution and sales through Cropin. SmartSales
can be used to manage the Market development team and Sales officers.

The market development team visits farmers and demonstrates the quality of seeds by sowing
half of their seeds and half of the current farmers. The comparative study is used to depict which
seed is better. This process can be digitized by using SmartFarm where the farmers’ data can be
captured and managed by MIS. Sales officers can use SmartRisk to detect the rains and hence
target selling seeds to areas where it has freshly rained or is about to rain. Thereby timely
providing seeds to retailers there. They can also use SmartRisk to identify what is grown through
the area and target selling those seeds in the area. Companies can also utilize AreaSquare- a
social media for farmers, to broadcast advice on how to sow their seeds for the best outputs.

Digital Farming- Adding value to Agri-lending and Agri-

insurance processes
Cloud-based Agri tech SaaS solutions find a breakthrough application in agri-lending and agri-
insurance by providing actionable insights on the associated risk of the farm plot. MIS keeps
cloud storage for the storage of history that is available about the farms. Suppose a farmer comes
in and asks for a loan, the bank can use agritech SaaS such as Cropin to look into the farmer’s
records relative to the yield and profits in the last ten years.

Based on the historical cropping patterns, Cropin’s SmartRisk can estimate yield. This helps
banks and insurance in several ways. Firstly, It helps the farmers by increasing their credibility.
If the records and predictions show that farmers have been performing well and yield will be
good, the loan or insurance amount will be higher. Currently, the same insurance amount is given
to all farmers irrespective of their individual performance.

Secondly, the banks and insurance companies will be benefited from digital farming as the data
obtained is highly accurate, hence can help stop bad lending.
The Digital Farming Solution- Questions we get
asked
Why can't I host a Digital Farming Solution such as Cropin's on my
own premise and on my own server?
Cropin is the first agriculture cloud platform and has a complex three-level data insights
structure, with licenses and integrations to function at its optimum capability.

Multiple Licenses
These licenses include a Google license (Business Applications, Analytics, etc.), SQL server
License, etc. This would require a large cost to keep the platform running if it is hosted out of
your infrastructure.

Higher Cost
Secondly, the cost of upgrades and providing clients with the required features and reports would
be much higher as our technical team would have to access your infrastructure to do the changes.
This would add the additional cost of support which will be high.

Data Security and Maintenance

Third, the cost of data security and maintenance, data warehousing for analytics, etc would
involve much higher costs in the long run.
I am currently using WhatsApp to manage my business. Why do I
need a Digital Farming Solution?
WhatsApp is an SMS replacement system providing information that is not copied, kept, or
archived and data is only residing on the mobile device of the sender and receiver and can be
deleted at the user's discretion with no record. Very less business value can be generated from it.

For an organization, data is key for decision making and it is important to capture, record, and
analyze information in the form of Data.

Also, things to consider while transitioning to digital farming are:

 Whatsapp does not store anything on its server. Hence, no digitization of your records
and data
 Data does not get converted into actionable intelligence
 It does not send you an alert when Key Result Area (KRA) is not met
 Cannot work without the internet unlike our mobile application
 There are no reports of BI or Intelligence that can be done through Whatsapp data
Cropin has combined 12+ years of expertise in the global Agri industry to build Cropin Cloud -
a multi-tenant, secure, scalable, flexible, and intelligent agriculture cloud platform.

With this first-of-its-kind industry platform, we aim to provide a complete set of agriculture-
specific capabilities with the specific intention of helping accelerate business growth and bring
about a rapid and far-reaching digital transformation across the agri-ecosystem.

