Description
At the start of the 21st Century we are faced with the emerging problem of global food demand and exceeding the Earth's carrying capacity with the current way of agricultural production. Moreover, the issues of safety, health, quality and sustainability, underpinned by the concept of transparency, have become increasingly important.

The role of ICT for Future Agriculture and the role of Agriculture for
Future ICT
SJ AAK WOLFERT, CORNÉ KEMPENAAR
Wageningen UR – Agricultural Economics research Institute, P.O.Box 35,
6700 AA Wageningen, NL, [email protected]
Wageningen UR - Plant Research International, P.O.Box 616,
6700 AP Wageningen, NL, [email protected]

At the start of the 21st Century we are faced with the emerging problem of global food
demand and exceeding the Earth’s carrying capacity with the current way of agricultural
production. Moreover, the issues of safety, health, quality and sustainability, underpinned by
the concept of transparency, have become increasingly important. In many global
discussions forums it has been acknowledged that ICT can and will play an important role in
meeting these challenges.
Over the past thirty years ICT technologies have been introduced in the agri-food sectors.
Important milestones were introduction of computers (1980s), internet, email and mobile
phones (1990s), and Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), wireless communication
and social media (last decade). Modern farms make use of one or more of the following ICT:
computers with a farm management system to keep track inputs, outputs and economics,
weather forecast, early warning and decision support systems for crop management, auto
guidance systems for controlled traffic on fields, tractor mounted board computers for
steering of sprayers and other machines in a preferred way, and data registration systems to
meet legal and chain requirements.
However, the uptake of these solutions has been slow due to a number of important yet
unresolved issues. For instance, farmers register a large amount of data. The use of this
data is still limited because handling is still far from easy in optimization of crop, farm and
chain management. Problems are related with limited standardization, data protection and
lack of optimization models. There’s still a large potential in stimulating adoption of current
ICT, but future ICT technologies even promise more potential gains. At the same time, it is
believed that the agri-food sector itself can also play an important role in the development of
future ICT.
Precision Agriculture and modern society could play an important roles in accelerating
adoption of ICT technologies. Precision Agriculture requires fast and accurate handling and
interpretation of GEO-data. Variation in soil and crop conditions are detected by various
sensors and translated into sites specific actions. External data bases have to be consulted.
Simple web service should facilitate this decision making. Think of digital diagnosis of crop
stress and associated crop care advice. Controlled traffic farming and robotics require robust
communication and GNSS networks. Society want sustainable food production. This means
that farmers and food chains have to proof with data that their production systems are
sustainable and risks are minimized (tracking and tracing). So, farm data will be used outside
the farm by various other parties with different objectives (supply chain, food chain,
governments, logistics, consumers). Social media allow new ways of promotion and sales of
farm products.
The objective of this paper is to present the interactive future development of ICT for the agri-
food sector. This will be based on several studies and user panel discussions that were
carried out in EU-projects such as SmartAgriFood, AgriXchange, ICT-agri and FutureFarm,
including a global view. The following issues will be covered in these projects:
• specific characteristics of the agri-food sector relevant for ICT development;
• future ICT needs from agri-food users’ perspective;
• future capabilities of ICT to meet future long and short term needs;
• organization of future ICT development in the agri-food sector through private-public
cooperation.
The results will be concluded by setting the agenda points for future ICT development for the
agri-food sector and an how these can be achieved. Hereafter a depiction of architecture
SmartAgriFood (result of a FP7 project of EU).

Referenties
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of future capabilities of Internet to meet future long and short term needs of the food sector, In:
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2_V011_Final_0.pdf
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The role of Information and Communication
Technology (ICT) for Agriculture and vice versa
Introductory lecture on the future of agriculture
Sjaak Wolfert (WUR-LEI) & Corné Kempenaar (WUR-PRI)
IWSC, global café, June 19, 2012
Content
? Introduction
? Observations and statistics on ICT in agriculture
? Opportunities and challenges
? Future scenario’s
? Concluding remarks

? Aim: to stimulate you on developing ideas on future
agriculture -> join the world café at 17.10

Turn on your mobile phone
? Multi-tasking is the future?
Some terminology
? Computer use in agriculture
? Farm Management systems
? Data registration (inputs, costs, results)
? Early warning & Decision support systems
? Board computers
? Internet use in agriculture
? Mobile phones
? Social media (LinkedIN, Facebook, .....)
? Navigation systems / Robotics

