IT-based agriculture a boon for farmers

With IT-based agriculture changing the way farming can be done, Lincoln University has developed a new programme to teach people the latest techniques. IT-based farming, known as precision agriculture, involves using technologies such as sensors to carry out soil or crop mapping. This allows farmers to use real-time data to place nutrients, fertilisers and chemicals with much more accuracy than would otherwise be possible.

New approaches and tools are available to be used in all agricultural production systems, leading to important changes in the way farms are managed andprecision agriculture improves profitability and benefits the environment, because water, nutrients and energy can be used exactly where needed and nowhere else, which enhances efficiency and reduces losses.

Lincoln University’s precision agriculture course is part of a new Bachelor of Science (majoring in Agritech) programme. Department of Informatics and Enabling Technologies Head Dr Stuart Charters says the programme was established in 2013 to meet the growing demand for skilled staff who understand the demand of precision agriculture technologies.

This ensures the farmer gets the most ‘bang for their buck’, while still ensuring environmental sustainability. It also helps them to make more detailed and targeted decisions for their farm or field. It involves a lot of technical computer work with Geographic Information System (GIS) programs and controllers, which capture, store and analyse spatial or geographical data.