The Future of Digital Farming

The United Nations projects that by the year 2050 the population of the world will be 9.7 Billion.
With the relevance of over 60 percent of the world population on agriculture for food, the
pressure to increase production to meet demands doesn’t seem to ease. Coupled with climate
change, which is leading to rising global temperatures, levels of carbon dioxide, and frequency
of droughts and floods, along with increasing labor costs, high production costs, and
unpredictability poses a major challenge to the future of agriculture. Hence, the goal is to
adopt climate-smart agriculture and increase productivity sustainably. To increase sustainability
a very precise and calculated set of practices designed specifically for a plot needs to be followed
and to follow best practices data needs to be recorded and analyzed digitally.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is digital farming?
What technologies are used in digital farming?
What are the benefits of digital farming?
What are the challenges of digital farming?
What is the future of digital farming?
 

SOLUTIONS

 Cropin Cloud

 Cropin Apps

o Cropin Grow

o Cropin Connect

o Cropin Trace
 Cropin Data Hub

 Cropin Intelligence

COMPANY

 About Us

 Dev. Agencies and Government Projects

 Partner with us

 Careers

 Events

 Contact

 Cropin and AWS

RESOURCES

 Blogs

 Newsroom

 Thought Leadership

 Webinars

 Case Studies

 Whitepapers

OTHER RESOURCES

 Farming Apps

 IoT in Agriculture

 Precision Agriculture

 Digital Farming

 Smart Farming

 Agriculture Technology

 ICT in Modern Agriculture

 Crop Management Software

 Farm Management Software

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The Cluster utilizes a wide range of innovative tools and technologies to drive agricultural
transformation and empower farming communities. We harness the power of digital solutions to
enhance productivity, optimize resource management, and foster sustainable practices in agriculture.
 Mobile Applications and ICT Platforms: We leverage mobile applications and ICT platforms to
deliver timely and context-specific information to farmers. These applications provide access to
weather forecasts, market prices, crop management practices, and pest and disease diagnostics. By
utilizing mobile technologies, we enable farmers to make informed decisions, enhance productivity,
and improve their overall farm management.

Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence (AI): Data analytics and AI play a crucial role in digital
agriculture. We employ advanced analytical techniques to process and analyze large volumes of
agricultural data, including weather data, soil information, and crop performance data. By applying
machine learning algorithms and predictive modeling, we extract valuable insights that inform
decision-making, improve yield predictions, and optimize resource allocation.

Precision Farming Technologies: Precision farming technologies are key to enhancing farm
management practices and optimizing resource use. We utilize tools such as GPS, drones, and
sensors to collect precise data on soil conditions, crop health, and nutrient levels. This data is then
integrated with digital maps to create detailed farm profiles. By adopting precision farming
techniques, farmers can precisely apply inputs, minimize wastage, and maximize productivity.

Blockchain and Traceability Systems: We explore the use of blockchain technology and
traceability systems to enhance transparency, trust, and efficiency in agricultural value chains. By
implementing traceability systems, we enable farmers to track their produce from farm to market,
ensuring food safety and quality. Blockchain technology facilitates secure transactions, reduces
intermediaries, and promotes fair and transparent trading practices.

Internet of Things (IoT) and Sensor Networks: The Internet of Things (IoT) and sensor networks
play a vital role in collecting real-time data on soil moisture, temperature, humidity, and crop growth.
These technologies enable farmers to monitor field conditions remotely and make data-driven
decisions. By integrating IoT devices and sensor networks, we provide farmers with actionable
insights for efficient irrigation, crop protection, and resource management.

Digital Platforms for Market Access: We leverage digital platforms and e-commerce solutions to
connect farmers with markets, buyers, and value chain actors. These platforms facilitate direct
marketing, enable price discovery, and provide market information to farmers. By embracing digital
market access tools, smallholder farmers can overcome traditional market barriers and expand their
business opportunities.

Cloud Computing and Data Storage: Cloud computing and data storage infrastructure are
essential for handling and processing large volumes of agricultural data. We utilize cloud-based
platforms to store, manage, and share agricultural information securely. Cloud computing allows for
scalable and cost-effective data processing, enabling us to analyze vast datasets and generate
actionable insights.