Weed species Herbicides (a.i.)

atrazine bentazone bentazon atrazine + atrazine + atrazine + atrazine bromoxynil isoproturon bromoxynil
+ quizalofobbentazone bentazone mesotrione + mesotrione +isoproturon
+nicosulfuron + nicosulfuron
Abutilon theophrasti +++ +++ +++ +++
Acalypha australis L. + + +++ +++
Aethusa cynapium
- ++ - - +++
Alelopecurus aequalis S ++ - ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ - +++ +++
Alopecurus myosuroides
++ - ++ ++ - +++
Amaranthus retroflexus
++ ++ ++ +++ +++ ++ +++ + +
Anagallis arvensis
++ + + +++
Apera spica-venti
++ - +++ +++ - +++
Atriplex patula + + + + +++
Avena fatua
+ - ++ ++ - +++
Bromus Japonicus
Capsells bursa
++ ++ +++ +++ +++ +++ +++ ++ +++
Chenopodium album
+++ + + +++ +++ +++ +++ ++ + +++
Chrysanthemum segetum
- ++ ++ ++ ++
Convolvulus arvensis - - +/- + + -
Cyperus Esculentes + ++
Descurania Sophia ++ ++ +++
Digitaria ischaemum
- - + + - -
Digitaria sanguinalis - - - + + + - - -
Echinochloa crus-gali
+ - +++ + + ++ ++ - - -
Eclipta Prostrata +++ +++
Eleusine indica - + ++ ++
Euphorbia helioscopia
+ - - -
Fumaria officinalis
+ - - - - ++
Galeopsis tetrahit
++ - ++ ++ + ++
Galinsoga parviflora
++ ++ +++ +++ ++ ++
Galium aparine
- ++ +++ +++ ++ -
Geranium spp.
- + -
Lamium amplexicaule
+++ +/- ++ ++ +
Lamium purpureum
++ - ++ ++ + -
Matricaria spp.
++ +++ +++ +++ ++ +++
Mercurialis annua
+ - - - ++ -
Myosotis spp. - +++ + + + ++
Poa annua
+++ - +++ +++ - +++
Polygonum aviculare + + + ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ + +++
Polygonum Bungeanum
Polygonum convolvulus ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ +++ +++ ++ + ++
Polygonum hydropiper
++ +++ +++ +++ +++
Polygonum lapathifolium
++ ++ ++ ++ ++ +
Polygonum persicaria
++ +++ +++ +++ +++ +++ +++ ++ + ++
Portulaca oleracea +++ +++
Senecio vulgaris ++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++
Setaria viridis
- - + + - + -
Sinapis arvensis
++ +++ +++ +++ +++ ++
Solanum nigrum ++ +++ +++ +++ +++ +++ +++ +++ + +++
Sonchus Brachyotum
Spergula arvensis +++ +++ +++ +++ ++
Stellaria media
+++ +++ +++ +++ +++ +++ +++ + ++ ++
Thlaspi arvense
+++ +++ +++ +++ +++ +++
Urtica urtens ++ ++ + + + -
Veronica spp.
++ - + + + -
Viola arvensis
++ - +++ +++ + -
Xanthium Strumarium +
Examples of DSS (www.mlhd.nl, ww.gewis.nl)
Weed stage Weed sensitivity class
Very sensitive

(+++)
Moderate sensitive

(++)
Little sensitive

(+)
Seedling 0.1 0.1 0.2
1 leaf 0.1 0.15 0.2
2 leaves 0.2 0.3 0.4
4 leaves 0.3 0.4 0.5
6 leaves 0.6 0.8 1.1
Current situation on modern farms
Government
Service providers
Images of (future) precision agriculture
Potato management cycle (Source: Jacob v.d. Borne)

9
Controlled traffic farming (auto pilot system on
tractor and additional machine guidance)
Hydraulic valve
Steering angle sensor
Navigation
Controller
Displays
GPS / Galileo /
GLONASS, Beidou
/ GNSS
Agro robots
?Platforms for crop management

Agro Robots – current projects WUR
? Autonomous sprayers
? Strawberry
? Orchards
? Autonomous weed robot ‘Ruud’

Ground sensors used in
crop protection
Related developments in other domain
? Weed control on pavements
? Registration, planning, weather criterion compliance are
mandatory
Challenge
? How do we handle the massive amount of availble
(sensor) data and use them in a clever way
? Need of intelligence
? Easy exchange of data between sensors, FMS and
external services
? Standardisation
? ISOBUS (ISO 11783)

