In the coming years, smart farming is projected to create a massive impact on the agricultural economy by bridging the gap between small and large-scale businesses. The trend is not only pertinent in developed countries — developing countries have also realized its immense importance as well.
Wide-scale deployments of smartphones and internet of things (IoT) systems over the last decade have led to a rapid adoption of precision agriculture solutions. Suparatana Bencharongkul, the daughter of telecom billionaire Boonchai Bencharongkul, is pioneering the Argri-tech revolution in Thailand. She realised the need for, and the advantages of these technologies, and thus, her initiatives to promote precision farming techniques to drive the growth in agriculture.
However, such revolutionary changes in farming practices not only come with opportunities but also certain challenges which prove to be a restraint in the growth of the market. The awareness and knowledge about newer agriculture technology are yet to spread extensively, especially in emerging countries.
Bencharongkul, General Manager of Rakbankerd, is clear that technology will have a significant impact on Thailand’s agricultural industry. The technology solutions Rakbankerd is pioneering will increase the value of land by making it possible to produce significantly more crops per acre.
What Rakbankerd is offering to Thailand’s agricultural landscape has tremendous potential benefits and value added. They include:
- Efficiency in use of resources like chemicals, fertilizers, water, fuel, etc.
- Improving quantity and quality of produce
- Higher yield in same amount of land
- Reducing environmental footprint
- Risks mitigation
These benefits add a tremendous amount of value to the production process, due to the increased yields that are a direct result of the integration of technology. The added value can be determined by analysing the estimated increase in yield.
There is a wealth of technological breakthroughs being made today in areas like robotics and drones, data collection and predictive analysis, disease prevention, and alternative farming methods. Under Bencharongkul’s stewardship, Rakbankerd is changing Thailand’s agricultural industry and is worth keeping an eye on 2019 and beyond.