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Overview |
Crop Production |
Crop Pattern |
Crop Yield |
Irrigation |
Soil Management | Precision Farming |
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Hunger Hides: Here and There
GIS at recent agricultural development
Where the image is bright: Today's farmer in the developed countries has a new set of technological tools that include global positioning system (GPS) receivers, satellite imagery, aerial photography and laptop computers. GIS software can help in integrating data and can help in using these tools in a variety of precision agriculture applications for recording and analysing agronomy variables, obtaining information on crops and soils and also can help in making decisions on where to apply chemicals or pesticides. Innovative farmers are steadily expanding their knowledge and adoption of precision farming technologies. Many precision practices, including collecting and mapping spatial data on crop yields and soil properties, and controlling and recording the applications of various inputs are becoming very common. Other precision practices, including recording field data on crop development, crop health, soil nutrient status and pest levels are also gaining widespread use.
In the rice fields of California, the vast cultivated area is precision levelled by laser controlled earth movers and sowing is done by an airplane at the rate of an acre in minute. At the time of harvest, a combine equipped with a stipper-header collects 250 tonnes of rice per day.
Agronomists, crop consultants use GIS to search for crop yield relationships and correlation among agronomic data. They can query the relationship among agronomic variables such as nutrient values and moisture levels to create fertiliser prescription contour maps that are used with variable rate application field equipment to improve yields and increased profits. Agricultural retail outlets such as Growmark, Inc., U.S.A. (recently merged with CountryMark to form Mark II Agronomy) use GIS to help customers determine which fertilizers and agricultural chemicals to buy for their variable rate precision fertilizer machinery. Agricultural chemicals and fertilizer manufacturers use GIS in their Research and Development divisions to explore cutting edge application.
The Foundation for Agronomic Research and the Potash & Phosphate Institute, U.S.A., are coordinating a multi-state, multidisciplinary research and education programme to evaluate site-specific management systems for Midwest corn and soyabean farmers. This programme was initiated in 1995 under a grant from the United Soyabean Board. During the last four years numerous industry and government agency cosponsors, including ESRI, have contributed support to the project, which is an excellent example of how sponsors can forge major research and educational efforts.
Image - where gaining brightness: According to Asian Centre for Research on remote Sensing, Thailand, data from JERS-1, optical and SAR can be used in estimating irrigated paddy cultivated areas in Indonesia. In this area, applying various fusion methods, it was found that combinations of vegetation index, average intensities of SAR, and principal component of optical and SAR can be used in estimating irrigated paddy cultivated areas in Indonesia. In this area, applying various fusion methods, it was found that combinations of vegetation index, average intensities of SAR, and principal component of optical date data fusion from different sources acquired in various stages irrespective to their source could satisfactorily be used in estimating irrigated paddy area under cultivation.
In India the initial success of this technology led to the formulation of crop acreage and production estimation (CAPE) project which was first major project launched under Remote Sensing Application Mission (RSAM) and Department of Space (DOS) in 1986. There is the substantial increase in production of cereals, particularly wheat and rice over the past few years with the advent of new technologies. The advantage of radar remote sensing for rice crop lies in its independence from cloud cover and solar illumination. Sensitivity of SAR to canopy geometry and moisture is promising not only for crop discrimination but also to model crop growth and condition. Thus, in addition to crop acreage, it was feasible to derive information on progress of transplanting, anomaly in crop growth, extent and duration of flooding etc.
Analyses of demand and supply situation and designing of an optimum plan to locate cold stores using satellite remote sensing data and GIS was carried out by the scientists of Agro-Ecology and Management Division, ISRO. The study was done for potato crop in Bardhman district of West Bengal, a leading potato growing area. GIS implementation in finding large cardamom cultivation potential in Sikkim Himalayas were studied by Dr. Saurabh Gupta and Syed Taha Owais. Sikkim grows 90% of the total country's cardamom. The study area was the Ratachhu watershed. The potential for cardamom cultivation is calculated by using altitude, forest type, aspect, soil depth and soil type. Thus from the above analysis, some measures are suggested and it was also found that GIS based studies have tremendous potential in proper monitoring of cardamom cultivation. Scientists from Foundation for Revitalisation of Local Health Traditions (FRLHT), Bangalore has studied that how FRLHT is using GIS for Eco-distribution mapping of prioritises medicinal plants of South India.
In this country, 'agricultural resources information system' using geomatics technology with public funding to reduce the process of marginalisation of small farmers and risks is required. This will facilitate to evolve 'small farmer development strategy' making full use of information technology and bio-technology and ensuring the linkages between research, technology and production on one hand and effectiveness of the delivery system and extension network to carry the benefits of science and technology to the farmers on the other.
If GIS can…
Today's economic realities have a lot to do with the progress of GIS in the agricultural industry. Agricultural production, marketing and processing technologies and management systems have become more complex over the years. Technologies like GIS and remote sensing are powerful tools for agricultural development but all these require broad expertise and rapid availability of knowledge. The need for information, education programmes and decision support tools is greater now than at any other time in the history. Hence, the factor of increasing complexity of agricultural technologies and management systems has created a need for GIS and remote sensing. Agriculture sector requires sharing of expertise and resources across countries, institutions and departments, more cooperation with the private sector, improved openness and communication on issues of interest to the community, greater awareness of our role in the world, and a willingness to consider new approaches.
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