State of the art use satellites in PA
? Many satellites around the world support PA with
? References for positing systems
? Qualitative and quantitative crop information
? National satellite database (2012-2015)
? Satellite sensors provide data for
? Land use monitoring
? Crop and yield monitoring
? Optimization of crop management

Variable rate application of pesticides
? Case of potato haulm killing
Ground sensor - VRA
(MLHD PHK) 2005
Reglone
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
5
0 20 40 60
Reflection parameter CropScan
M
i
n
i
m
u
m

e
f
f
e
c
t
i
v
e

d
o
s
e

(
l
/
h
a
)
Use of remote satellite images
in potato haulm killing
1.30
1.35
1.40
1.45
1.50
1.55
1.60
WDVI map
on FMS
Spray task map
Dosing map

Figure x. Worldview-2 image, 15-08-2011, Flevoland. Test parcel for variable rate application in
yellow outline (above). WDVI image of test parcel (lower-left). Reglone dose instruction map
(lower-right)

Spray map PHK using UAV biomass map
and PHK-algorithm Reglone (sept 2011)
Standardisation issue
VRA soil herbicides
Lutum map made with gamma
radiation sensor -> spray map on
akkerweb
Data infrastructure
? Internet platform for agriculture
? On farm communication
? Between FMS and machines v.v.
? Communication within food chain
? Apps
? Standardisation
Internet Platform Akkerweb
Smart Agri Food (SAF) project
? EU FP7 project in ICT domain
? Some schemes for future internet in agriculture
? Coordinator is Sjaak Wolfert
SAF small scale pilot architecture
External Services
8 Mbps
Internet
1 Gbps
state’s policies
and information
service
Data Sources Farmer’s
Greenhouse
Centralized Cloud
of Core Platform
Farmer’s
devices
FMIS
LFSS
Greenhouse
EFMIS
“Public”
Repository and
Registry
LTMSS
Wireless
rural areas
FMIS: Farm Management System
EFMIS: Extended FMIS
LTMSS: Local Tractor Mgmt Subsystem
LFSS: Local Farm Mgmt Subsystem
27
FI-PPP Architecture for SAF (long term)
28
Future Network Technologies
Cloud server Farm
Storage

Privacy

Security

Support functions for
Mass data storage,
processing and
decision making
Resilience

Function split with FI network
for better security and
efficiency
Context
Social

Self
Management
Trust
Local
Logistics
Nets
Local
Farmer
Nets
Local
Merchandiser
Nets
Local
Food Industry
Nets
External
Services
(weather, ..)
Cloud
Proxy
Cloud
Proxy
Cloud
Proxy
Cloud
Proxy
I
o
T

I
o
T

I
o
T

I
o
T

Government
Authorities
Net
SAF small scale pilot (1/2)
29
SAF small scale pilot GUI (2/2)
Welcome John,
your friends are
waiting for you!
Sign out
Home My profile Mail(3) Search Engine Hot News!
URGENT!!!
Soil
Humidity is
low. You
should
irrigate
your..
My farms
My friends
Add friend
Friends Alarms
Community Blog
Area Statistics
Chat
History
Privacy
LIST of my friends
Aaron Hemilton
GO!!!
Friend Request(2)
URGENT!!!
Aphids has
infected
Jack’s crop.
He …
URGENT!!!
Aphids has
infected
Nicks crop.
He …
Farming Issues
30
Implementation and Configuration
Intelligence
Connectivity
Dynamic Virtual Representation
5.0
5.5
6.0
6.5
7.0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Glycongen concn. (µmol glucose equiv./g)
U
l t i m
a t e p
H
DFD
normal
normal or PSE
acid
Summary of smart Agri Food (SAF) project
? Exchange of data within food chain
? Representation of reality
? Connectivity
? Intelligence (content (underestimated))
? Integration
? Precision Ag, logistics, E-commerce,
regulations, food chain network
Conclusion: ICT will play a crucial role in
shaping future agriculture
? Intelligence at farm level
? Excess to databases
? E.g. nat. satellite data base
? Open sources and ‘ask your neighbour’
? Diagnosis, advice
? PA, Logistics, E-commerce, regulations
? Communication within food chains
? Tracking and tracing
? Autonomous vehicles/robotis
End of
presentation
More info:
[email protected]
+ 31 317 480498

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