Malaysia’s agricultural sector has been a major driver for the country’s economy, but continues to face difficulties owing to inefficiency and bureaucracy, which have resulted in significant losses. Nevertheless, the overall outlook for the sector remains positive, with smart farming providing a potential solution to longstanding challenges.

Smart farming or precision agriculture refers to the optimization of inputs, including water, fertilizers, pesticides and tools for enhancing yield, quality and productivity.

The management concept revolves around the use of satellite farming or location-specific crop management to observe, measure, and respond to variabilities in crops.

Through the utilization of information technology such as drones, satellites, and meteorological tools, farmers can ensure that soil and crops remain at peak health and productivity levels through a process that is efficient in terms of both time and cost.

By using such technology, farmers are provided with real-time images of leaves and soil in order to decide which course of action to take, instead of relying only on staff to observe individual crops.

Data from those images can then be processed and integrated with sensors and other information to help formulate plans for both immediate and future decision-making, such as where and when to plant specific crops and when to water them.

The main problems facing traditional agriculturalists include low crop yields due to inefficient techniques and unpredictable weather; varied circumstances based on factors like location and resources; inability to deal with unforeseen events such as natural disasters that can cause water contamination and damage to both crops and agricultural infrastructure; and various produce waste as a result of factors like poor quality seeds or inadequate farming practices.

It is therefore vital for Malaysia to begin enhancing its agricultural sector using innovations that can help mitigate risks, while also boosting profits. Read More